WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy women's rugby team (10-9-1) placed fourth in the 7s Collegiate Championship Premier Cup after dropping both matches on Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Washington, D.C.
 
Navy fell in the west semifinals to No. 1 seed Brown (19-0) to set up a contest against No. 2 Penn State in the third-place match. The Nittany Lions bested the Mids in the matchup (24-0).
 
No. 1 Brown vs. No. 2 Navy (Loss, 19-0)
A turnover by the Mids allowed the Bears to gain possession near the 22-meter line in their offensive zone in the first minute. Brown's ball carrier had a clear path to the try zone, but stepped out of bounds to grant a lineout for Navy. The Mids controlled the lineout and Eliza Herring lowered her shoulder on multiple defenders to push Navy forward to the midfield line. Marissa Meyer received the pass out of the ruck and sprinted over 40 meters. She was tackled only a few meters short of the try zone, but the Bears received a yellow card on the tackle to give the Mids a one-player advantage.
 
Despite being a player down, Brown forced a turnover to take back possession. The Bears made one pass after stealing back possession and the ball carrier ran nearly 80 meters for the first try of the match in the fourth minute. Brown made the conversion kick to take a 7-0 lead.
 
The Mids committed a penalty on their next possession to award the Bears a scrum at Navy's 22-meter line. Brown won the scrum and its ball carrier slipped through a pair of tackles to score a try in the sixth minute. The Bears made the ensuing conversion kick to take a 14-0 lead.
 
Brown quickly took control in Navy's defensive zone after receiving the second-half kickoff. The Bears attempted to gain the edge down the left sideline, but were penalized for a forward pass to put the Mids back on offense.
 
Navy advanced into its offensive zone following a pair of penalties, but Brown regained control of the ball after the Mids were charged with a knock-on penalty. Navy's defense knocked the ball free after Brown moved the ball to just outside the 22-meter zone. However, the Bears scooped up the loose ball before the Mids and ran into the try zone untouched in the 11th minute for the final score of the contest.
 
No. 2 Navy vs. No. 2 Penn State (Loss, 24-0)
Penn State received the opening kickoff and immediately advanced the ball inside the five-meter line on a carry of over 50 meters. The same ball carrier for the Nittany Lions stood up after being tackled and dove into the try zone for a try just 45 seconds into the contest. Penn State's kicker made the conversion kick to take a 7-0 lead.
 
The Mids committed a penalty on the ensuing kickoff to award the Nittany Lions a scrum. Penn State drove inside the five-meter line, but committed a knock-on penalty to gift the Mids a scrum. Navy won the scrum, but committed a knock-on penalty itself a few passes into its possession. Penn State attacked to the left half of the pitch out of the won scrum to move the ball inside the 22-meter zone. The Nittany Lions switched their movement back to the right and found a crease on the sideline to score their second try in the fourth minute to take gain a 12-0 advantage.
 
Penn State plunged inside Navy's five-meter line again in the sixth minute, but the Mids forced a turnover to retake possession. Meyer then broke through the defensive line and sprinted over 50 meters before she was tripped up. Herring went on the attack following the ruck and pushed Navy inside the five-meter line. The Mids were just a few meters away from scoring a crucial try, but committed a knock-on penalty to end the first half.
 
Navy formed a lineout to start the second half after Penn State kicked the ball out of bounds. The Mids were penalized on the throw-in attempt to award a scrum for the Nittany Lions. Penn State drove inside the five-meter line on a pair of big carries and punched the ball into the try zone again in the ninth minute. The Nittany Lions made their second conversion kick of the match to increase their lead to 19-0. 
 
Penn State scored the final try of the match in the 11th minute to win the game, 24-0.
 
Up Next
Navy will return to 15s competition in the fall for its first season as a member of the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA).
 
Box Scores
7s Collegiate Championship Semifinals: No. 1 Brown vs. No. 2 Navy
Final Score: Brown 19, Navy 0
First Half
4:12 - Brown - Try (0-5)
Conversion Kick - Brown (0-7)
6:10 - Brown - Try (0-12)
Conversion Kick - Brown (0-14)
Second Half
11:06 - Brown - Try (0-19)
 
7s Collegiate Championship Third-Place Match: No. 2 Navy vs. No. 2 Penn State
Final Score: Penn State 24, Navy 0
First Half
0:45 - Penn State - Try (0-5)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (0-7)
4:53 - Penn State - Try (0-12)
Second Half
9:00 - Penn State - Try (0-17)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (0-19)
11:00 - Penn State - Try (0-24)