ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (13-0, 9-0) claimed a 33-28 victory over No. 4 California (10-1, 3-0) on Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center. The victory was Navy's first ever against the national powerhouse.
 
Navy trailed by two entering the second half but took control after scoring the first three tries of the second half to establish a three-score lead. Despite a late surge by Cal, Navy held on for its 13th win of the season and handed Cal its first 15s loss since April 16th.
 
Mattew Thibodaux led the way for Navy by scoring three of its five tries in the contest.
 
"For all our alumni, this is a monumental and historic victory for Navy Rugby. This win was 60 years in the making from our perspective. Cal has been a varsity sport for a long time and has set the benchmark," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "Our first year as a varsity sport got even more special today with us hosting Cal for the first time and beating them for the first time. This win was a combination of years of hard work and dedication and we couldn't be happier."
 
"We challenge ourselves every week on how good we can be and our senior leadership is showing just how good this team is. Today is a special day for Navy rugby and all our alumni who have waited 60 years for this moment," continued Hickie. "This win was for them. Going forward we need to keep concentrating on ourselves and getting better every day. We elect to get on a bus from the yard and come out to the pitch every day to keep trying to get better. It's about our process of how much we can continue to grow together because we want to win the whole thing."
 
Going against the wind in the first half, Navy was in its defensive zone through the first 13 minutes of play. A knock-on penalty against the Mids gave Cal possession inside Navy's 22-meter line, and Cal used the short field to score the first try of the contest at the 13:25 mark. A made conversion kick by the Golden Bears gave them a 7-0 advantage.
 
Despite facing its largest deficit of the season, Navy remained composed and took advantage of a Cal penalty to score its first try. Cal attempted to regain territory with a kick from midfield but was called for offsides. The foul resulted in a Navy lineout on Cal's defensive side of the pitch. After winning the throw in, Navy set up a maul and gained over 20 meters to get inside Cal's 22-meter line for the first time. Another maul out of a won lineout by the Mids pushed them inside Cal's five-meter line, where Jack McMahon squeezed through the defense to score Navy's first try in the 21st minute. Navy would miss the conversion kick and still trailed, 7-5.
 
Although Cal regained position on the kickoff, a penalty against the Golden Bears gave Navy another lineout. Navy won the lineout and set up a maul to push themselves back into Cal's zone before another penalty was called against Cal. A free kick from Lewis Gray following the penalty would set up the Mids just outside Cal's 22-meter line. The Golden Bears were caught by surprise after Navy didn't elect to maul out of the lineout, and the quick attack by the Mids put them only a few meters away from the try zone. Navy opted to maul following another lineout to get inside the five-meter line, where Matthew Thibodaux bulldozed his way into the try zone in the 26th minute for Navy's second score. Roanin Krieger made the conversion kick to give Navy a 12-7 lead.
 
The Golden Bears were forced to play a man down for the remainder of the first half after their eight-man was called for a yellow card in the 31st minute. Despite being a player short, Cal kept the ball on Navy's defensive side of the pitch and created a turnover to regain possession. The quick passing by the Golden Bears out of the turnover would allow them to push inside Navy's five-meter line. Navy's defense held strong over the next three minutes, but Cal found a gap to score its second try just before the end of the first half. Cal made the conversion kick to take a 14-12 lead into halftime.
 
Neither team was able to gain territory over the first 10 minutes of the second half but a turnover by Cal would allow Navy to get on the offensive. Cal formed a scrum near midfield, but a Golden Bear kicked the ball forward toward Navy, allowing the Mids to gain possession. Gray kicked the ball inside Cal's five-meter line and a penalty against Cal gave Navy a scrum near the try zone. Sean MacLaney picked up the ball out of the won scrum and walked into the try zone untouched to put Navy back in front in the 52nd minute. Another made conversion kick by Krieger put Navy ahead, 19-14.
 
Riding the momentum after regaining the lead, Navy marched down the pitch to get inside Cal's five-meter line in only seven minutes. Cal's defense forced ballcarrier Landon Opp toward the right sideline and carried him out of bounds in goal to regain possession. The play also earned Cal a goal line dropout kick, but because the kick went out of bounds, Navy was given a scrum inside Cal's five-meter line. Following the won scrum, Thibodaux broke through the Cal defensive line for his second try of the match in the 59th minute to put Navy ahead by double figures. Krieger added another two points with a made conversion kick, putting the Mids up, 26-14.
 
Cal began to push into Navy territory following Thibodaux's score but a pass went off the face of a Cal player, resulting in Navy going back on the offensive. Krieger then flipped the field with a 50-22 kick, allowing Navy to earn a lineout inside Cal's 22-meter line. Navy powered its way toward the try zone with a maul and Thibodaux would dive in for his third score of the afternoon in the 65th minute, giving the senior a hat trick. The fourth made conversion kick by Krieger stretched Navy's lead to, 33-14.
 
Despite Navy's 19-point advantage, Cal made the match come down to the very end after scoring tries in the 70th and 77th minutes to get back within a score. Cal won a scrum in the 80th minute for a chance at a comeback but Navy's defense didn't allow Cal to break through its line. Navy would create a turnover in the 81st minute and Opp kicked the ball out of bounds to end the match.
 
Thibodaux's three tries led Navy with 15 points scored. He has now scored four tries in Navy's two matches during the spring. Krieger was once again vital in the kicking game, scoring eight points on his four made conversion kicks. The freshman has made 21 conversion kicks this season and owns the second-most points on the team with 72 points. MacLaney now has five tries overall this season, all coming in Navy's last six matches. McMahon scored his fifth try of the season, bringing his point total to 25 points this season.  
 
Navy will travel to Leesburg, Va., for a neutral site contest versus Rugby East-rival Penn State on Saturday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m. The match will be played at Segra Field, home of professional rugby team Old DC Glory.
 
Box Score
13:25 - Try - Cal (0-5)
Conversion Kick - Cal (0-7)
 
21:03 - Navy - Try - Jack McMahon (5-7)
 
26:35 - Navy - Try - Matthew Thibodaux (10-7)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (12-7)
 
39:22 - Cal - Try (12-12)
Conversion Kick - Cal (12-14)
 
52:37 - Navy - Try - Sean MacLaney (17-14)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (19-14)
 
59:43 - Navy - Try - Matthew Thibodaux (24-14)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (26-14)
 
65:29 - Navy - Try - Matthew Thibodaux (31-14)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (33-14)
 
70:23 - Cal - Try (33-19)
Conversion Kick - Cal (33-21)
 
77:34 - Cal - Try (33-26)
Conversion Kick - Cal (33-28)