Louisville, Kentucky - The Bowling Green Men's Rugby Team (7-2, 5-1 MAC) will enter the MAC Tournament Final as the No. 2 seed and face the No. 1 Seed Louisville (6-0 MAC) in an away MAC Final on Saturday, November 8th at 1 pm at Hayes-Kennedy Park. The Falcons will go into their 47th MAC Final with expectations to win their 43rd MAC Final to defend last year's title.

"This upcoming matchup against Louisville is one that we've been looking forward to and one that we've been anticipating. You know the likelihood of us playing them in the playoffs every year is pretty high so we always like to make sure we're measuring up well going against them as a really good team," said Assistant Coach Austin Morris."  I'm feeling good about the way that our team is looking going into this. I think we're getting at an even better point of really getting our processes going so I am really looking forward to it. I'm sure they are looking forward to it." 

The last time these two teams faced in the MAC Tournament Final was the 2024 MAC Final. It ended with a thrilling 34-33 win for the BG, giving them 42nd MAC Title. The Cardinals have proved themselves to be a dangerous team. They play with emotion and come into the game looking for revenge following last year's gut wrenching MAC Final loss on the road. The Falcons cannot come out flat footed. They need to be focused and keep their heads cool for the full 80 minutes if they want to reclaim the MAC Title. 

"If you look at the MAC Championship matchup between us and Louisville over the last handful of years. The winner of that game has made the national championship so we know what is at stake. We know the winning team gets to take a break and the runner-up has to play a play-in game for the playoffs so I'm excited about the prospect of this game. I'm excited for the matchup," said Assistant Coach Austin Morris. "I respect what the new coach at Louisville has been doing and I'm excited to see how our team matches up and looks to get revenge from that home loss earlier this year."

Last Time on the Field

The Falcon rugby team hosted the No. 3 Seed Broncos in the MAC Semifinal. The weekend's result was fairly similar to the previous week, a 36-7 win for the Falcons. As a result, the Falcons advanced to the MAC Final for the 47th straight year. All American eight man Phil Tracey has made the switch to hooker seamless. Tracey managed four tries this weekend against the Broncos. Senior Lock Zach Szepiela contributed with a single try. Fullback Joey Apel pitched in with three conversions and one try. 

Milestone Markers. 

• The Falcons look to win their 43rd MAC Title.

• BG will be playing for the opportunity to challenge for the National Title, which was last won by BG in 2018.

About Louisville:

Last season, Louisville finished 2nd in the MAC Conference with 26 points from a record of 5-1, with only a loss to Bowling Green. They finished first for points for (309), second for points against (84) and points differential (+225). The Cardinals also lost the 2024 MAC Tournament after a 34-10 victory over Western Michigan (No. 3) in the semi-finals and a 34-33 loss to Bowling Green (No. 1) in the MAC Final. 

This season, Louisville are 6-0 in the MAC. The Cardinals started with a 28-0 victory over University of Dayton following a match cancellation. In response Louisville defeated Ohio University 106-5 the following week. They next defeated Bowling Green early in the season 32-22 on the road. In the weeks following, the Cardinals defeated Western Michigan 61-17, Pittsburgh 77-3, and Cincinnati 58-3. Louisville started their MAC Tournament at home against University of Cincinnati and won 38-19 to secure a Home MAC Final against Bowling Green.

Louisville lost in its last MAC Tournament match against BG 34-33 in the 2024 MAC Final

Bowling Green vs. Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky | Hayes-Kennedy Park

Saturday, November 8th | @ 1 p.m.

Up Next

Bowling Green will find out after the MAC Final what awaits them in the Nationals Tournament.

Follow the Falcons

Be sure to follow the Falcons Rugby team on social media for schedule updates and any information:

• Instagram: @rugbgofficial

• Facebook: BGSU Men's Rugby