The three top-ranked teams in Men’s Division I are still in the hunt for a national championship, as No. 1 Queens, No. 2 Brown and third-ranked St. Bonaventure are set for the semifinals December 7 in Berks, PA, alongside No. 7 Wheeling.
Top-seeded Queens defeated American International College Friday in Charlotte, NC, downing the Yellowjackets, 37-19, to advance to the national semifinals, where they’ll face Wheeling, 58-24 winners at Notre Dame Saturday.
Meeting in the other semifinal are 2021 national champions St. Bonaventure and 2022 winners Brown. Saturday, the Bears defeated Walsh, 23-15, in Providence, RI, and the Bonnies outscored Thomas More, 30-24, on the Saints’ home turf in Crestview Hills, KY.
In Charlotte, the Royals took the lead immediately, scoring off a point blank lineout, with hooker Josh Schwartz dotting down from the back of a driving maul. AIC also scored off a Queens lineout, when Schwartz missed his target on a throw deep in the Royals’ end, and Yellowjacket No. 8 Juan Mateo Carrazana caught the overthrow, diving over with ease.
The Royals then ripped off three-straight scores to take a 24-5 lead. The first was a penalty from Hilton Olivier, the second a kick return from outside center Gideon Wessels, and the third a chip-and-chase from wing Everette Boyd.
AIC tighthead prop Taivon Barker slammed over a try off a five-meter tap-and-go penalty, pulling the Yellowjackets to within two scores going into halftime. And scrumhalf Auguesto Arguello willed his way over the line off a scrum for the first score of the second stanza, pulling AIC within a try at 24-19.
OIivier, a perfect 6/6 from the tee, gave the Royals some breathing room with a penalty, before Schwartz scored his second try near the hour mark to put the game out of reach. This time the hooker hauled in a cross kick from flyhalf Zach Colson.
In South Bend, the Wheeling Cardinals left no doubt with a huge second half. The Fighting Irish held the visitors to just three scores in the first 40 minutes, making it close at halftime, 17-5.
In the second half, Wheeling wing Panashe Mugorogodi scored the first four tries himself, as the Cardinals pumped the lead to 43-5 before letting the hosts on the board again. Flanker Aaron Juma dotted down three tries and Shadreck Mandaza added two.
St. Bonaventure, like Wheeling, won on the road. The openside flanker opened the scoring in the 10th minute off a short range two-on-three. The Bonnies added another one off a kicking counter attack, going up 10-0.
Thomas More got on the board after 30 minutes off of a short ball from an attacking lineout. And the Bonnies responded off the ensuing kickoff with a penalty, adding another try before halftime to take a 20-5 lead into the break.
Thomas More scored the first two tries of the second half to pull within six, but the Bonnies scored the backbreaker in the 74th minute, scoring off a short-range penalty play to put the game out of reach at 30-19.
In Providence, Brown struck first after seven minutes with a penalty, taking a 3-0 lead. The Bears added the first try off an attacking lineout in the 26th minute, with hooker Joe Al-Hasso dotting down on the back of a driving maul.
Walsh got on the board with a penalty to start the second half, and they tied it up with their first try in the 55th minute. No. 8 Fraser Leslie caught a cutout pass and galloped into open space, setting up Colton Weber for the try.
Brown regained the lead, 11-8, with a Rafael Lansonneur penalty after the Walsh scrum collapsed at 60 minutes. The Cavalier scrum won a penalty on their own five-meter mark, Remy Thompson quick-tapped, and Walsh went 95 meters the other way for a team try, taking a 15-11 lead with 14 minutes left.
Brown stole momentum back with a spectacular crosskick try in the 70th minute. Scrumhalf Tuala to wing Marco Lapierre, who won the aerial battle in the try zone to put the Bears up 18-15. In the 78th minute, the Brown pack drove over a maul from a lineout to seal the win.
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