ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's rugby team (2-2, 1-2) looks to follow up its thrilling second-half comeback against Long Island with another league win when it travels to face Brown (2-2, 2-2) on Saturday in Providence, R.I.
 
The match will kickoff at noon at Berylson Family Fields.
 
Fans can watch the match on ESPN+ with a paid subscription with links provided on NavySports.com(.)
 
Recap of Long Island Match
The Mids overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Sharks, 19-18, last Sunday. The win earned Navy its first victory against a National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) league opponent.
 
The Mids drove near their offensive 22-meter line in the first seven minutes, but a penalty halted their attack. Long Island used a pair of kicks to send the ball down inside its offensive five-meter line. The Sharks received a scrum on a penalty and attacked to the right out of the scrum. A diving effort led to Long Island's first try in the 10th minute to take a 5-0 lead.
 
Navy was awarded a scrum inside its offensive 22-meter zone following the kickoff thanks to a knock-on penalty. The Sharks were then penalized on the scrum and the Mids were granted a penalty kick. Abby Hershner nailed the attempt from 25 meters to give Navy its first points in the 14th minute.
 
A bad bounce on a clearing kick gave Long Island possession in its offensive zone shortly after the kickoff. The Sharks advanced the ball inside the 22-meter zone with a long carry and earned a penalty kick due to a foul against the Mids on the tackle. Long Island made the kick in the 19th minute to retake a five-point lead.
 
The Sharks put themselves into scoring position again thanks to a 50-22 kick. A bad pass by Long Island pushed its attacking line back to the 10-meter line. The ball was scooped up by a Shark and she used her speed to get past Navy's defense to score a try in the 30th minute.
 
The Mids took advantage of a penalty to push the ball inside their offensive five-meter line with a free kick. An additional penalty against the Sharks allowed Miracle Haynes to perform a tap-and-go. She ran over two defenders standing in her way to score a try in the 36th minute to cut the deficit to 15-8.
 
Long Island added a penalty kick before the end of the half to take an 18-8 lead into the locker room.
 
Hershner brought Navy within four points with a pair of penalty kicks in the 48th and 62nd minutes.
 
Long Island threatened to score again after driving into its offensive 22-meter zone in the 64th minute, but a mishandled pass squandered the scoring opportunity. Lilliana Gemma helped the Mids advance the ball into their offensive 22-meter zone with a big kick return and a free kick from a penalty against the Sharks. Jess Mckenzie tossed the ball right to Hershner on the lineout to set up a maul. As Navy was mauling, Haynes took the ball out of the maul and attacked down the left sideline. Long Island was unaware she had the ball, which led to an easy score to put the Mids ahead, 19-18.
 
Charlotte d'Halluin made the defensive play of the match following the go-ahead score. She forced a turnover on a tackle after Long Island had driven inside its offensive 22-meter zone to help secure the victory.
 
Hershner Numbers
Hershner's nine-point outing against Long Island increased her season point total to 28 points. The senior leads the team in scoring and has accounted for 35 percent of Navy's total points this season (78).
 
The North East, Md., native has made eight penalty kicks during her senior campaign. The Mids made just six penalty kicks combined in 2022-23. Hershner also broke her own program record for the most penalty kicks in a single match with her three makes against the Sharks.
 
Comeback Squad
The Mids claimed their third come-from-behind victory since being elevated to varsity status. Navy previously came back to defeat New Haven and Utah State last season.
 
The win marked the first time the Mids won a game after trailing at halftime. Additionally, the 10-point comeback is Navy's largest in its varsity history.  
 
Boutz Makes Season Debut
Navy had been forced to play its first three matches without co-captain Sydney Boutz due to injury. The senior made her first appearance of the season in the 53rd minute against Long Island. Boutz's presence was immediately felt on the defensive side of the ball to help the Mids hold the Sharks scoreless in the second half.
 
NIRA Update
Harvard took care of Brown, 48-14, to remain undefeated and earn its fourth NIRA victory. The Crimson have now outscored opponents, 215-38, this season. The loss dropped the Bears to 2-2 in league play.
 
Quinnipiac handed Sacred Heart its first loss of the season with a 22-17 victory. The Bobcats improved to 2-2, while the Pioneers fell to 3-1.
 
Army defeated Mount St. Mary's, 39-10, for its second league win in five matches. The Mountaineers lost their second-straight game and now stand at 1-3 on the season.
 
Princeton lost a non-league match to American International College, 46-14. Dartmouth and Queens both did not compete last week.
 
Fans can view the updated NIRA standings HERE.
 
Scouting Brown
The Bears enter Saturday with a 2-2 record in the NIRA. Brown shutout Princeton (88-0) and Queens (33-0) in its two victories, but struggled offensively in its losses to Sacred Heart (22-8) and Harvard (48-14) this season.
 
The Bears held a 7-5 lead at halftime in their last contest against Harvard, but were outscored, 48-7, in the second half.
 
The big scorer for Brown in the last two matches has been junior Nikki Lynch. The center has scored five tries in her last two outings and leads the Bears with six tries this season. Another player to keep an eye on will be Akilah Cathey. She has found the try zone five times this season and finished with four against Princeton.
 
Up Next
Navy returns to Annapolis for its final homestand of the fall season, beginning with Sacred Heart next Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Prusmack Rugby Center.