
Photo by: Amelia Bashy
Women's Rugby Falls to Sacred Heart in Home Opener
8/30/2025 3:54:00 PM | Women's Rugby
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Brown women's rugby team (0-1) was defeated by the Sacred Heart Pioneers (1-0) on Saturday afternoon in its home opener, 45-21.
The Pioneers set the tone early, scoring two tries in the first 12 minutes. Brown responded when Jenna Lowry scored the Bears' first try of the game, with a successful conversion by Julia Murray to cut Sacred Heart's lead in half. Still, the Pioneers answered with two more tries and two conversions, taking a 24-7 lead into halftime.
After halftime, the Pioneers maintained their lead, but the Bears answered quickly as Courtney Cummings earned a try.
In the final 20 minutes, Brown executed key defensive stands, preventing Sacred Heart from scoring. As the clock ticked down, momentum shifted toward Brown. Olivia Baptiste scored the last try, and freshman Charlotte Davies successfully kicked the final conversion, capping the Bears' late surge. Despite capitalizing on key opportunities on a very hot and windy day, Brown ultimately fell as Sacred Heart won the hard-fought battle, 45-21.
"We saw some strong moments from a number of our student-athletes today against an impressive Sacred Heart team," said Head Coach Rosalind Chou. "We have installed a lot of new systems and have asked a lot of this team in preseason. The team really settled in during the second half, and our bench really infused intensity. We have a lot of great data, so we can improve on some areas next weekend."
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
First Half:
6:08 – Sacred Heart Try – 5-0 Sacred Heart
11:33 – Sacred Heart Try – 10-0 Sacred Heart
17:52 – Brown Try (Lowry) – 10-5 Sacred Heart
19:05 – Brown Conversion (Murray) – 10-7 Sacred Heart
20:45 – Sacred Heart Try  – 15-7 Sacred Heart
21:50 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 17-7 Sacred Heart
40:53 – Sacred Heart Try – 22-7 Sacred Heart
42:02 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 24-7
Second Half:
42:35– Sacred Heart Try – 29-7 Sacred Heart
43:23 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 31-7 Sacred Heart
44:48 – Sacred Heart Try – 36-7 Sacred Heart
45:55 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 38-7 Sacred Heart
50:35 – Brown Try (Cummings) – 38-12 Sacred Heart
51:33 – Brown Conversion (Murray) – 38-14 Sacred Heart
58: 51 – Sacred Heart Try – 43-14 Sacred Heart
59:56 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 45-14 Sacred Heart
77:19 - Brown Try (Baptiste) – 45-19 Sacred Heart
78:22 – Brown Conversion (Davies) – 45-21 Sacred Heart
FINAL: 45-21 Sacred Heart
The Bears will return to action next Saturday, September 6 at 1 p.m. when they will travel to take on Quinnipiac.
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X and @BrownU_Bears on Instagram. Like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
The Pioneers set the tone early, scoring two tries in the first 12 minutes. Brown responded when Jenna Lowry scored the Bears' first try of the game, with a successful conversion by Julia Murray to cut Sacred Heart's lead in half. Still, the Pioneers answered with two more tries and two conversions, taking a 24-7 lead into halftime.
After halftime, the Pioneers maintained their lead, but the Bears answered quickly as Courtney Cummings earned a try.
In the final 20 minutes, Brown executed key defensive stands, preventing Sacred Heart from scoring. As the clock ticked down, momentum shifted toward Brown. Olivia Baptiste scored the last try, and freshman Charlotte Davies successfully kicked the final conversion, capping the Bears' late surge. Despite capitalizing on key opportunities on a very hot and windy day, Brown ultimately fell as Sacred Heart won the hard-fought battle, 45-21.
"We saw some strong moments from a number of our student-athletes today against an impressive Sacred Heart team," said Head Coach Rosalind Chou. "We have installed a lot of new systems and have asked a lot of this team in preseason. The team really settled in during the second half, and our bench really infused intensity. We have a lot of great data, so we can improve on some areas next weekend."
SCORING BREAKDOWN:
First Half:
6:08 – Sacred Heart Try – 5-0 Sacred Heart
11:33 – Sacred Heart Try – 10-0 Sacred Heart
17:52 – Brown Try (Lowry) – 10-5 Sacred Heart
19:05 – Brown Conversion (Murray) – 10-7 Sacred Heart
20:45 – Sacred Heart Try  – 15-7 Sacred Heart
21:50 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 17-7 Sacred Heart
40:53 – Sacred Heart Try – 22-7 Sacred Heart
42:02 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 24-7
Second Half:
42:35– Sacred Heart Try – 29-7 Sacred Heart
43:23 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 31-7 Sacred Heart
44:48 – Sacred Heart Try – 36-7 Sacred Heart
45:55 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 38-7 Sacred Heart
50:35 – Brown Try (Cummings) – 38-12 Sacred Heart
51:33 – Brown Conversion (Murray) – 38-14 Sacred Heart
58: 51 – Sacred Heart Try – 43-14 Sacred Heart
59:56 – Sacred Heart Conversion – 45-14 Sacred Heart
77:19 - Brown Try (Baptiste) – 45-19 Sacred Heart
78:22 – Brown Conversion (Davies) – 45-21 Sacred Heart
FINAL: 45-21 Sacred Heart
The Bears will return to action next Saturday, September 6 at 1 p.m. when they will travel to take on Quinnipiac.
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the backbone of our athletics program, playing a crucial role in enhancing the student-athlete experience. This is possible through philanthropic support from our alumni, parents, fans, and friends. Your gift through the Sports Foundation can immediately impact today's Brown Bears, helping them excel in the classroom, in competition, and, most importantly, in the community. Please click here to learn more about how you can support the Bears.
Â
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on X and @BrownU_Bears on Instagram. Like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
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