The Massachusetts men’s rugby team (2-4) defeated Connecticut 40-17 on Saturday in its final game of the season.

After two consecutive losses, the Minutemen were looking to dish out punishment to the Huskies this past Saturday.

“We’re gonna take it to them today. We’re going to come out banging,” said flanker Joe Hastry.

The Minutemen had two weeks to prepare for this game, as they did not play the previous Saturday.

“Some guys were banged up a bit and it gave them time to recover,” forwards captain Zachary Carl said.

It was important for departing seniors to get a win in their final game with UMass. They “left it all on the field,” prop Todd Theodat said.

Battling cold and stiff fingers, the Minutemen started with the ball. A stiff arm led to a scoring play by forward Max Pomeranz, who scored his first A-side try in the 5th minute, followed by a successful conversion by back Dean Nemeroff.

Still fueled by the momentum of the try, UMass stole the ball after a scrum. This change of possession led to a penalty kick opportunity, which Nemeroff converted.

The Huskies scored a try after executing a lineout play near the Minutemen’s try line, putting the score at 10-5.

A try by Thomas Thekaekara in the 38th minute and another conversion by Nemeroff put UMass up at the half.

“This game, we finally put in a full team effort, especially in the backs where everyone was unselfish, looking for opportunities to pass more than ever,” backs captain and scrum half Sam Grant said.

To start off the second half, the backs swung the ball out past the UConn defense to junior Tim Harvey, who scored the Minutemen’s third try of the game.

A successful Huskies’ try followed quickly by a UMass try from Theodat put the score at 22-10.

The 65th minute saw back Zach St. Amand score his first A-side try. St. Amand, who suffered a laceration to his head after a collision with a teammate, said that it did not alter his play. “If anything, it inspired me more,” he said.

Driving through two tacklers, St. Amand placed the ball directly on the try line, scoring five.

The play got sloppy toward the end of the second half, with both teams giving up a try.

In the 78th minute, Grant put three more UMass points on the board, and the three whistles were blown shortly after. Superior UMass runners led UMass to a convincing victory.

“It felt really good. It’s bittersweet though, because the fall season is over and it’s tough when all the seniors are never going to play fifteens for UMass again,” Carl said.

The rugby team now turns its attention to rugby sevens, which is a different, but equally challenging game. Rugby sevens is played with seven players on the field instead of 15. UMass will host a sevens tournament this spring.

Meanwhile, the men’s rugby B-side achieved a 67-0 win over the Huskies. The “Killer Bs” ended their season with an undefeated record.

Jackson Goddard can be reached at [email protected].