Vail Rugby Seeks Title Win Against Aspen This Saturday

Aspen —Will the Aspen Gents finally clinch the Mountain League rugby championship, or will Vail hold on to its home-field advantage?

That is the question hanging over this Saturday’s noon kickoff at Vail Athletic Fields. The stakes are simple. Vail needs a win by two points or more to secure its first league title since 2019. A loss, or a narrow victory of just one point, keeps Aspen in the hunt.

The Gents have the momentum. They beat Vail by a single point on July 5 with a last-minute penalty goal. They also defeated the Eagles in the Cowpie Classic two weeks ago in Steamboat Springs. But history suggests Vail is no pushover.

"Aspen will be a massive test," Vail coach Joe Lippert said. "We hope to have a big home crowd and look forward to welcoming a number of our old boys back to Vail for their annual reunion."

Lippert knows what he is up against. His team lost to Aspen in last year’s championship match. They lost again this year. The gap is thin. It is measured in points, not miles.

Vail’s path to this final was not smooth. They won three games at the Cowpie Classic on July 18. Then they faced Aspen again. They fell short. The Gents remain the summer dominators of Colorado rugby, according to Chris Chantler, Vail Rugby Club president.

But Vail is not done fighting. On July 25, they returned home to face the Park City Haggis. Park City is a perennial Division II powerhouse. They know how to win.

Andy Naringo started the scoring. His try four minutes in put Vail up 7-0 after Dami Odunuga’s conversion. Odunuga added a penalty kick to make it 10-0. Naringo scored again to extend the lead to 17-7 at halftime.

Lippert praised Naringo’s performance. He called it "an absolute monster of a game." Naringo scored two tries and set up a third with a big counter ruck. Vail controlled territory and possession in the first half. They just needed more points while playing with the wind at their backs.

Park City adjusted. The veterans delivered in the second half. They scored three straight tries to take a 24-17 lead in the 54th minute. Lippert admitted his team faded. Injuries forced him to shift players out of position.

Reece Smith tied the game late. But Park City responded. They scored the go-ahead try in the 70th minute. The final score was 31-24.

"Once Park City got the lead, we turned a bit frantic and blew several major scoring opportunities late in the match," Lippert said. "Big thanks to Park City for coming to town and giving us a great test. … We are really close to being a good team, and beating good teams, but need to dial in our execution and poise in big moments."

That poise will be tested again this Saturday. The championship kick-off is at noon. The Vail women’s match follows. The Vail women beat Aspen in overtime over the Fourth of July weekend.

The B-side match closes out the afternoon. Lippett will name individual awards after that final whistle. But the real story is the men’s league title.

Aspen has the recent wins. Vail has the home crowd. The clock is ticking down to noon. One point separates victory from another year of waiting.

Read that again. One point. That is all it takes to change the narrative for Vail Rugby Club. It is also all it takes for Aspen to prove their July dominance was no fluke.

The Gents are traveling to Vail. They are playing for a crown. The rest is just noise.