This Sunday AIC Men’s Rugby took the early morning trip to play in the 7th annual Lt. Scott Milley Memorial 7s tournament, hosted by the University of New Hampshire.  This annual tournament is put together in memory of Lt. Scott Milley, a former UNH rugby player that was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010. 

“The Milley’s have such a positive outlook on life. Out here, grilling lunch for the teams, honoring the memory of their son; It’s a beautiful event. They’re certainly making the best out of a terrible tragedy. They’re creating a wonderful legacy for their son Scott and doing great work for veterans through the foundation in his name,” said AIC Coach Rob Guiry. 

AIC started the day going 2-0 in pool play with a 42-12 win over UMass Lowell and a 29-12 win over ECRC foe UCONN. Moving on into the quarter finals as the tournaments #3 seed, AIC faced off against a fit and hard running Norwich team. Ultimately the Yellow Jacket attack was too much for the Cadets and AIC walked away with a 38-17 win. 

The semifinals would pit AIC against tournament hosts #2 seed UNH. On a much wider field, AIC was able to take advantage of their pace and move the ball wide to space. Sophomore Nic Franklin made some fantastic individual plays to dot the ball down before coming out with an ankle injury. Substitutions were made shortly after half and AIC held on for a 29-12 victory. 

New England College awaited in the final, after an upset win over #1-seeded Northeastern in their semifinal. NEC features a strong experienced team, led by center Isaiah Cortez, a Northeast Academy standout. AIC’s depth and fitness showed up in the final, unleashing just a bit more pace when called upon and bending but not breaking on defense. Creative interplay between Juniors Jihad Khabir and Matty Jones led to a 24-0 win for AIC. 

In their three tournaments this Spring, AIC has won three finals, with a combined score of 73-5 with shutout wins over Ohio State and New England College. 

Blake Gurgul, the lone senior to make the trip this weekend summed things up by saying “We played really disciplined rugby, but took advantage of every opportunity to put the AIC speed and creativity into our games. Our bench is deeper than it has ever been and the boys are hungrier than every to get time. It shows on the field.”