ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's rugby team (7-1, 4-1 in the Rugby East) returns to the pitch after its bye week to face Kutztown (2-3, 2-2 in the Rugby East) on Saturday in Kutztown, Pa., at the North Campus Rugby Pitch.

Kickoff between the Mids and the Golden Bears is scheduled for 1 p.m.

"We feel refreshed and ready to go. We learned a lot of lessons over the past two weeks and now we get another opportunity to execute against a team who will look to put us under pressure. We will be ready to go," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie.

Last Time Out: vs. Life

Navy's most recent outing was two weeks ago in a battle between two undefeated Rugby East teams, the Mids clawed its way back from a 17-point deficit but ultimately falls short to Life, 23-20.

It was the programs first loss against a Rugby East opponent since joining the league, ending a 20-consecutive victory streak in conference play.

The Midshipmen found themselves in unusual territory trailing, 17-0 (their largest deficit of the season), in the first 20 minutes of the match.

Sophomore Kade Williams showed off his speed as he sprinted down the sideline as he drew a Life penalty to put the Mids in scoring position. A maul was formed from a line-out attempt inside the five-meter zone, the Running Eagles were soon penalized for collapsing the maul in the try zone to give Navy its first seven points of the match in the 31st minute.

Each team exchanged penalty kicks to end the first half. A high tackle penalty awarded Life with three points in the 34th minute. Junior Roanin Krieger drilled his 16th penalty kick of the season in the final seconds as the Midshipmen trailed, 20-10.

Both teams were exchanging turnovers and clear kick attempts early in the second half before Navy's offense came alive with a pair of tries.

Sophomore Aiden Gerber scored the first try in the second half in what was a team effort as the Mids from 22-meters out mauled their way into the try zone in the 51st minute. The back-and-forth play continued for the next 26 minutes until Dalton Sand gets a push from his teammates for the third maul try of the match to even the score, 20-20.

Life was able to force a turnover in the final minute of the match and sprinted through the Navy's defense to put itself in scoring position. The Mids were penalized for an offside penalty inside their own 22-meter zone, the Running Eagles drilled the penalty kick for the walk-off victory.

Krieger Continues to Shine

Krieger is second in the Rugby East Conference with 67 total points in league play. He only trails Mount St. Mary's Evan Corbett (69).

The Placerville, Calif., leads the league in penalty kicks (15) and fourth in conversion kicks (11).

Navy Notes

        ·         Junior Austin Taylor led all Midshipmen in tackles in the hard-fought battle against life with 19.

        ·         The Mids have continued to impose their will defensively. Through eight matches, Navy hasn't allowed more than two tries in a single game and only surrendered 12 tries all season.

        ·         Krieger has given the team consistent kicking duties all season, the junior has put 17 conversion kicks and 16 penalty kicks through the uprights.

        ·         Andrew Baublitz is the lone Midshipmen with double digit tries (11). The junior is tied for the fourth most in a season in program history and is two shy from tying his career-best.

        ·         Despite the early deficit against Life, the Mids defense was stout inside its own 22-meter entry as they forced seven turnovers on 11 possessions.

        ·         The match against Life marked the sixth time this fall that Navy's opponent has finished with 30 or more missed tackles.

        ·         Against the Running Eagles, Max Smith led the team with 100 meters gained on eight carries.

        ·         Navy dominated Life in scrums as the Running Eagles only completed 57% of its own scrum.

Scouting Kutztown

The Golden Bears enter the match with a 2-3 record. Kutztown hopes to break a two-game losing skid after it began the season 2-1 with victories over Walsh (21-15) and Southern Virginia (46-14). In the most recent outing against St. Bonaventure, the Golden Bears fell short, 27-21.

Kutztown is currently tied-eighth in the Rugby East standings. Golden Bears leading scorer Aidan Smith cracks the top 10 in league scoring with 35 total points. Smith is no stranger to the goal line as he leads all Rugby East players with seven tries.

Navy vs. Kutztown

Saturday's match marks the third meeting between the two programs. Navy has controlled the series with commanding victories in both matches by at least 30 points. The last time these two teams squared off was last fall at the Prusmack Rugby Center where the Mids cruised to a 55-15 victory.

All-Time Series Matchup

Oct. 29, 2022 (A): Navy 46 – Life 16

Sept. 30, 2023 (H): Navy 55 – Life 15

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