ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men's rugby team (9-0, 5-0) climbed back from an early 14-point deficit to defeat Notre Dame College (5-1-1, 3-1-1), 50-19, on Saturday afternoon at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. 

The Falcons took a 14-0 lead just seven minutes into the match to put the Mids behind by double digits for the first time since the national championship match against California. Navy battled back over the remainder of the first half and trailed by just four points at halftime. The Mids completely flipped the match around in the second half, outscoring the Falcons, 35-0.

Navy held its No. 1 ranking in Rugby East standings with the victory and now stands as the only undefeated team in the conference. 

"We learned a lot about ourselves today. We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes to allow the opposition to score 19 points based on three failed exits. We didn't exit the way we wanted to in those moments and good teams will punish you for that," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "However, we were never out of the game, never lost our composure and we were never in doubt about ourselves. We felt that if we executed our game plan and play in the areas of the pitch we wanted to play in, the game would come to us. Scoring 50 points on a team that hasn't conceded a lot of points this season shows that when we execute the way we want to, we are a dangerous team. We are exactly where we wanted to be with two games to go and the challenge now is going on the road and doing what we have to do."

Sean MacLaney booted a short box kick to the right of the pitch in the first minute and Navy committed a knock-on penalty attempting to catch the ball. The penalty granted Notre Dame College a scrum between its offensive 10 and 22-meter lines. The Falcons won the scrum and a missed tackle during their attack led to a line break to advance the ball into the 22-meter zone. Notre Dame College slowly pushed upfield with short attacks and punched the ball in the try zone for a score just 2:42 into the game. A made conversion kick put the Falcons ahead, 7-0. 

A deep clearing kick by Notre Dame College pinned Navy deep in its defensive zone. The Mids lost the ball during a breakdown to gift the Falcons possession in their offensive 22-meter zone. Notre Dame College worked the ball to the middle of the field and then quickly shifted its attack back to the right sideline. Navy was caught out of position defensively and the ball carrier sprinted through a pair of tackles to score a try in the seventh minute. The Falcons extended their lead to 14-0 following the successful conversion kick. 

The Mids earned their first possession in their offensive zone in the ninth minute. Notre Dame College booted a clearing kick out of bounds at its defensive 10-meter line to grant Navy a lineout. The Mids were penalized on the lineout for not throwing the ball straight and the Falcons received a scrum at the spot of the foul. Landon Opp caught a clearing kick at the defensive 22-meter line and launched a kick the other way that landed out of bounds across the offensive 10-meter line. Notre Dame College was charged with an offensive penalty shortly after winning the lineout. Navy was gifted a free kick from the penalty and Opp booted the ball out of bounds inside the 22-meter zone for a lineout. The Mids formed a maul out of the lineout and stormed down the pitch near the five-meter line. The referee issued a penalty against the Falcons in the 16th minute to set up a scrum at the five-meter line. MacLaney passed the ball out of the scrum to Roanin Krieger and he broke three tackles to score a try. Krieger was unable to connect on the conversion kick to keep the score at 14-5.

Notre Dame College was awarded a scrum in its offensive 22-meter zone in the 19th minute after Avion Ganse dropped a clearing kick for a knock-on penalty. The Falcons broke through the defensive front during their attack out of the scrum and gained 15 meters to drive down to the five-meter line. Notre Dame College attempted to reach the ball across the try line, but the official signaled the ball carrier knocked the ball forward before touching it down. Impressive kicking from Opp helped the Mids push the ball back into their offensive 22-meter zone to flip the field. 

Navy gained possession in its offensive zone from a short clearing kick by Notre Dame College. The Mids advanced the ball to the 22-meter line, but the Falcons knocked the ball free with a hard tackle for a knock-on penalty. Ganse reclaimed Navy possession after recovering a grubber kick at midfield. He gained 15 meters on his return and then kicked the ball inside the five-meter line. Notre Dame College was forced to kick the ball inside its defensive try zone and its kicker sent the ball out of bounds barely out of the 22-meter zone. The Falcons were penalized for a high tackle after the lineout and the referee gave a yellow card to the player who committed the foul in the 26th minute. The Mids were given a free kick from the penalty and Opp booted the ball out of bounds at the five-meter line. Navy formed a breakdown in the middle of the pitch and MacLaney floated a long pass to the right. The Mids worked the ball all the way out to Max Smith on the right sideline and he dove into the try zone for a score in the 28th minute. A missed conversion kick from Krieger allowed the Falcons to maintain a 14-10 lead. 

Notre Dame College blocked a box kick from MacLaney in the 33rd minute. The Falcons scooped up the loose ball and drove into their offensive 22-meter zone. Notre Dame College earned a scrum at the five-meter line and promptly passed the back to the right. The Falcons found a gap in the defense and broke through for a try in the 33rd minute. Notre Dame College missed the conversion kick wide right to keep Navy's deficit at nine points. 

Smith brought in a short box kick between the offensive 10 and 22-meter lines in the 36th minute. Navy worked the ball from right to left and found JD Bengston uncovered on the left sideline. He burst up the pitch to gain nearly 20 meters to advance the Mids inside their offensive 22-meter zone. Tanner Russell followed up with a strong carry to push the ball inside the five-meter line. Jake Beitia got low on his next rush attempt and shoved his way across the try line for a score to end the first half with Navy trailing by just four points. 

The big change for the Mids in the second half was they were no longer having to kick into the wind. Navy used the wind to its advantage right away on the second-half kickoff to pin Notre Dame College deep in its offensive 22-meter zone. The Falcons were only able to send their clearing kick to the 22-meter line. Navy formed a maul after winning the lineout and Notre Dame College was issued a penalty for collapsing the maul. Opp then booted the free kick out of bounds near the five-meter line. The Mids marched forward to the try line, but the Falcons ripped the ball free to retake possession. Notre Dame College immediately lined a clearing kick back to its defensive 10-meter line. Ganse received the kick and offloaded the ball to Smith near the right sideline. Smith broke a pair of tackles to gain over 25 meters on his carry to advance Navy back into the 22-meter zone. The Mids charged inside the five-meter line again with short attacks. Russell received an offload and pushed the defender in front of him backward to score a try in the 43rd minute to put Navy in front for the first time in the match. Krieger added two points with his first successful conversion kick to give the Mids a 22-19 lead. 

An excellent clearing kick from Ganse traveled over 60 meters before bouncing inside Notre Dame College's defensive 22-meter zone. A short clearing kick from the Falcons sailed out of bounds to gift the Mids a lineout between their offensive 10 and 22-meter lines in the 47th minute. Navy lost possession during the lineout throw, but stole the ball back on the next breakdown. Notre Dame College regained possession after catching a clearing kick and its kicker blasted a short box kick high in the air. Smith snatched the ball out of the air right at the 22-meter line, but a Falcon defender made a great tackle to force him out of bounds. Notre Dame College won the ensuing lineout and booted the ball out of its defensive zone with a clearing kick. 

Ganse retrieved the kick and refused to go down despite four Falcon defenders on top of him. The official charged Notre Dame College with a penalty during the play to grant Navy a free kick. The Mids created a maul after winning the lineout near their offensive 22-meter line. Navy continued to gain territory, but was called for a penalty during the maul to return the ball to Notre Dame College. The Falcons won the ensuing scrum and launched a clearing kick out of bounds at their defensive 10-meter line. The Mids decided not to maul out of their next lineout and instead went on the attack to the right. Navy passed the ball across the field to Smith, who had no defenders in front of him. He gained over 35 meters on his carry before being tackled a few meters away from the try zone. His effort was rewarded following the next breakdown when Krieger plowed across the try line for a score in the 54th minute. Krieger nailed the ensuing conversion kick to give the Mids a 10-point lead. 

Navy received a scrum at its offensive 10-meter line from a knock-on penalty against Notre Dame College in the 56th minute. The Falcons reclaimed possession from a knock-on penalty and booted a box kick back into their offensive zone. Ganse answered with a booming clearing kick to force Notre Dame College back into its defensive 22-meter zone. The next kick from the Falcons stayed in play to allow the Mids to go on the attack at midfield. Opp fed a perfect offload to Vaughn Schmitz in the middle of the pitch at the 10-meter line and he quickly ran through Notre Dame College's first line of defense. Schmitz then spun out of a tackle at the 22-meter line and stiff armed his way into the try zone in the 59th minute. Krieger sent another conversion kick through the uprights to increase the lead to 36-19. 

Navy earned an offensive lineout at midfield in the 62nd minute from a clearing kick traveling out of bounds. Another solid carry from Smith drove the Mids near their offensive 22-meter line. Multiple offloads pushed Navy down to the five-meter line to move into scoring position. Krieger acquired the ball out of a breakdown and began to sprint to the right. A Falcon defender began to move with Krieger and he immediately cut back to the left. The sophomore juked out both defenders in his way and he slammed the ball down in the try zone to secure a hat trick in the 63rd minute. Krieger added two more points to the scoreboard with a made conversion kick to give the Mids a 24-point advantage. 

Notre Dame College executed a 50-22 kick shortly after the kickoff to establish possession in its offensive 22-meter zone. The Falcons kept the ball in their offensive half of the pitch for the next 15 minutes, but the Mids didn't surrender any points.

Navy was awarded a free kick in the 78th minute for its first chance to go on the attack in its offensive zone in 15 minutes. Krieger's kick remained in the field of play, but the returner for Notre Dame College dropped the ball backward. The ball rolled out of bounds to gift the Mids a lineout inside their offensive 22-meter zone. Navy won the ensuing lineout and Russell powered his way into the try zone in the 79th minute on a 15-meter carry. Krieger made his fifth conversion kick of the afternoon to end the contest. 

The Mids will finish the remainder of their fall season on the road. Navy travels to University Park, Pa., next Saturday to face division-rival Penn State. The match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Match Notes
• Krieger garnered the first hat trick of his career and made five conversion kicks to lead the team with 25 points. His 25 points are the third-most points scored by a Mid in a single game. The sophomore has compiled 20 or more points in a match three times this season. 
• Krieger has scored six tries and made 39 conversion kicks during his sophomore campaign. He increased his scoring total to 123 points this season. 
• Russell totaled 10 points in the match from two tries. The junior has found the try zone five times.
• Smith scored a try for the second week in a row and raised his total to four tries on the year. 
• Schmitz contributed a try for the first time Navy's match against Queens (Sept. 23) to increase his total to five tries this fall. 
• Beitia scored his first try since men's rugby elevated to varsity status. 
• Navy reached the 50-point mark in a game for the seventh time this season. 
• Notre Dame College surrendered a season-high 50 points. The Falcons had allowed only 55 points in their previous six matches combined. 
• Notre Dame College's 14-point lead was the second-largest deficit Navy has faced as a varsity program. Additionally, Saturday's game marked just the third time the Mids trailed at halftime in their 27 varsity matches. 

Box Score
First Half
2:42 - Try - Notre Dame College (0-5)
Conversion Kick - Notre Dame College (0-7)

7:15 - Try - Notre Dame College (0-12)
Conversion Kick - Notre Dame College (0-14)

16:28 - Try - Navy - Roanin Krieger (5-14)

27:32 - Try - Navy - Max Smith (10-14)

33:08 - Try - Notre Dame College (10-19)

39:50 - Try - Navy - Jake Beitia (15-19)

Second Half 
43:15 - Try - Navy - Tanner Russell (20-19)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (22-19)

54:20 - Try - Navy - Roanin Krieger (27-19)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (29-19)

59:24 - Try - Navy - Vaughn Schmitz (34-19)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (36-19)

63:42 - Try - Navy - Roanin Krieger (41-19)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (43-19)

79:05 - Try - Navy - Tanner Russell (48-19)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (50-19)