PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Navy women's rugby team (2-3, 1-3) was unable to take advantage of scoring chances in its, 34-7, loss to Brown (3-2, 3-2) on Saturday at Berylson Family Fields in Providence, R.I.
 
"We lost to a very talented Brown team today. We are growing each week and today was no exception," said head coach Murph McCarthy. "The score doesn't really speak to the effort and grit I saw from this team today."
 
The Mids controlled the territory battle over the first 11 minutes of the contest, but were unable to push past the 22-meter line. The Bears advanced into their offensive 22-meter zone for the first time in the 12th minute after finding a hole in the defense down the left half of the pitch. Brown continued its attack out to the left and the ball carrier made a cut back to the right to blow past Navy's defense for a try. The Bears made the conversion kick to grab a 7-0 lead.
 
Brown strung together a series of perfectly timed offloads on its attack to charge into Navy territory shortly after its opening score. The Bears attacked the left of the pitch once again to charge over the 22-meter line. Siena Hall dragged the ball carrier to the ground and forced the ball out to earn the Mids possession on a knock-on penalty. Navy had an opportunity to get out of its defensive zone with a clearing kick. The attempt went off the side of Charlotte d'Halluin's foot and failed to exit the 22-meter zone. Brown won the ensuing lineout and mauled down to the five-meter line. The Bears snuck the ball out of the maul and scored a try in the 17th minute to take a two-score lead.
 
Brown initially thought it had its third try secured in the 25th minute. However, the touch judge signaled the ball carrier was forced out of bounds prior to offloading the ball to take away the score for the Bears.
 
Navy received a scrum near the 22-meter line in its defensive zone thanks to a penalty against Brown in the 35th minute. The Mids began to march back toward midfield, but the ball was stripped away by the Bears during a breakdown. Brown immediately picked up the loose ball and its ball carrier sprinted over 25 meters to score a try to extend the lead to 17-0.
 
A strong carry from Abby Hershner gave Navy possession inside its offensive 22-meter zone less than six minutes into the second half. The Mids were unable to keep their attack alive after being issued a knock-on penalty. Additional penalties against Navy led to a free kick for Brown. The Bears sent the kick out of bounds inside their offensive 22-meter zone in the 51st minute. Brown earned a tap-and-go following another penalty to advance down to the five-meter line. A yellow card against the Mids in the 52nd minute awarded the Bears a try to make the score, 24-0.
 
Navy made a big tackle in the 54th minute to make Brown lose possession on a knock-on penalty. The penalty granted the Mids a scrum in their offensive 22-meter zone. Brown was then penalized three times over the next two minutes to move Navy inside the five-meter line. The Mids attempted to punch their way into the try zone with short attacks up the middle, but the Bears held strong. Navy opted to switch its attack out wide to the right and Brown made a huge tackle behind the gain line to force the ball back 10 meters.
 
d'Halluin booted a short kick back down inside the five-meter line and Navy received a fortunate bounce as the ball traveled backward into the hands of Hall. Brown once again forced the line backward and retook possession after a kick from d'Halluin traveled out of bounds. The Bears hoped to clear the ball out of their defensive zone with a clearing kick after winning the lineout, but the kicker dropped the pass to give the Mids a scrum inside their offensive 22-meter zone in the 61st minute. d'Halluin set up Navy inside the five-meter line once again with a free kick from a penalty against Brown. Despite being close to the try zone, the Mids were unable to strike for a score due to a knock-on penalty. The Bears won the ensuing scrum and kicked the ball back to midfield.
 
Navy recovered the clearing kick, but a knock-on penalty during its attack led to a scrum for Brown. The Bears won the scrum and their ball carrier ran over 50 meters down the right sideline to score a try in the 62nd minute to take a 29-0 lead. 
 
Another long carry by Brown advanced the ball back to midfield on its next possession. The Bears turned the ball over during their attack for not rolling away. The Mids sent the free-kick attempt down inside their offensive 22-meter zone. The ball didn't travel out bounds, but was dropped forward by Brown to award Navy a scrum. The Bears retook possession following a penalty against the Mids for not releasing. Brown tried to flip the field with a clearing kick, but the kicker sent the ball straight out of bounds to grant Navy a scrum. Another knock-on penalty against the Mids ended their attack and returned the ball to the Bears.
 
Navy coughed up possession again after receiving the clearing kick from Brown. The Bears quickly scooped up the loose ball and needed just two offloads to find the try zone again in the 73rd minute to take a 34-0 lead.
 
Navy showed no signs of quitting despite the rain beginning to fall hard after the score. A deep kickoff pinned Brown back inside its defensive five-meter line. The Bears later committed a knock-on penalty to award the Mids a scrum. Brown was called for multiple penalties as Navy continued to inch closer to the try zone. The official gifted the Mids a penalty try in extended time due to the number of penalties against the Bears during the possession to end the match. 
 
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.
 
Box Score
First Half
12:30 - Try - Brown (5-0)
Conversion Kick - Brown (7-0)
 
17:55 - Try - Brown (12-0)
 
36:35 - Try - Brown (17-0)
 
Second Half
52:40 - Penalty Try - Brown (24-0)
 
62:28 - Try - Brown (29-0)
 
73:06 - Try - Brown (34-0)
 
80:00 - Penalty Try - Navy (34-7)