ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (14-0, 10-0) travels to West Point N.Y., for the first time since 2019 to face eighth-ranked Army (7-4, 6-1) Friday at 7 p.m. 

The Mids will go for their second-straight win over their academy rival after winning the fall contest, 27-14, back on Nov. 5. 

Fans can stream the match for free on the Rugby Network with the link provided on Navy Sports.com(.)

"We have been on a great journey all season long and now our journey culminates our regular season with a visit to West Point," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We are expecting a physical and tough game from Army who will pressure us in all areas. We are very excited about the challenge."

Recap of Penn State Match
Navy won its second contest over Penn State this season with a 47-10 win last Saturday at Segra Field in Leesburg, Va.

The Nittany Lions took a 3-0 lead on a penalty kick just 2:43 into the action, but wouldn't score again until the 78th minute.

Navy's offense got going with a pair of tries from its top-scorer Lewis Gray in the 10th and 17th minutes. Two made conversion kicks from Roanin Krieger gave the Mids a 14-3 lead. 

Navy's maul attack put it inside Penn State's five-meter line again in the 28th minute and Dean Neeley capitalized on the great position to score his first try of the season. A conversion kick from Krieger gave the Mids a 21-3 advantage. 

The Nittany Lions started pushing into Navy's defensive zone, but Gray would make an incredible play to diminish their attack. After a dropkick by Penn State, Gray scooped up the ball and broke through the defensive line in front of him. He made a quick cut to the left sideline and passed to Ratu Osea Melibua, who sprinted over 50 meters to score Navy's fourth try of the half. Krieger's conversion kick following the long score put Navy ahead, 28-3.

An early second-half turnover by the Nittany Lions gave the Mids possession deep in their offensive zone. Krieger received a kick just beyond the 22-meter line and used his speed to get around Penn State's defense on the left sideline to score a try just 1:10 out of intermission. 

The Mids extended their lead to 40-3 after a try from Landon Opp and a conversion kick from Krieger in the 44th minute. 

After 30 minutes of no scoring, AJ Young corralled a drop pass by the Nittany Lions and the freshman bolted into the try zone for his first career try in the 74th minute. Opp made the ensuing conversion kick to give the Mids a 47-3 cushion.

Penn State scored its only try of the match in the 78th minute to account for the final score in the game.

Navy Notes
• Krieger scored a career-high 15 points in Saturday's win. The freshman leads Navy in scoring in its three spring matches with 27 points. The Placerville, Calif., native is second on the team in overall scoring with 87 points this season. He will look to become the second Mid to surpass 100 points scored this season in Saturday's game against Army. 
• Gray passed Ben Haugh as Navy's leader in tries scored. The senior has found the try zone 15 times and leads the team with 153 points. 
• Gray led Navy with nine defenders beaten against Penn State, marking the fifth time he has led the team in a match.  
• Opp has already matched his scoring total from the fall in the three spring contests. He has scored two tries and made a conversion kick for 12 points. Navy's fly half is one of four Midshipmen with multiple tries during the spring. 
• Opp nearly outperformed Penn State as a team in the kicking game. The Nittany Lions totaled 652 meters on 24 kicks and Opp ended with 628 meters on 16 kicks. As a team, Navy finished with a season-best 1041-meters kicked.
• The Mids totaled 800-meters gained against the Penn State defense. Navy has gained at least 800 meters in a match eight times. 
• Coach Hickie emphasized the turnovers need to be cleaned up before the Army match. Navy surrendered 16 turnovers and six breakdown steals against the Nittany Lions. Navy's six breakdown giveaways are tied for the most in a contest this season. 
• The Mids will compete in the Division 1-A Elite match of the week for the second time on Friday. Navy's match against California on March 11 was also selected as the match of the week.

Scouting Army
Army was ranked eighth in the nation in the latest Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division 1-A Power Rankings (Feb. 22), but has suffered four consecutive losses. The Black Knights lost at Navy (27-14) on Nov. 5 and at Lindenwood (36-7) on Nov. 11 to conclude their fall schedule. During the spring season, Army lost at California (31-14) on March 4 and Central Washington (36-14) on March 8. All four opponents are ranked in the top five of the CRAA Division 1-A Power Rankings. Army's current losing skid is tied for the longest in its varsity history. 

The Black Knights were the second-best defensive unit in the Rugby East during the fall, allowing just 13.1 points per game. Army's offense ranked fifth in scoring (30.0 ppg) and scored four or more tries in six of its seven conference matches.  

The Black Knights haven't lost at home since Oct. 12, 2019, when they fell to Lindenwood, 27-10. Army has posted a 4-0 record on its home field this year and has outscored opponents, 130-44. Army's last home game was Oct. 29, when it defeated Air Force, 53-8. 

Up Next
Navy will be back on the pitch on Saturday, April 15 to begin its quest for the first national championship in program history. Navy will host the quarterfinals of the D1A Men's National Championship Playoffs at the Prusmack Rugby Center at 1 p.m. An opponent will be determined following the first round of the playoffs
(April 8).