ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The first-place rank in the Rugby East standings will be on the line Saturday when the Navy men's rugby team (6-0, 3-0) plays host to St. Bonaventure (3-0, 3-0) at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. 

The Mids and Bonnies enter the contest tied for first place in the Rugby East. Both teams have earned 14 points from their three league wins.  

The match will kickoff at noon and can be streamed for free on Navy Athletics YouTube with links provided on NavySports.com(.) 

"We have learned a lot about ourselves over the past few weeks and continue to grow as a team. We are seeing good progress and are excited about our journey," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We understand the significance of this weekend's game against St Bonaventure and for our Rugby East standings."

Notes For Traveling Fans
• There is no admission charge for rugby matches at Prusmack Rugby Center.
• Spectator parking is available in the lots on the north side of the Brigade Sports Complex (64 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402). Overflow parking is available in the open space on the west side of the facility.
• Alcohol consumption is prohibited at the Prusmack Rugby Center and surrounding parking areas.

Recap of Life Match
Navy came from behind to defeat Life, 20-14, last Saturday in Marrietta, Ga. The Mids claimed their first victory over the Running Eagles in the inaugural meeting between the teams as conference opponents. 

Navy set up a lineout inside its offensive five-meter line thanks to a free kick from Landon Opp. The Mids turned the ball over on a knock-on penalty, but gained back possession after the Running Eagles were issued a penalty on the scrum. Jack Aleman caught a pass from Roanin Krieger out of the ensuing maul and he squeezed between two defenders to score a try in the 14th minute to give Navy a 7-0 advantage. 

Life had a chance to score its first try late in the first half. The Running Eagles charged inside the five-meter line in their offensive zone, but committed a knock-on penalty to negate the scoring opportunity. 

An offensive penalty against Life in the 46th minute awarded Navy a free kick. Opp launched the kick inside the 22-meter zone and the Mids pushed inside the five-meter line with a pair of mauls. The Running Eagles were then issued a penalty to gift a penalty kick opportunity for Krieger. The sophomore nailed the short kick in the 49th minute to put Navy ahead, 10-0.

Life used an impressive counterattack to score a try in the 54th minute to trim its deficit to just three points. 

Avion Ganse made a huge play on a kick return shortly after the try. He received the ball behind the 10-meter line in Navy's defensive zone and burst up the middle of the pitch to advance the ball to the 22-meter line on a carry of nearly 40 meters. The Mids were granted another penalty kick in the 60th minute and Krieger sent the kick through the uprights to take a six-point lead. 

Krieger could have put Navy ahead by two scores with another penalty kick, but his attempt from just in front of the midfield line sailed to the left to keep the score at 13-7.

Despite a series of great defensive plays by the Mids, the Running Eagles were able to punch the ball into the try zone in the 67th minute. A made conversion kick by Life put Navy behind on the scoreboard for the first time this season. 

A penalty against the Running Eagles shortly after the kickoff awarded the Mids a free kick from midfield. Opp booted the ball out of bounds just a few meters away from the 22-meter line. Navy overwhelmed Life on the maul and received another free kick from a penalty to move inside the five-meter line. Sean MacLaney took the ball out of the maul and ran through three defenders to score the go-ahead try in the 70th minute.

The Running Eagles responded with a 30-meter carry to advance inside its offensive 22-meter zone. Life charged down to the five-meter line with a tap-and-go following a penalty against Navy. The Mids remained composed and forced the Running Eagles to commit a penalty on a breakdown to reclaim possession. Navy used a series of short attacks to run out the clock and claim a 20-14 victory.  

Navy Notes
• The Mids will be going for their 25th-straight victory on Saturday. Navy is yet to lose a game since becoming a varsity program. 
• An area coach Hickie will be looking to clean up is tackling. The Mids only made 81 percent of their tackles and totaled 29 missed tackles against the Running Eagles. The 29 missed tackles are the most for Navy this season and marked the second-straight week it has accumulated 20 or more missed tackles. 
• The Mids were once again the better team in the set piece statistics. Navy won 20 of its 21 lineouts, while Life converted only seven of its 15 lineouts. The Mids compiled four lineout steals in the contest and have finished with three or more lineout steals in four of their six matches this fall. 
• Despite being held to a season-low 244-meters gained and outgained by 246 meters, Navy still won the territory battle thanks to its kicking game. The Mids posted 1,051-meters kicked and ended with 331 more meters kicked than the Running Eagles. 
• Saturday marked just the sixth time Navy trailed in a match as a varsity team. The Mids have been behind on the scoreboard for just 111 minutes and 12 seconds of their 1,920-minutes played during their 24-game win streak. 

Navy Individual Notes
• Aleman's try against Life was his first since Navy entered varsity status. 
• Opp was a key factor for the Mids dominating the kicking game. He finished with 821-meters kicked and averaged 30.4 meters per attempt.
• Ganse was also valuable in the kicking game with 124-meters kicked on only three attempts. 
• William Webb and Jake Beitia were both key for Navy on the defensive end in tackling. Webb led the team with 16 tackles and forced two tackle turnovers. Beita compiled 15 tackles without a miss.   
• JD Bengston also played an important role on defense with two tackle turnovers. 
• Krieger has an opportunity to reach triple digits in his point total stat. The Placerville, Calif., native needs to score 12 points this Saturday to reach 100-points scored this season. Krieger finished second on the team in scoring last year with 113 points. The sophomore is currently the leading scorer in the Rugby East with 51-points scored in Navy's three conference games.  

Rugby East Updates
Two additional matches took place last weekend in the Rugby East and both had major impacts on their respective divisions.

Notre Dame College defeated Penn State, 24-19, to earn its first victory against a north division opponent. The loss dropped Penn State to 0-3 in Rugby East play. 

Mary Washington rebounded from its loss to Life with a 39-20 win over Mount St. Mary's. Life, Mary Washington, Mount St. Mary's and Queens are now in a four-way tie for first place in the south division with five points each. 

Fans can view the Rugby East standings HERE and the weekend slate of games HERE. 

Scouting St. Bonaventure
The Bonnies are coming off a bye week and own a 3-0 record this season. All three of St. Bonaventure's wins have come against Rugby East opponents. 

The Bonnies opened the fall campaign with a 44-26 win against Kutztown. St. Bonaventure followed up with one of its biggest wins in program history, defeating Army, 29-26. The match marked the first win for the Bonnies over the Black Knights. St. Bonaventure most recently came out on top against Penn State, 21-15, on Sept. 30. 

The Bonnies have accumulated 14 points in their three conference wins and are tied with the Mids for the top ranking in the Rugby East. Saturday's match could play a significant factor in who wins the 2023 Rugby East Conference Championship. Navy defeated St. Bonaventure, 28-8, in the finale of the 2022 fall season. The victory earned the Mids their first Rugby East title. 

The Bonnies had seven athletes garner Rugby East All-Conference accolades last season, but only return Matthew Conroy and Matthew Joss. Joss has scored 15 points on two tries, a conversion kick and a penalty kick. Conroy is yet to score during the fall. 

Despite losing a lot of talent over the offseason, St. Bonaventure has received immediate production from other players. Reynard Boshoff and Matheo Lorenzato have each scored three tries to contribute 15 points. Chad Hagen has also reached double figures with 11 points on a try and three made conversion kicks. 

Up Next
Navy takes a break from Rugby East competition to battle Air Force for the Lt. Col. Kevin Shea Memorial Rugby Cup next Saturday. The service academy showdown will begin at 10 a.m. at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md.