BRONX, New York - The American International College men's rugby team fell 39-24 in its Liberty Rugby Conference opener at Fordham University on Saturday, September 5.

AIC is now 0-1 overall and in LRC play.

The Rams got off to a hot start with a try in the fifth minute by Mike O'Keefe, and despite taking a yellow card shortly after, pushed across again with a John Morris try and Benja Thompson conversion in the 16th minute.

Thompson added a try and conversion in the 32nd minute, seemingly giving Fordham an insurmountable 19-0 edge, but AIC bounced back nearly immediately; Avanoalonalua Nautu scored a try inside of a minute of the Rams strike, and then just before halftime, Lewis Shelby put the ball down beyond the line. Lewis Gow's kick cut AIC's deficit to 19-12 at the break.

Fordham responded to the gut punch by the Yellow Jackets with a strong buildup in the early stages of the second half, with Thompson and CJ Prato scoring tries in the 47th and 55th minute respectively; Thompson converted both to re-extend the edge to 33-12. 

Nautu scored a try in the 68th minute to get AIC back on track, and Emre Sarikey put down as well in the 77th minute, with a Gow conversion, to give AIC late life. The deficit was too much, however, and two Thompson penalties in the final three minutes provided the 39-24 margin.

AIC will next face off against Dartmouth College on Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m.