Annapolis, Md. – Navy men's rugby (3-0, 2-0) begins another chapter of its journey this Saturday when the Mids host Mary Washington (1-0, 1-0) at 11 a.m. at the Prusmack Rugby Complex.
 
"We are continuing to trend well in certain areas of our game. Our possession and territory stats read well and this obviously played an important role in our victory, but we still need to be more clinical in our overall execution," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "This year's team is starting to find its identity but we are all well aware of the continued progress that we need to make. We know we are up against a completely recruited rugby program in Mary Washington, so we will have our work cut out for us this week."
 
Recap of Mount St. Mary's
Navy won its third straight match and jumped out to 2-0 in Rugby East play with a 59-12 win over in-state rival Mount St. Mary's. An early score from Ben Haugh and a pair of tries from Lewis Gray gave Navy a 19-0 lead at halftime, but the second-half start would change the momentum.

Navy dropped the kickoff, which the Mountaineers took advantage of by scoring a try just 20 seconds into the second half to make the score 19-5. Navy managed to answer with another try from Haugh in the 44^th minute and one from Nick Janowsky in the 54^th minute to regain control.

Mount St. Mary's scored another try in the 57^th minute to make the score 33-12, but the Mids took over the match for the final 23 minutes. Two more tries from Gray, along with scores from Tanner Russell and Titan Case allowed Navy to score 26 unanswered points to end the match.
 
How Much Can He Score?
Lewis Gray has many fans asking that question, as the senior continues to top his performance from the previous week. Gray led the Mids in scoring in the third straight contest, totaling 30 on four tries and five conversion kicks. Gray leads Navy with 72 points and eight tries this season.

Gray is also dominating the Rugby East scoring ranks, sitting up top of the conference with 52 in conference play. What's more impressive is Gray scored more points in the Mount St. Mary's match than any player in the conference has scored to this point in the season. PJ O'Reilly of Kutztown stands second in the conference in scoring with 25 points in two matches.
 
No One Scores Like Navy
Navy's offense has been unstoppable in its first two conference matches, scoring a league-best 134 points. Army currently owns the second most points in the league with 53, an 81-point differential.

Navy also dominates the try-scoring ranks in the Rugby East. Of the ten players in the conference who have scored at least two tries, four of them are Mids. Navy currently owns the top three spots in scoring tries. Gray leads the league with six, while JD Bengston and Russell are tied for second with three.
 
Defend the Zone
As impressive as Navy's offense has been to this point, none of it would be possible without playing great defense. Although the Mids surrendered their first points of the season, the numbers still show Navy's defense dominated the Mountaineers. Navy allowed Mount St. Mary's to have the ball on its side of the pitch for just 25 percent of the match and have just 10.8 attacking minutes.
 
Updated Standings
Navy's win over Mount St. Mary's earned them another five points in the Rugby East standings, but rival Army also managed to earn five to stay tied with the Mids for first in the league rankings. Behind Navy and Army are Mary Washington, Kutztown and Queens in a three-way tie for second with five points each.
 
Scouting Mary Washington
Mary Washington opened its conference season last Saturday with an impressive 32-0 victory over Southern Virginia. The Eagles' shutout win is only the second in Rugby East play this season, along with Navy's 75-0 win over Southern Virginia two weeks ago. Sebastian Schefermann led Mary Washington in scoring with 17 points on two tries, two conversion kicks and a penalty kick. His 17 points are currently the third most in the league. Mary Washington has a very diverse roster with 33 international players.

Projected Starting Lineup
#1 William Webb | Prop
#2 Jake Beitia | Hooker
#3 Ryan Bullock | Prop
#4 Vaughn Schmitz | Lock
#5 Peter Ratnayake | Lock
#6 Tanner Russell | Flanker
#7 Jack McMahon | Flanker
#8 Ben Haugh | 8-Man
#9 Sean MacLaney | Scrum Half
#10 Landon Opp | Fly Half
#11 JD Bengston | Wing
#12 Lewis Gray | Center
#13 Jack Aleman | Center
#14 Ratu Osea Melibua | Wing
#15 Roanin Krieger | Fullback

Up Next
Navy takes a break from Rugby East action and hits the road for the first time this season for a matchup in Glendale, Colo., versus rival Air Force. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. EST on Friday, Sept. 30.