January 24, 2025

Steuber Rugby Stadium
Stanford, CA
 

Stanford 12 – University of Nevada, Reno 78

Stanford Men's Rugby hosted UNR to kick off the CRAA D1AA Conference season. Reno started strong, taking a nineteen-point lead over the Cardinal. The Cardinal lineup featured eight rookies making their Stanford debuts, with special recognition to Joseph Zhang '29, who donned the Cardinal jersey for the first time.

Stanford found the try line in the 22nd minute after flyhalf Jacob Bethell '29 poached the ball from a Reno attacker to give the Cardinal possession inside the attacking 22. The Cardinal retained possession through multiple phases. A strong carry by lock Liam Boyd '29 sparked continued momentum and put Reno on the back foot. A quick ruck sent the ball through the hands of Bethell, to hooker Jaime Cano '29, and then to Matt Le Dorze '26, who finished with a diving try in the corner.

Reno responded with two dozen unanswered points as the Cardinal battled the loss of several players to injury during the match. In the 65th minute, Bethell was quick to react to a Reno penalty, taking a quick tap ten meters from the try line and weaving through the defense for a try. Bethell converted for an additional two points.

Despite the loss, the Cardinal showed tremendous fight throughout the match and will look to build on the experience of their young squad moving forward this season.

Next week's match against Cal Poly Humboldt has been canceled. Catch the Cardinal in San Francisco on Saturday, February 7, 2026, against San Francisco State University. Follow us on Instagram @stanford_rugby for schedules and game photos.

Tries: Matt Le Dorze, Jacob Bethell
Conversions: Jacob Bethell

Stanford Men's Roster vs. UNR
Mohammed Uddin • Jaime Cano • Terry Guo • Liam Boyd • Nolan Pierce • Harris Layson • Ihsaan Doola • Andrew Yang • Anders Luffman • Jacob Bethell • Su Reh • Arturo Kupfer • Matt Le Dorze • Kyle Sisitsky • Patrick Kennedy • Ryan Mago • Joseph Zhang