ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (12-0) will play host to international foe Western Ontario (1-4-1) this Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. 

The match is scheduled to begin at noon. The contest will not be live-streamed, but fans can get in-game updates by visiting the Navy men's rugby X account (@navymrugby), formerly known as Twitter. 

"We are looking forward to hosting Western Ontario this weekend. We have an opportunity to give some guys their first start of the spring and continue to look at a few different combinations," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We would like to thank Shaun Francis, USNA Class of 1992, for his support for our game against Western."

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 Mount St. Mary's Win
The Mids opened their spring season last Saturday with a 32-20 victory over No. 11 Mount St. Mary's. 

Navy looked to be in control early in the match after scoring three tries in the opening 15 minutes of play. 

Tanner Russell gave the Mids a 5-0 lead just 5:40 into the contest with a try. 

A 30-meter carry by Max Smith helped Navy push back into its offensive zone a few minutes later. Andrew Baublitz then caught a pass on the right sideline and he used his speed to gain another 20 meters. The Mids began to work the ball back to the left half of the pitch. Smith received a pass and made a great cut to get by a Mount St. Mary's defender to score a try in the 10th minute. 

A short clearing kick from the Mountaineers gave Navy possession at its defensive 10-meter line. Smith was fed the ball once again on the left sideline and he shoved off two defenders to set up another big carry of 25 meters. Mount St. Mary's was issued a penalty while attempting to stop the offensive attack. Landon Opp booted a free kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line to give the Mids a lineout. Navy 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.

After gaining possession from a penalty, the Mountaineers took advantage of poor tackling to strike for a try in the 20th minute to make the score, 15-7.

Mount St. Mary's later took over at its offensive 22-meter zone after Opp launched a kick straight out of bounds. The Mountaineers won the lineout and the Mids were called for a penalty on the following ruck. Mount St. Mary's opted to try a penalty kick and its kicker put the ball through the uprights in the 31st minute to make it a five-point game.

A penalty gifted Navy a free kick in its offensive zone and Opp sent the ball out of bounds near the 22-meter line. The Mids formed a maul after winning the lineout and powered their 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 at halftime. 

The Mids were awarded excellent field position after the Mountaineers committed a knock-on at their defensive five-meter line. Navy shifted 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 to make the score, 22-17.

The Mids received a lineout just outside 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 perfect no-look pass to Baublitz. Baublitz ran 15 meters and walked into the try zone untouched to give Navy a two-score lead again in the 53rd minute.

The Mountaineers cut their deficit to seven after making a penalty kick from their offensive 10-meter line in the 57th minute.

Mount St. Mary's attempted another penalty kick in the 60th minute, but the ball sailed wide left to keep it a seven-point game.

The Mids used their kicking game to flip the field and move the ball back into their offensive zone. Navy worked the ball down to its offensive five-meter line, but was charged with a knock-on while trying to score. The Mids quickly retook possession after the frontline completely overwhelmed the Mountaineers during the scrum to force them into a penalty. 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.

Navy Team Notes
• The Mids improved to 30-0 as a varsity team with their win over the Mountaineers
• Russell's score at the 5:40 mark is the seventh-fastest try scored in team history
• Navy totaled 13 turnovers and has recorded at least 13 in nine of its 12 games this season
• The Mids committed only five penalties against Mount St. Mary's, which is their second-fewest in a match this season. Navy's cleanest game was against Notre Dame College, where it was penalized just four times
• The Mids did very well in their set piece in the match. Navy controlled 11 of its 13 lineouts and won six of its seven scrums. Defensively, the Mids forced a turnover on three of the five scrums for the Mountaineers
• Navy will look to have better success inside the 22-meter zone. The Mids committed a turnover in 10 of their 17 trips inside the offensive 22-meter zone
• Navy's defense only allowed Mount St. Mary's to enter the 22-meter zone twice in the contest
• The defensive front tackled the Mountaineers behind the gain line on 33 of their 66 carries 
• The Mids will battle Western Ontario for the second time in their varsity history. Navy won last year's meeting, 39-0, in Annapolis
• The Mustangs reside in London, Ontario, Canada, and compete in the Ontario University Athletics Conference (OUA)
• Western Ontario went 1-4-1 during its fall season

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger will look to improve on his conversion kick success after making just one of his five attempts against Mount St. Mary's
• The sophomore needs to score just 15 points during the spring to pass Lewis Gray (166) for the most in a single season
• Krieger's biggest contribution last Saturday was his passing. He totaled 20 passes, four line break assists, two try assists and an offload
• Baublitz currently leads the team in tries scored with 10 this season
• He was one of seven mids to gain at least 40 meters in the match
• Smith led the team with 87-meters gained on only eight rush attempts
• Russell, Sand and Ian Bullock all ended with a team-leading 17 carries in the match. The trio accounted for a combined 113-meters gained
• Russell extended his try-scoring streak to four with his two tries on Saturday. His streak is the third-longest in program history. A try against Western Ontario would tie Gray and Ben Haugh's school record (5)
• Sand scored the first collegiate try in his career against the Mountaineers
• Mount St. Mary's had difficulty tackling Jake Cornelius throughout the game. He led Navy with 12 of the 42 broken tackles. Cornelis finished with 69-meters gained on 13 carries

Up Next
The Mids will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Berkley, Calif., for a rematch of the 2023 national championship game against California on Saturday, March 16. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.