GLENDALE, Colo. – The Lt. Col. Kevin Shea trophy is returning to Annapolis for the seventh straight season after a dominant 79-14 victory for Navy men's rugby (6-0, 3-0) over Air Force (2-2) on Friday night at Infinity Park.
"We are satisfied with our performance against Air Force. We tried a couple of new combinations which worked out. We also had a look at some of our young guys who stepped up and played well," stated director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "The players deserve a lot of credit for two big wins over our service academy opponents these past two weeks. Our Midshipmen have been simply outstanding."
Navy wasted little time to display its electric offense as it added three tries in the first 15 minutes. AJ Young scored the first try of the match in the fourth minute for his second score of the season. A successful conversion kick from Kade Williams afterward put Navy up 7-0. A Falcons penalty gifted a try to the Midshipmen in the 11th minute.
The Mids top-scorer Andrew Baublitz reached the try zone for the fourth match in a row for his sixth score of the season. A successful conversion kick from Williams gave Navy an early 21-0 lead in the 13th minute.
Air Force showed fight as it responded with a try of its own in the 18th minute to narrow the Midshipmen's lead, 21-7.
Navy added three more tries over the next 19 minutes, getting scores from Sean Donohue in the 22nd minute for his first try of the season while Young and Baublitz scored their second tries in the 25th, and 37th minute. A second conversion kick from Williams gave the Midshipmen a 33-point lead at the half.
Navy's offense showed no signs of slowing down after the break to score an additional 39 points.
Baublitz got things going in the second half as he continued his big night with a try in the 41st and 55th minute, he became the fourth Midshipmen in program history to earn his 100th career point. The Glen Burnie, Md., native is already tied for sixth in program history with the most tries in a season (9) as he recorded his second career four score match. The sophomore sits at 22 career tries and is three shy of tying the most in a career (Ben Haugh – 25).
Adam Mertens added a pair of tries for his first career multi-score match as slammed down his second try of the season in the 45th minute, followed by another in the 71st minute.
The Falcons tried to lessen the damage with a try in the 52nd minute with their second try of the match to make the score, 52-14.
Avion Ganse got in on the scoring action as he came off the bench for his second try of the season in the 60th minute. He added a second score in the final minute to be the fourth Mid to score at least two tries on the night.
Navy continued to show off its depth as Brennon Braud scored his first career try in the 78th minute and Sam Pirkl entered the match for a conversion kick for his first two career points to seal the match, 79-14.
The Midshipmen's 13 tries against the Falcons marked the third most in a match in program history. Navy's 79 total points is also best for third in most points scored in a single match.
Up Next
In the next outing, the Midshipmen will cap off their two-match road trip at Walsh for a noon kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 12.
