In a dramatic game at Southgate Field, Delbarton Rugby pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) 26-24.

CBA came out strong, capitalizing on early opportunities to jump out to a 14-0 lead. Despite multiple close attempts, Delbarton struggled to break through the CBA try zone defense—until senior Antonio Conte finally found a gap and powered through to put Delbarton on the board.

With the pressure on, August Goyal confidently lined up the conversion from outside the hash marks and sent it cleanly through the posts. Goyal soon followed up on the team's second try, converting once again to even the score at 14-14 going into halftime.

Delbarton wasted no time seizing control after the break. In a highlight-reel moment, Goyal sprinted 90 meters downfield, outrunning the CBA defense to give Delbarton its first lead of the game at 19-14.

However, CBA quickly responded, capitalizing on a dropped ball to punch in a try and level the score at 19-19. Just minutes later, they struck again to go up 24-19, though a missed conversion left the door open.

Down by five points with 14 minutes to play—and battling through a two-man disadvantage due to penalties—Delbarton refused to back down. Patrick Goetz nearly flipped the momentum with a 50-meter interception return, but a penalty negated the play.  Goetz once again read the CBA attack perfectly moments later, picking off a lineout and racing 78 meters to score a crucial try. With the game on the line, Goyal drilled the conversion to put Delbarton back on top 26-24.

As CBA pushed for a last-minute comeback, their captain found space on a breakaway—but Goyal chased him down and made a game-saving tackle, stopping their momentum and forcing a turnover. From there, Delbarton controlled possession, smartly playing the ball out of bounds to seal the hard-fought victory.

"This win was a full-team effort, with key contributions from John Maguire, Christian Diehl, and Wolfgang Lazc, who all stepped up when it mattered most," said head coach John Majano-Lopez. The Man of the Match honor belonged to Patrick Goetz, whose defensive awareness and clutch plays proved to be the difference.

With this thrilling victory, Delbarton continues to build momentum as the season progresses, moving to 3-1 on the season as they prepare for their next game against St. Joes By the Sea.