ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men's rugby team (9-0, 5-0) looks to claim its second-straight Rugby East Conference Championship on Saturday with a victory against Penn State (0-5, 0-5) in University Park, Pa. 

A win and scoring four or more tries would earn the Mids five points toward their standing in the league to secure first place. 

The match is scheduled to kickoff at 11 a.m. and can be streamed by downloading the Veo Live mobile app on your phone. Instructions on how to access live streams through the app can be found HERE. 

"We are excited about our trip to play against Penn State. We are aware of the dangers they pose as a team, but as always we are focused on ourselves, our journey and our improvements week by week, said director of rugby Gavin Hickie."

Recap of Notre Dame College Match
Navy went into the locker room trailing by four points, but outscored Notre Dame College, 35-0, in the second half to win the game by a score of 50-19. 

Early turnovers by the Mids allowed the Falcons to strike for two tries in the first eight minutes to take a 14-0 lead. 

Navy was gifted a free kick from a penalty and Landon Opp booted the ball out of bounds inside the offensive 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 Falcons were then issued a penalty to set up a scrum at the five-meter line. Sean MacLaney passed the ball out of the scrum to Roanin Krieger and he broke three tackles to score a try in the 16th minute to make the score, 14-5. 

Avion Ganse reclaimed possession for Navy 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. Navy formed a breakdown in the middle of the pitch and worked the ball all the way out to Max Smith on the right sideline. He dove into the try zone for a score in the 28th minute to trim the deficit to four points. 

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 found a gap in the defense out of a won scrum to score its third try to take a nine-point lead. 

A big rush by JD Bengston gained 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 he shoved his way across the try line for a score to end the first half with Navy trailing by just four points.

Ganse received a clearing kick at Navy's offensive 10-meter line and offloaded the ball to Smith near the right sideline. Smith broke a pair of tackles and ran over 25 meters to move the Mids into the 22-meter zone. Russell received an offload inside the five-meter line and he pushed the defender in front of him backward to score a try in the 43rd minute to give Navy its first lead. 

The Falcons received a scrum from a knock-on penalty 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 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 to put the Mids ahead by 10 points.

Notre Dame College booted a box kick back into its offensive zone in the 57th minute. Ganse answered with a booming clearing kick to force the Falcons back into their defensive 22-meter zone. The next kick from Notre Dame College stayed in play to allow Navy to go on the attack at midfield. Opp fed an offload to Vaughn Schmitz at the 10-meter line and he quickly ran through multiple Falcon defenders. 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 to increase the lead to 36-19.

Navy earned an offensive lineout at midfield in the 62nd minute. Multiple offloads pushed the Mids 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. 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. His score gave Navy a 43-19 advantage. 

The Mids were granted a free kick in the 78th minute for their first chance to go on the attack in their offensive zone in 15 minutes. Krieger's kick remained in the field of play, but the returner for the Falcons dropped the ball backward. The ball rolled out of bounds to gift Navy a lineout inside its offensive 22-meter zone. The Mids won the ensuing lineout and Russell powered his way into the try zone in the 79th minute on a 15-meter carry for the final score of the game. 

Navy Notes
• Notre Dame College became just the second team to hold a lead against Navy at halftime. The additional team is California, who was on top heading into the locker room in both matchups last season. 
• The Mids fell behind by their second-largest margin in their varsity history against the Falcons. Navy's, 14-0, deficit marked just the second time it fell behind by 10 or more points in a game. 
• The Mids had another big week of breaking tackles with 50 in the win. Navy has forced 50 or more broken tackles four times this fall. 
• Although the Mids totaled seven more turnovers in the contest, limiting penalties helped even the playing field. The Falcons were charged with 10 penalties in the game, five of which came during rucks. Navy committed its fewest penalties in a match this season (four) and didn't receive a penalty until the 68th minute. 
• The Mids struck for 50 points against the Falcons and have scored at least 50 points in seven of their nine matches this season. Navy is averaging 58.3 points per match this fall.
• Another key difference in the stats was the conversion rate inside the 22-meter zone. The Mids converted a season-best 80 percent of their positions inside the 22-meter zone into points. Notre Dame College only scored on 43 percent of its chances inside the 22-meter zone. 
• Navy also held total control of the pitch. The Mids held possession of the ball for 62 percent of the contest. Additionally, Navy played in its offensive zone for 59 percent of the match. 
• The Mids are the top-ranked defensive unit in the Rugby East, surrendering just 10.2 points per game in conference play. 

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger accounted for the 10th hat trick in team history against the Falcons. He led Navy with 25 points from three tries and five conversion kicks. His 25 points are the third-most points scored by a Mid in a single game. Krieger has now scored 20 or more points in three of his seven appearances this season. 
• Krieger's performance raised his scoring total to 123 points this fall, which is the second-most points scored in a single season in Navy's varsity history. The sophomore only needs to score an additional 44 points to surpass Lewis Gray for the most points in a season. Krieger is also the first player to score 100 or more points in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, his five conversion kicks increased his season total to 39, which is the most made conversion kicks in a single campaign.  
• Krieger jumped Life's Brady Crane as the leading scorer in the Rugby East with 86 points. The Placerville, Calif., native has contributed five tries, 23 conversion kicks and five penalty kicks in conference play. He is one of only five players in the Rugby East to score five or more tries. 
• Although Krieger did a majority of the scoring against Notre Dame College, Smith played a key role in Navy's rush attack. He led the Mids with 113-meters gained on 12 rush attempts (9.4) and finished with three line breaks. 
• Ganse once again contributed in multiple areas in the match. He led Navy with 520-meters kicked on his 11 kicks (47.3). The freshman also led the team with 13 broken tackles and ran for 49 meters on 11 carries (4.4). Additionally, Ganse added a pair of line break assists and a try assist. 
• Schmitz was also difficult for the Falcons to bring down. He compiled eight broken tackles and carried the ball 11 times for 62 meters (5.6). 
• MacLaney's passing helped set up four tries and a pair of line break assists in the win.
• Russell raised his career total to nine tries with his two scores against Notre Dame College. He is tied with Ratu Osea Melibua for the sixth-most tries scored in program history. 

Claiming the Division and Rugby East Titles
Navy can clinch the Rugby East North Division and the conference title by beating Penn State and scoring four or more tries in the matchup. The Mids would receive four points for winning the game and earn a bonus point toward their ranking for scoring four or more tries. 

Navy can also clinch the north division if St. Bonaventure loses to Notre Dame College. Like the Mids, the Bonnies have 14 points in the division standings, but Saturday will be their final conference contest of the season. Even if St. Bonaventure also earns five points from its match, Navy holds the tie-breaker for winning the matchup between the two squads earlier this season. 

The Mids currently possess 23 points in the overall standings. Life stands in second place with 21 points, but will also play its final league game on Saturday. Navy needs to win just one of its final two conference games to secure the most points in the overall standings. 

Fans can view the Rugby East standings HERE and this weekend's conference schedule HERE.

Scouting Penn State
The Nittany Lions are still searching for their first win this season. Penn State has lost all five games to Rugby East opponents and is the only team besides Southern Virginia without a victory in league action.

The Nittany Lions have kept a majority of their matches close. Penn State lost by only five points to Notre Dame College (24-19) and Mary Washington (20-15) and just six points to St. Bonaventure (21-15). The additional losses came against Army (26-6) and Kutztown (31-18). 

A loss to the Mids would mark the second-straight season the Nittany Lions lose all their games against north division opponents. Penn State hasn't won a match against a team from the north division since its, 22-14, victory against Notre Dame College in 2021. 

Navy won both matchups against Penn State last season. The Nittany Lions decreased their deficit to four points early in the second half in the first meeting, but the Mids responded with 13-unanswered points to claim a 39-22 victory. In the spring season, Navy scored 47-straight points en route to a 47-10 win. 

Stephen Hoey leads Penn State in scoring this season with 33 points. His point total ranks eighth in the Rugby East. Hoey has scored one try, made five conversion kicks and nailed six penalty kicks this fall. 

Up Next
Navy concludes its fall season with the first Star Match against Army. The two service academy rivals go head-to-head next Friday at 6 p.m. at the Anderson Rugby Complex in West Point, N.Y. The Star Match is part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA.