Northeastern men’s club rugby, known as the Maddogs, hosted Boston College for its final regular season game of 2025 Saturday, Oct. 25. Heading into the game, both the Maddogs and the Eagles boasted undefeated records, putting them both at the top of the Liberty Conference, Division-1AA standings. History has shown that these two teams don’t take losing to each other lightly, forming a cross-town rivalry over the past half-decade.
Boston College opened up the scoring early, being awarded a penalty try within the first 10 minutes of the game and making the score 7-0. Northeastern responded with a handful of strong phases, and a high tackle from BC led to a minor squabble between players, setting an early-tone for the intensity that would follow. Not long after, the Maddogs were awarded a penalty close to their try line and opted to take the penalty kick. Third-year outside center Bobby Walker put it between the uprights to make it 7-3.
After receiving the kickoff from Northeastern, BC kept solid possession, moving the ball gradually from side to side before the team’s winger found a gap up the left side, shed a few tackles and took it in for a try in the corner. This left the Eagles with a tough angle on the conversion kick that they were unable to make, making the score 12-3.
After a couple back-and-forth possessions, Northeastern found itself with a line-out up against the Eagle’s try line. The throw from first-year hooker Nate Hirsch led to a perfectly executed maul, and as the Maddogs worked to overpower the Eagles on the line, Hirsch snuck back into the mix, grabbed the ball out of the chaos and slipped off to the right side for the try. A missed conversion kick saw Northeastern only come away with the five points. With the score now at 15-8, BC was left with an uncomfortable lead heading into halftime.
After a kickoff from BC to start the second half, it didn’t take long for Northeastern to relieve the game of this discomfort. After a couple quick phases, third-year forward and team treasurer Ian McTaggart took matters into his own hands, finding a break in the line and keeping his feet amid the desperate tackles of BC’s back line as he powered his way to a huge try for the Maddogs. Walker converted the kick to give NU the whole seven points and tie the score at 15-15.
After kicking the ball back to BC, a strong Northeastern defense saw the home team swiftly regain possession of the ball. A phase of big carries from the forwards and precise line breaks from the wings left the Dogs up against the opposing try line. BC’s hastily constructed defensive line was no match for the Northeastern forwards, led by fourth-year captain Charlie Beney, as they pummeled down the Eagles’ defense and set up a gap just big enough for first-year fly-half Harry Johnston to find the go-ahead try. Another converted kick for Walker put Northeastern up by seven, 22-15 Maddogs.
After receiving the kickoff, BC wasn’t able to make any headway on a Northeastern defense that was clearly ramping up the pressure and momentum. The Eagles’ scrum-half was forced to let off a desperate box-kick from deep in their own half, which unfortunately for them, landed in the hands of Johnston. After jumping for the catch and evading initial tackles, Johnston maneuvered his way to the sideline for a huge gain. After a strong working of the ball across the field, Northeastern worked the ball into the hands of McTaggart, who took it in for his second try of the day. A missed conversion put the score at 27-15 and kept the game nervously within reach for BC. To add to Northeastern’s anxiety, BC managed to find a quick response, scoring a try and converting the kick to make it 27-22 Northeastern with 10 minutes left to play.
With both teams fighting off exhaustion, BC tried its best to make one last push to no avail. Northeastern’s defense held strong, and the final whistle saw the Dogs beat their rivals 27-22, securing an undefeated regular season and the top seed going into the playoffs.
The Maddogs will face the fourth-seeded Babson College in the first round of playoffs on Sunday, Nov. 2, at Carter Field. The Liberty Conference Division-1AA playoffs consist of the top four teams from the regular season, with first round matchups between the one and four seed and two and three seed. The winner of Northeastern vs. Babson is set to play the winner of Boston College vs. Yale, who are ranked second and third, respectively.
