Club Rugby Team Takes Over Campus Field

On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Sacred Heart University men’s club rugby team began their season against Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Campus Field.

The Pioneers lost 41-15 in their first game. Despite the loss, Head Coach Jack Corcoran was still pleased with how his team played throughout the match.

“It was a great first task,” said Corcoran. “Playing tough teams early shows you where you are and where to improve.”

It was also the first time that the Pioneers had a rugby game at Campus Field. All previous home games were played at the Park Avenue Field.

“It was pretty cool to be under the big lights,” said senior Stephen Palermo. “The depth of the field was a little hard to adjust to, but Campus Field had a lot of good vibes.”

Sophomore Michael Putt and graduate student Cody Kelsey each scored a try towards the end of the game. Corcoran felt that the Pioneers showed a lot of fight during the whole game.

“They are buying into what I am trying to teach them, but we definitely need more practice to work together,” said Corcoran. “We need to improve on physicality, defense and intensity.”

Last year, the Pioneers ended their regular season with a record of three wins, one loss and one tie. They made it to the playoffs and finished in second place.

Corcoran said he enjoys working with the players and thinks they have a strong dedication to the game and to each other.

“Our culture is the best part of the team right now,” said Corcoran. “I really like the fact that we have a bunch of good guys who hold themselves accountable and try.”

Two of the leaders on the rugby team are sophomore Zach Parker and junior Jeremy Suhr. Suhr is the team president, and Parker serves as the vice president.

“Serving as president of the rugby team is the biggest honor I could possibly ask for,” said Suhr. “It gives me an opportunity to lead and grow this team in many different ways, which is extremely important to me.”

Both Suhr and Parker make sure that each player on the team shows up to practices and games. They also lead the team with fundraising for trips and other events around campus.

The team helped raise suicide awareness by organizing an annual Suicide Prevention Walk on the Upper Quad on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The Student Nursing Association and Alpha Delta Pi sorority were also part of the event’s organization.

“It was a great opportunity to unite everybody and show the importance of mental health on a college campus,” said Suhr. “The best part about the event was selling every single one of the shirts and raising $5,378 to donate to suicide prevention charities.”

Another event hosted by the rugby team is a spring tournament every year to honor former player Peter DeSalvo, who committed suicide in 2020.

“The Peter DeSalvo Tournament is one of my favorite memories,” said Palermo. “It was my first time playing and I scored two tries, so I was pretty fired up.”

The next game will be against Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. on Campus Field.

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