ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men's rugby team (4-0, 1-0) wraps up its four-game homestand against Rugby East North Division foe Kutztown (1-2, 0-2) on Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. 

The match is scheduled to begin at noon. Fans can stream the game for free on Navy Athletics YouTube with links provided on NavySports.com(.)

"We are looking to build on our performance from last week and take another step forward," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We relish playing at home in front of our families and supporters. With only four home games left of our fall season, we want to make every moment count."

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 Queens Match
Navy opened Rugby East play last Friday with a commanding, 71-0, victory against Queens University of Charlotte. 

A steal on a lineout and a big carry from Tanner Russell set up the Mids inside their offensive 22-meter zone early in the contest. Russell received a pass at the five-meter line in the sixth minute and broke a tackle to score Navy's first try of the match. 

Queens held the ball in its offensive zone for the majority of the next 20 minutes. The Mids were able to go back on the offensive after an obstruction penalty against the Royals at midfield. Ben Haugh faked a rush attempt to the right and cut back left to find a crease in the defense for a try in the 29th minute to put Navy ahead by two scores. 

A 50-22 kick from Roanin Krieger put the Mids in scoring position again in the 33rd minute. Jacob D'Amico would find the try zone for a close score moments later to build the lead to 21-0. 

A perfectly executed grubber kick from Krieger and offloads from JD Bengston and Russell set up Landon Opp for an incredible try in the 35th minute to give Navy a 28-0 advantage. 

A 20-meter run from Haugh three minutes into the second half led to the fifth try of the afternoon for the Mids.

The Royals held possession inside their offensive 22-meter zone twice over the next seven minutes, but a pair of penalties prevented them from scoring their first points of the match.

A big run from Andrew Baublitz put Navy back inside its offensive 22-meter zone. A penalty against Queens then set up a scrum at the five-meter line. Haugh fed a pass to Sean MacLaney out of the won scrum and he juked out a defender for a try in the 55th minute to give the Mids a 42-0 lead. 

A blocked kick from Vaughn Schmitz forced the Royals back deep into their defensive zone. The Mids gained back possession on a clearing kick and quickly drove inside the five-meter line. MacLaney found Bengston wide open near the left sideline out of a lineout and he fed him a pass for an easy try in the 62nd minute to extend Navy's lead to 49-0. 

Kade Williams made a great cutback in the open field to get past three Queens defenders to score a try from 22 meters out in the 67th minute.

Ryan Raimondi gained over 40 meters on a carry shortly after the ensuing kickoff. He then fed a perfect offload to Schmitz, who ran the remainder of the pitch for a try in the 69th minute.

A pair of penalties allowed the Mids to kick the ball down inside the five-meter line. Krieger slipped out of an ankle tackle to dive across the try line for the 10th try of the contest in the 74th minute to put Navy ahead, 68-0.

Krieger added three more points with a penalty kick in the 80th minute to conclude the match.

Navy Notes
• The Mids scored 10 tries last week and have scored 10 or more tries in all four matches this season. Navy only totaled 10 or more tries in a game three times last season. 
• The Mids have held three of its four opponents scoreless to begin the 2023-24 campaign and are outscoring their competitors, 335-21. 
• Navy totaled 828-meters gained on offense and outgained Queens by 662 meters.   
• The Mids exceeded 800-meters gained for the second-straight match. Navy hadn't totaled more than 800-meters gained in a game prior to its last two outings.
• The Mids had 15 line breaks last Friday and surrendered just one to the Royals. 
• Navy had an efficient day tackling, missing just seven of its 69 attempts (90 percent).
• The Mids also had a huge day in making defenders miss with 43 broken tackles. Navy has finished with 40 or more broken tackles in all four matches this season. 
• An area that continues to plague the Mids is turnovers. Navy totaled 17 turnovers against Queens and has finished with more turnovers than its opponent in two-straight contests. 
• A big improvement for coach Hickie from the Indiana match was the set piece success. The Mids won all 11 of their scrums and William Webb was accurate on 15 of his 16 lineout throw-in attempts. 
• Navy once again commanded the gain line on both sides of the ball. The Mids surpassed the gain line on 99 of their 147 carries (67 percent). On the defensive end, the Royals were tackled behind the gain line on 28 of their 56 rush attempts (50 percent).   

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger became Navy's all-time leading scorer in its varsity history thanks to his career-high 26 points against Queens. The sophomore surpassed Lewis Gray (166 points) as the all-time leading scorer and raised his career point total to 176 points. Additionally, Krieger is Navy's all-time leader in made conversion kicks (61) and penalty kicks (8). 
• Krieger's 26 points are the second-most points scored by a Mid in a single match. The Placerville, Calif., native also tied the record for most conversion kicks in a game with nine. 
• Avion Ganse and Russell were key factors in Navy's rushing attack. Ganse totaled 96-meters gained and broke five tackles. Russell compiled 97-meters gained, broke seven tackles and finished with a pair of line breaks. 
• Haugh now leads the Mids in tries scored with six after scoring two against the Royals. He also accounted for three line break assists and two try assists in the contest.  
• Williams was extremely effective for Navy off the bench. The freshman scored his first career try, rushed for 32 meters and posted two line break assists. He also totaled 164-meters kicked on four attempts. 

Rugby East Updates
The big story in the Rugby East last weekend was St. Bonaventure's, 29-26, upset win over Army. The Bonnies scored a go-ahead try with under nine minutes remaining to earn their first win against the Black Knights. 

Mount St. Mary's also claimed its second conference win with a narrow, 16-15, victory against Kutztown. 

Fans can view the current Rugby East standings HERE and this weekend's schedule HERE. 

Scouting Kutztown
The Golden Bears enter the match with a 1-2 overall record and stand at 0-2 in Rugby East play. Kutztown opened the season with a non-conference win against Adrian (41-10), but has lost its first two league games to St. Bonaventure (44-22) and Mount St. Mary's (16-15). 

Seniors Logan Bachman and Mate Kvirikashvili will be a major focal point for Navy on defense. The two garnered First-Team All-Rugby East accolades last season. Bachman finished 14th in the league in scoring with 30 points from six-tries scored. 

Kutztown will be Navy's first division opponent of the season. The Mids claimed last year's contest against the Golden Bears, 46-16. 

Up Next
Navy plays its first true road match of the season against Rugby East newcomer Life next Saturday in Marietta, Ga. Kickoff against the Running Eagles is scheduled for 1 p.m.