Chicago, Ill. -- There are games that measure how far a program has come and others that show how much more is within reach. For the Aquinas men's rugby team, Saturday's first appearance in the Big Rivers Rugby Conference Tournament championship offered a little of both. With a national tournament berth already secured and a victory guaranteeing a top-eight national finish, the Saints had plenty to gain and every reason to embrace the opportunity.

Marian 18, Aquinas 12

The Maroon and White finished six points short of their first conference tournament championship, leaving Chicago with a historic runner-up finish and a clear sense of what needs to improve before the national playoffs. AQ had earned its place in the final, but turning that opportunity into a trophy required sharper execution at crucial moments.

Freshman Liam Scott-Pages and junior Liam Inman supplied the Saints' two tries, with Inman adding a conversion to account for AQ's 12 points. Their scoring helped Aquinas challenge Marian, but the Saints struggled to establish the consistent attacking momentum needed to finish the job.

Head coach Lance Hohaia pointed to decision-making at key moments and difficulty securing AQ's own lineout ball as the biggest obstacles. Those missed opportunities disrupted possessions and limited the Saints' chances to build sustained pressure in a closely contested championship match.

Second place represented new ground for Hohaia's program, even if it fell short of the team's goal for the weekend. The Saints now have another opportunity to turn progress into postseason success, carrying Saturday's lessons into their national tournament opener.

Aquinas moves to 5-2 overall, while Marian improves to 7-3.

Saints Snapshots

• A Program First: The Saints made their first Big Rivers championship match appearance and recorded the highest conference finish in program history.
• Two Liams, 12 Points: Liam Scott-Pages and Liam Inman each scored a try, while Inman added a conversion to complete AQ's scoring.
• A Narrow Margin: Six points separated Aquinas from its first conference tournament title.
• A National Opportunity: AQ earned one of the Big Rivers' two national playoff berths and will open tournament play November 14 in Indianapolis.

Coach's Comments

Pride in his team's progress shared space with the disappointment of a championship opportunity left unfinished as head coach Lance Hohaia reflected on the loss. His attention, however, was already turning toward making the next opportunity count.

"It was a very close game, but ultimately we let ourselves down with some poor decision-making at crucial moments. We also struggled to secure our own lineout ball, which made it difficult to build consistent attacking momentum.

"Finishing second in our conference is the highest we've achieved as a program, and that's certainly something to be proud of. However, it's not the trophy we came here to win.

"The good news is that, because of the strength of our conference, we've earned another opportunity to compete at nationals. The top two teams in the Big Rivers advance to the national playoffs, and we'll head to Indianapolis next Saturday determined to learn from this result and put in a much better performance." — Aquinas head coach Lance Hohaia

Up Next

The Aquinas men's rugby team will head to Indianapolis, Ind., on Saturday, November 14, for its opening game of the national tournament against an opponent to be determined.

Visit AQSaints.com for streaming links and complete coverage of Aquinas men's rugby and all other Saints sports.

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