ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A trip to the national championship game was secured by the top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (17-0) with its 12-10 victory over second-ranked Lindenwood (15-2) on Saturday in the Division I-A Elite Playoff Semifinals.
 
The Mids return to the national championship for the second time and first since 1994. Navy will face the winner of third-seeded California and fourth-seeded BYU from the west bracket. The title match will be played Saturday, May 6 at Avena Stadium in Houston, Texas.
 
"We're heading to Houston and that's the main thing. Today wasn't our prettiest performance and we have a lot to work on in terms of playing in the right areas of the pitch," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. However, we had a 100-percent success rate on our lineouts and scrums. We put a lot of pressure on our set piece, but came through because the guys were outstanding.
 
"Before the game, we counted that 13 of our 23 players on today's roster hadn't played rugby before coming to the Naval Academy. This team now only being a win away from a national championship is a testament to their desire, commitment to the team and lessons learned from rugby for their future careers. These men are absolutely outstanding and I couldn't be more proud of them. A massive thank you again to everyone who has supported us at the Prusmack Rugby Center this year. We can't wait to see you in Houston."
 
Lindenwood gained the first territory advantage by executing a 50-22 kick in the third minute. An infringement against the Mids allowed the Lions to take a penalty kick just beyond Navy's 10-meter line. Lindenwood nailed the kick in the fourth minute to take a 3-0 lead.
 
An offsides penalty against the Lions in the eighth minute granted a free kick for the Mids. Lewis Gray sent the ball out of bounds just across Lindenwood's 22-meter line to set up Navy deep in its offensive zone. The Lions committed a penalty following the lineout to award the Mids a scrum and a quick attack by Sean MacLaney pushed the ball inside the five-meter line. A third penalty on the possession against Lindenwood allowed Navy to form a lineout at the five-meter line. MacLaney quickly passed the ball to Gray out of the lineout and he dove between two defenders to score Navy's first try in the 13th minute. Roanin Krieger made a difficult conversion kick from the left sideline to give the Mids a 7-3 lead.
 
Lindenwood maintained possession in Navy territory over the next 14 minutes, but turnovers and Navy's kicking game kept the score at 7-3. The Mids pushed the Lions back to their defensive zone following a deep kick by Landon Opp. Lindenwood attempted to regain territory with a deep kick itself, but kicked the ball out of the back of the try zone, granting Navy a scrum at its offensive 10-meter line in the 31st minute.
 
Gray booted a free kick from a Lindenwood penalty out of bounds to give Navy possession inside its offensive 22-meter zone. Opp sent a drop kick into the right corner of the try zone, but the Mids committed a knock-on penalty while attempting to scoop up the loose ball. The penalty awarded Lindenwood a scrum at its five-meter line, but Navy stole the ball to retake possession. An offsides penalty against the Lions set up another scrum for the Mids in the 36th minute. Navy won the scrum to take possession inside the five-meter line, but Lindenwood's defense made it a battle for every meter. JD Bengston thought he scored a try in the 40th minute of extended time, but the official said the ball was upheld to negate the score. The Mids still held possession due to having a penalty advantage and Ryan Bullock finally punched the ball into the try zone in the 42nd minute of extended time to give Navy a 12-3 lead at intermission.
 
Navy held possession inside Lindenwood's 22-meter line less than two minutes into the second half thanks to a pair of free kicks. A knock-on penalty against the Mids stopped their march to the try zone and granted the Lions a scrum. Lindenwood won the scrum and passed the ball all the way out to the left sideline where its ball carrier broke two tackles to run the ball inside Navy's 22-meter line. Dale Sturdifen sprinted across the pitch and used a perfect angle of pursuit to make a try-saving tackle. The Lions attempted to make a quick pass following the tackle, but committed a knock-on penalty to allow the Mids to reclaim possession.
 
Navy held possession inside Lindenwood's 22-meter line again in the 55th minute after an offside penalty granted a free kick for Gray. The Mids won the lineout, but were penalized on their maul formation to give the ball back to the Lions. A knock-on penalty negated a scoring opportunity for Lindenwood after it charged into Navy's 22-meter zone. The Mids sent the ball back into their offensive zone on a kick, but the Lions gained back the territory on a big kick return. Navy committed two-straight high tackle penalties, which allowed Lindenwood to control the ball just outside the five-meter line.
 
A knock-on penalty against the Mids awarded a scrum for the Lions just a few meters away from the try zone. Lindenwood began pushing the scrum left, but its scrum half ran right after picking up the ball and made one pass to set up the first try of the match for Lindenwood in the 61st minute. The Lions made the ensuing conversion kick to make the score, 12-10.
 
Gray set up Navy just outside the 22-meter line in its offensive zone after receiving a free kick in the 64th minute. The Mids drove inside the 22-meter zone with a maul, but lost possession after Opp sent the ball out of the back of the try zone on a drop kick.
 
Navy was called for not rolling away at midfield to award a free kick for Lindenwood. The Lions used quick passing to drive near the five-meter line, but coughed up possession to return the ball to the Mids. Navy immediately sent a kick out of bounds to push the ball back to Lindenwood's half of the pitch.
 
The Lions used another big gain to push inside the 22-meter line in the 72nd minute, but Krieger made a vital one-on-one tackle to save a try and force a turnover on a not-releasing penalty. Navy hoped to flip the field with a deep kick after winning the lineout, but the high wind allowed Lindenwood to receive the kick at midfield. The Lions were awarded a penalty kick from the 10-meter line in the 75th minute, but the attempt went just left of the upright to keep the Mids in front.
 
Lindenwood wasn't phased by the miss and quickly charged into the 22-meter zone less than a minute later. The Lions went fast with their offensive attack, but were penalized for obstruction just before reaching the five-meter line. A free kick by Gray bounded out of bounds near midfield to give Navy's defense breathing room. Another penalty against Lindenwood awarded an additional free kick, which Gray sent out near the 22-meter line to flip the field.
 
The Mids turned the ball over in the 79th minute to give the Lions one last chance at a game-winning score. Lindenwood formed a lineout at the halfway line following a free kick, but it turned the ball over on the throw in. The Lions received an offsides penalty in the 82nd minute and Gray sent the free kick out of bounds to win the Mids the match.
 
Gray scored his team-leading 17th try of the season. The senior also leads the Mids with 166 points scored.
 
Bullock added his fifth try of the season to raise his scoring total to 25 points.
 
Krieger increased his point total to 105 with his 32nd conversion kick.

Box Score
5:06 - Lindenwood - Penalty Kick (0-3)

13:20 - Navy - Try - Lewis Gray (5-3)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (7-3)

42:20 - Navy - Try - Ryan Bullock (12-3)

61:40 - Lindenwood - Try (12-8)
Conversion Kick - Lindenwood (12-10)