The women’s rugby team secured a decisive 38-21 victory over American International College (AIC) on Friday. Head Coach Rosalind Chou praised the performance as a “team win.”
“We saw many student-athletes rotate through the roster and display resilience against a tough AIC team,” Chou said.
The game began with heavy winds and light rain, leading to a defensive battle in the first half. Both teams faced numerous turnovers and scrums, struggling to gain momentum. At the 6:53 mark, Brown’s Olivia Baptiste ’26 broke the deadlock.
Genie Dickens ’28 kicked the ball upfield to Baptiste, who executed a perfect chase, diving over the try line to put Brown ahead 5-0.
“All week, we practiced our chase, as kicking is key to our strategy this year,” Baptiste explained. “I anticipated Genie’s high kick and was fortunate to score after the bounce went my way.”
Julia Murray ’26 converted the try, extending the Bears’ lead to 7-0.
However, AIC quickly responded. At 14:30, Naomi Dodd sprinted past several defenders, scoring a try that brought the score to 7-5. AIC followed up with a successful conversion, tying the game at 7-7.
Moments later, a penalty kick awarded to Brown allowed them to reclaim the lead at 10-7 by halftime.
The second half saw a shift to offensive play. Akilah Cathey ’25 broke through AIC’s defense early on, scoring another try at the 10:36 mark, bringing the score to 15-7. Murray’s conversion made it 17-7.
Brown maintained its offensive momentum. Nikki Lynch ’25 scored another try at 24:11, extending the lead to 22-7.
“We started strong with Baptiste’s great try. When AIC caught on to our strategy, we adapted with new plays to keep them off guard,” Lynch noted.
Murray added another conversion, increasing the lead to 24-7. Just eight minutes later, Lynch scored again after a scramble for the ball, making it 29-7.
After Murray’s conversion, Brown led 31-7. Cathey scored her second try shortly after, pushing the advantage even further.
Baptiste shared, “Our team felt a surge of energy. It was a great collective effort to secure the win.”
With a strong lead late in the game, Brown made several substitutions. AIC capitalized on this, scoring a few tries and conversions to reduce the deficit to 38-21, but ran out of time to complete the comeback.
“The game was thrilling,” Lynch said. “We made adjustments as needed, and overall, we achieved our goal.”
The Bears will face Princeton Tigers in their first Ivy matchup on Saturday at noon. The game will be held at West Windsor Fields in Princeton, NJ, and will be streamed on ESPN+.
“Everyone contributed to the team win, and we look forward to our first Ivy matchup next weekend,” Chou added.
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