ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The defending Rugby East Champion Navy men's rugby team (3-0, 0-0) opens league play against Queens University of Charlotte (2-0, 0-0) on Friday at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md.
The match will kickoff at 4 p.m. and can be streamed for free on Navy Athletics YouTube with links provided on NavySports.com(.)
The match was moved from Saturday due to weather conditions expected to hit the east coast.
"We know that this will be a very physical game and we will need to keep our eyes on a few key players. We have had a good week of training and are ready to go," said director of rugby
Gavin Hickie. "We want to thank Queens, our referee and Rugby East conference commissioner for this flexibility in ensuring our game goes ahead this weekend."
Notes For Traveling Fans
• There is no admission charge for rugby matches at Prusmack Rugby Center.
• Spectator parking is available in the lots on the north side of the Brigade Sports Complex (64 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402). Overflow parking is available in the open space on the west side of the facility.
• Alcohol consumption is prohibited at the Prusmack Rugby Center and surrounding parking areas.
Recap of Indiana Match
Navy had another big game offensively to defeat defending Big Ten Champion Indiana, 69-21, last Saturday in Annapolis.
A big run from
JD Bengston opened the scoring just 2:27 into the match.
Jake Cornelius blocked a clearing kick that was recovered by
Vaughn Schmitz in the try zone for a score in the seventh minute to quickly put the Mids ahead, 14-0.
The Hoosiers took advantage of a turnover on the ensuing kickoff to score a try in the 11th minute.
Team captain
Ben Haugh helped Navy respond in the 18th minute. He delivered an offload to
Landon Opp, who ran into the try zone untouched from 25 meters out to give the Mids a 21-7 cushion.
A yellow card against Indiana gave Navy a one-player advantage in the 35th minute. Haugh and Russell helped the Mids take advantage with another two tries to make the score, 35-7, at halftime.
The Hoosiers were also forced to play with only 14 on the field for the first five minutes of the second half. Haugh scored his second try just 50 seconds out of the break and a long carry from
Aidan Gerber two minutes later led to a try to give Navy a 40-point advantage.
The playing field returned even following Gerber's score and Indiana went on the march to score a try in the 47th minute.
A short kickoff caught the Hoosiers off guard and the ball was recovered by
Andrew Baublitz to give the Mids a short field.
Sean MacLaney advanced the ball inside the five-meter line on a tap-and-go and then fed a pass to Opp for a try in the 50th minute to give Navy a 52-14 lead.
Haugh was shoved across the try line in the 59th minute to score his third try of the contest and secure the hat trick. A dropped pass by the Mids allowed the Hoosiers to scoop and score for a try in the 68th minute to make the score, 59-21.
Navy added an additional ten points on tries from
Avion Ganse and Schmitz in the 74th and 78th minutes to conclude the scoring.
Navy Team Notes
• Indiana had no answer for slowing down Navy's offense. The Mids totaled 885-meters gained, 53 broken tackles, 28 offloads and 16 line breaks.
• Navy finished with 158 carries in the contest and 108 were over the gain line (68 percent).
• The only thing stopping the Mids from scoring was themselves. Navy totaled 22 turnovers and compiled eight penalties in the match.
• Navy did make up for losing the ball with its defense by forcing 16 turnovers. The Mids also added three lineout steals and forced a turnover on a scrum.
• Navy has scored 10 or more tries in all three matches this season, including a program record 19 against Delaware on Sept. 2.
• The Mids claimed their first Rugby East title last season with a 9-0 record in league play. Navy outscored its conference opponents, 378-106, and posted an average margin of victory of 30.2 points.
• A big difference for the Mids during conference play this season will be not having the threat of
Lewis Gray. He led the Rugby East in scoring last season with 108 points and was the only player to score 100 or more points.
Navy Individual Notes
• Haugh posted his second-career hat trick to lead Navy with 15 points against Indiana. He is now tied with Baublitz and Ganse as the team leader in tries scored this season with four. Additionally, his three tries helped him pass Gray to become Navy's all-time leader in tries scored with 18.
• Haugh also accounted for 152-meters gained to help the Mids outgain the Hoosiers, 885-330. He also led Navy with 14 broken tackles, three line breaks and 11 tackles. The Raleigh, N.C., native had a terrific day passing as well, finishing with two line break assists and a try assist.
• Haugh will look to be a big scoring threat for the Mids in league play again this season. He finished second in the Rugby East in tries scored (9) and 10th in scoring (45) in 2022.
• Bengston's try 2:27 into the match marked the third-fastest try scored in Navy's varsity history.
• MacLaney had a big day passing the ball for the Mids. He compiled four try assists and four line break assists.
• Krieger needs to score just 17 points to surpass Gray (166) as Navy's all-time leading scorer in its varsity history.
Rugby East Updates
Three matches highlighted the opening weekend for the Rugby East last Saturday.
Mount St. Mary's defeated Southern Virginia, 81-20, in the lone matchup in the south division. In the north division, St. Bonaventure took care of Kutztown, 44-22, and Army used a great defensive outing to claim a 26-6 victory over Penn State.
Rugby East Weekend Schedule (All times ET)
Friday
Queens at Navy - 4 p.m. - Annapolis, Md.
Saturday
Army at St. Bonaventure - Noon - St. Bonaventure, NY
Mount St. Mary's at Kutztown - 6 p.m. - Kutztown, Pa.
Mary Washington at Southern Virginia - 7:30 p.m. - Buena Vista, Va.
Scouting Queens
The Royals come to Annapolis with a 2-0 record after claiming non-conference wins against Wheeling (29-11) and Belmont Abbey (43-15).
Queens finished second overall in the Rugby East last season and won the south division with a 6-1 league record. The only loss in conference play for the Royals was to Army, 28-12.
A big threat to the Mids will be prop Prince Louis-Bush. Bush garnered First-Team All-Rugby East accolades last season. He led the conference in tries scored (10) and finished eighth in scoring (50 points). Scrum half Hilton Olivier will be another name on Navy's radar. He was the ninth-best scorer in the Rugby East a year ago with 48 points on three tries, 15 conversion kicks and a penalty kick.
Up Next
The Mids conclude their four-game homestand against Rugby East North Division foe Kutztown next Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center. Kickoff against the Golden Bears is scheduled for noon.
