While the Massachusetts men’s club rugby B squad remained undefeated over the weekend, the A side fell 24-14 to Boston College.The Minutemen went into the game with a plan that involved kicking so that their fast wingers could avoid the Eagles’ big players on defense.

“We knew they were going to be a big, fit team,” assistant coach Daniel Joseph said.

The Eagles proved their own fitness in the fourth minute. After a short stand at the UMass (1-4) try line, BC plugged in a try and added a conversion to create a 7-0 lead.

Backed up in their own try zone, Minutemen back Tim Harvey punted the ball, but it was immediately caught by the Eagles and returned for another try and five more points.

The Minutemen advanced the ball slowly into the Eagles’ side of the field until Dean Nemeroff broke through BC’s defense and scored. The added conversion put UMass on the board.

Another try after a breakaway run by the Eagles put the halftime score at 17-7.

“They came out real hard in the second half,” Joseph said.

In the first half, the Minutemen were slow to rucks and were losing the ball in breakdowns, but showed improvement in the second half.

“We weren’t expecting UMass to be so strong at the breakdowns,” Eagles coach Rob Conway said after the game.

UMass improved its game, but consistent tackles and scrums from the Eagles stopped offensive plays.

Most of the second half was spent with both teams struggling to maintain possession of the ball.

In the 76th minute, BC broke through another UMass try line defense and converted a kick to put seven more points on the board.

A final try by UMass’ Tim Harvey and a conversion by Nemeroff put the final score at 24-14.

Joseph was impressed by the team’s improved play in the second half, but realized that “little mistakes can be costly.”

Minutes after the A side game, the B squad took the field to face the Eagles.

The UMass rugby B side (5-0) is first in the standings among B side teams and has not lost a game since 2011. It went into Saturday’s game having scored 145 points in its previous four wins, and only allowed 17 points on Saturday.

The B side, which goes by the name “The Killer B’s,” started the game with a try at the one-minute mark.

Three minutes later, Riley Carroll had a breakaway and scored in the corner of the try zone.

The Eagles had a quick pace and advanced the ball to the UMass try line. Up 10-0, the Minutemen let an Eagle slip by, allowing them to put up five points.

The first half ended with UMass only up by five, the closest score the team has seen this season.

The Minutemen allowed another try at the start of the second half.

“The forwards played a little sloppy, but towards the end we tried to tighten up,” said team president and B side player Ben Miller.

The defense tightened up and did not allow a BC try or kick for the last 30 minutes. The final score was 23-10.

Multiple runs by BC backs were put to a stop by UMass forward Jason Potash, who was a consistent tackler throughout the game.

“We come out, we want to have fun, and we like to tackle,” Potash said.

UMass has its final match of the season against Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 26, behind McGuirk Stadium.

Jackson Goddard can be reached at [email protected].