ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (12-0, 7-0 Rugby East) made key defensive plays down the stretch to defeat 11th-ranked Mount St. Mary's (6-3, 4-2 Rugby East), 32-20, on Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. 

The Mids jumped out to a 15-0 lead just 15 minutes into the match from three tries. The Mountaineers answered with a try and a penalty kick over the next 16 minutes to cut their deficit to five. Navy scored a huge try in the 36th minute to gain a 12-point lead going into halftime. Mount St. Mary's struck first in the second half with a try to make it a five-point game again in the 49th minute. Andrew Baublitz came up big in the final 30 minutes, scoring two tries to help the Mids outscore the Mountaineers, 10-3, over the remainder of the match to improve to 30-0 as a varsity program. 

"Some frustrating parts in that game, but there were a lot of good things today. We had a young backline throwing the ball around very well in the first half and that was really exciting. We saw a great glimpse of Navy rugby's future there. A dynamic backline with a gritty pack is what we are after" said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "Going three and a half months without any games and coming away with a win was very satisfying. There is a lot for us to work on internally. We have to be more clinical with our clear-outs and making the right decisions in the right areas of the pitch. All in all, for our first game back in three months I'm very happy with a win against a very impressive Mount St. Mary's team."

An early turnover by Mount St. Mary's gifted Navy possession in its offensive zone in the first minute of the contest. The Mountaineers were then charged with a penalty during the ensuing ruck to award the Mids a free kick. Landon Opp booted the ball out of bounds inside Navy's offensive 22-meter zone to set up a lineout. The Mids lost possession shortly after the lineout, but the Mountaineers were called for a knock-on as they advanced the ball upfield. The play resulted in a scrum for Navy at its offensive 10-meter line. The Mids pushed the scrum forward nearly 10 meters and then worked the ball out to the right half of the pitch. Baublitz received an offload near the sideline and he sprinted for a big gain to put Navy back inside its offensive 22-meter zone. Jake Cornelius followed up with a 10-meter carry to move the ball inside the five-meter line. Tanner Russell then took a pass out of a ruck and dove over the defense to score a try in the fifth minute to give the Mids a 5-0 lead. 

Mount St. Mary's held possession near midfield after winning a lineout in the eighth minute. The Mountaineers sent a clearing kick into their offensive 22-meter zone and the ball was controlled by Avion Ganse. Ganse gained back territory on his kick return and then offloaded the ball to Max Smith on the left sideline. The sophomore broke through the initial tackle and gained over 30 meters before being taken down past the halfway line. Opp then launched a kick inside Navy's offensive 22-meter zone. Mount St. Mary's initially corralled the kick, but lost possession moments later. The Mids quickly worked the ball out to Baublitz on the right sideline and he gained nearly 20 meters to advance into the 22-meter zone. Navy passed the ball back to the left with a series of offloads. After receiving a pass, Smith began running out to the left. He quickly cut back inside to get around a defender to score a try in the 10th minute and put the Mids up, 10-0. 

A short clearing kick from Mount St. Mary's gave Navy possession at its defensive 10-meter line. Ganse again fed a perfect pass outside to Smith and he shoved off two defenders to set up another big carry of 25 meters. His effort pushed the Mids into their offensive 22-meter zone. The Mountaineers were issued a penalty while attempting to stop the offensive attack. Opp booted a free kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line to give Navy a lineout. The Mids won the lineout and Dalton Sand powered his way through the defense during the maul for a try to extend the lead to 15-0 in the 15th minute. 

Although Navy looked to be in control, Mount St. Mary's capitalized on mistakes over the next 16 minutes to get back within five points. 

The Mids were charged with a penalty during an offensive lineout to grant the Mountaineers a lineout at the 10-meter line. Mount St. Mary's won the lineout and began to pass the ball out to the left. A missed tackle by Navy led to a line break and a 25-meter gain on the carry. The Mountaineers continued to attack the outside and their ball carrier juked out the lone mid in his path to score a try in the 20th minute. Mount St. Mary's made the ensuing conversion kick to make the score, 15-7. 

Navy was beginning to push deep into its offensive zone again in the 27th minute, but a knock-on penalty resulted in a turnover. The Mids then committed a penalty during the scrum to gift the Mountaineers a free kick. Mount St. Mary's launched the ball into its offensive 22-meter zone on the kick. However, the ball didn't travel out of bounds, which allowed Navy to retake possession. Opp looked to regain territory with a clearing kick, but he kicked the ball straight out of bounds. The play awarded the Mountaineers a lineout at their offensive 22-meter line. Mount St. Mary's won the lineout and Navy was called for a penalty on the following ruck. The Mountaineers opted to try a penalty kick and their kicker put the ball through the uprights in the 31st minute to make it a five-point game. 

The Mids quickly pushed back into their offensive 22-meter zone on a huge rush by Vaughn Schmitz. Mount St. Mary's forced a turnover after the carry and started to advance the ball back to midfield. Navy made a huge defensive play to steal the ball back. A penalty on the Mountaineers gifted the Mids a free kick and Opp sent the ball out of bounds near the 22-meter line. Navy formed a maul after winning the lineout and powered its way up the pitch to gain 15 meters. Another infraction against Mount St. Mary's led to a scrum at the five-meter line. Russell brought in a pass moments later and blew past two defenders to score a try in the 36th minute. Roanin Krieger nailed his first conversion kick of the match after the score to put Navy ahead by 12. 

The Mids used their kicking game to force the Mountaineers back into their defensive 22-meter zone early in the second half. A rushed clearing kick by Mount St. Mary's landed just beyond the 22-meter line to give Navy excellent field position. After winning the lineout, Cornelius used a strong run to advance the ball into the 22-meter zone. The Mountaineers made a big defensive play to force a turnover and they launched the ball back to midfield with a clearing kick. Mount St. Mary's attempted to corral the ball, but it was charged with a penalty during the play to award Navy a free kick. Opp launched the kick out of bounds at the 22-meter line for a lineout. Although the Mids won the lineout, they were called for not-releasing during a ruck and the Mountaineers retook possession. Mount St. Mary's sent its free kick out of bounds back to midfield for a lineout. 

The Mountaineers won the lineout and then booted the ball into their offensive 22-meter zone with a clearing kick. Ganse countered with an impressive kick of his own to send the ball back near Navy's offensive five-meter line. Mount St. Mary's ran the ball back to its defensive 10-meter line, but immediately lost possession on a turnover. Opp then executed a clearing down to the five-meter line and the Mountaineers committed a knock-on penalty while trying to scoop up the ball. The Mids earned a scrum at their offensive five-meter line from the penalty. Navy offloaded the ball to the left in hopes of finding space on the edge for a score. However, a Mount St. Mary's defender stepped in front of a pass and he bolted 95 meters into the try zone for a score in the 48th minute. The Mountaineers cut their deficit to 22-17 with a made conversion kick. 

Navy answered shortly after the kickoff by forcing a turnover to gain possession in its offensive 22-meter zone. Krieger attempted to gain ground with a short kick, but Mount St. Mary's quickly jumped on the ball. The Mids received a lineout just outside of their offensive 22-meter zone after the Mountaineers launched a clearing kick out of bounds. Opp received the ball out of the maul and he delivered a no-look pass to Baublitz. Baublitz ran 15 meters and walked into the try zone untouched to give Navy a 10-point cushion in the 53rd minute. 

The Mountaineers made it a one-score game again after making a penalty kick from their offensive 10-meter line in the 57th minute.

Mount St. Mary's was gifted another penalty kick in the 60th minute, but the attempt sailed wide left. The ball stayed in play and the Mids sent it out of bounds just outside the 22-meter zone with a clearing kick. The Mountaineers still had an opportunity to do damage out of their offensive lineout with great field position. Schmitz came up big on the lineout by getting a hand on the ball and tipping it back to Navy for a steal. 

The Mids used their kicking game to flip the field and move the Mountaineers out of scoring position. Navy's defense forced another turnover to establish possession in its offensive zone. Mount St. Mary's was penalized shortly after losing possession to set up a scrum. The Mids won the scrum and a line break by Ganse gained over 20 meters to advance the ball near the five-meter line. Navy was just a few meters away from the try line, but a dropped pass led to a knock-on penalty in the 65th minute. The frontline completely overwhelmed Mount St. Mary's on the ensuing scrum, resulting in a penalty to give the ball back to the Mids. Navy once again attacked the edge out of the scrum and Baublitz found open space to score his second try of the contest in the 67th minute. 

The Mids controlled the pitch over the final 13 minutes to secure the 32-20 victory. 

Box Score
First Half
5:40 - Try - Navy - Tanner Russell (5-0)

10:38 - Try - Navy - Max Smith (10-0)

15:02 - Try - Navy - Dalton Sand (15-0)

20:00 - Try - Mount St. Mary's (15-5)
Conversion Kick - Mount St. Mary's (15-7)

31:52 - Penalty Kick - Mount St. Mary's (15-10)

36:09 - Try - Navy - Tanner Russell (20-10)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (22-10)

Second Half
48:20 - Try - Mount St. Mary's (22-15)
Conversion Kick - Mount St. Mary's (22-17)

53:15 - Try - Navy - Andrew Baublitz (27-17)

57:00 - Penalty Kick - Mount St. Mary's (27-20)

67:38 - Try - Navy - Andrew Baublitz (32-20)

Navy vs. Mount St. Mary's Match Notes
• Baublitz and Russell each scored two tries to finish with 10 points
• Baublitz leads the team with 10 tries scored this season. Additionally, he is second on the team in scoring with 50 points
• Russell's two tries increased his season total to nine, which ranks second on the team
• The junior has scored six tries in his last four matches dating back to the fall. He's just the third mid (Ben Haugh, Lewis Gray) to score a try in four-straight games
• Smith recorded his sixth try in only his seventh appearance this season
• Sand scored the first try in his collegiate career
• Krieger nailed his 45th conversion kick of the season. The sophomore leads the Mids with 152 points during the 2023-24 campaign
• Krieger has scored in every match he has appeared in this season
• Russell's score at the 5:40 mark is the seventh-fastest try scored in team history
• Navy improved to 2-0 against Mount St. Mary's and 30-0 overall in its varsity history