St. Bonaventure is the first team to advance to the Division I semifinals with a 51-7 defeat of reigning champion Brown Saturday at Siena College in Loudonville, NY. The loss snaps a 19-game Brown winning streak, dating back to the Bonnies’ 15-13 defeat of the Bears in the 2023 semifinals. 

‍

The Bonnies opened with a breakaway scoop-and-score from midfield when Brown’s mishandling resulted in a loose ball. The forwards punched over a short range try five minutes later. Noah Edwards slotted both conversions, making it 14-0. 

‍

The Bonnies added a third try at the half-hour mark after being held up in the Brown zone, scoring a couple of phases following the goal-line dropout. Edwards then knocked over a penalty kick to make it 24-0. 

‍

Right on halftime, scrumhalf Troy Heroldt exploited a gap in the Bears’ blitzing defensive line and scampered in for a try. With the conversion, the Bonnies led 31-0 at the break. 

‍

The one-way traffic continued in the second half, with St. Bonaventure adding four more tries, including on a chip-and-chase that Brown appeared to have in its hands, to take a 51-0 lead. Brown’s lone try came from a driving maul in the 75th minute. 

‍

The Bonnies await the winner of Sunday’s quarterfinal between Marian and Walsh in Obetz, OH. The other semifinal will be between the two other Sunday quarterfinal winners – between Queens and Wheeling at VMI and Notre Dame and Belmont Abbey at Rio Grande.

‍

Follow along with the Men’s DI championship on ncr.rugby.