BERKLEY, Calif. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (13-1) suffered its first loss of the season to seventh-ranked California (10-2) by a score of 47-24 on Saturday at Witter Rugby Field in Berkley, Calif.
 
The Golden Bears built a 24-0 lead in the first half, but back-to-back tries by the Mids made it a 10-point game in the 48th minute. After the teams exchanged penalty kicks, Cal scored 15-unanswered points from three tries to regain control of the match.
 
Despite the loss, Roanin Krieger still made history by setting a new single-season scoring record. His 14-point outing raised his season total to 174 points, surpassing Lewis Gray's previous record of 166 points.  
 
"We are obviously very disappointed in our performance," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We simply were not good enough today and lost to a better team."
 
The Golden Bears had an opportunity to score points in just the second minute. Cal attempted a penalty kick inside its offensive 22-meter zone, but the ball nailed the upright to keep the match scoreless.
 
The Mids were granted a scrum at their offensive 10-meter line in the fourth minute following a knock-on penalty. Back-to-back strong carries by Navy pushed it into its offensive 22-meter zone for the first time. The Mids were unable to take advantage of the short field due to a turnover.
 
Cal went back on the attack in its offensive zone after Navy committed a knock-on at midfield. A defensive penalty then awarded the Golden Bears a free kick. Cal's kicker launched the ball out of bounds inside the 22-meter zone. After controlling the lineout, the Golden Bears used short attacks up the middle of the pitch to move down to the five-meter line. Cal attacked the edge and found a wing wide open on the right sideline to score a try in the 12th minute. The Golden Bears then made the conversion kick to take a 7-0 lead.
 
Navy was called for a knock-on in the 15th minute, which gifted Cal a scrum at the midfield line. The Golden Bears won the scrum and quickly marched down to the 22-meter line with a pair of big carries. Cal then gained another 15 meters by passing the ball out wide to its wing on the right sideline. The contest was briefly paused for an injury and the Golden Bears formed a scrum once play resumed. Cal attacked the left half of the pitch out of the scrum and snuck its way through the defensive front to score a try in the 17th minute. The second conversion kick from the Golden Bears went through the uprights to make the score, 14-0.
 
The Mids received a lineout at midfield after a clearing kick traveled out of bounds. Navy turned the ball over on the lineout and Cal charged up the field on its next carry to advance into the 22-meter zone. The Mids were charged with a penalty moments later to gift the Golden Bears a penalty kick. Cal nailed the penalty kick attempt in the 21st minute to take a 17-point lead.
 
Navy controlled possession over the next six minutes, but failed to put points on the scoreboard after committing a penalty. The Golden Bears booted a free kick out of bounds to their defensive 10-meter line to set up a lineout. Cal won the lineout and its ball carrier faked out the defense with a pass to the right. He cut back to the left and ran 30 meters to advance into the 22-meter zone. He then offloaded the ball to a teammate, who ran the remaining distance into the try zone for a score in the 28th minute. The Golden Bears gained a 24-0 advantage after nailing the conversion kick.  
 
Navy drove into its offensive 22-meter zone twice over the next six minutes, but Cal made a pair of key defensive plays to negate both scoring chances. As the Mids were driving near the five-meter line, the Golden Bears held up the ball carrier to force a turnover. Navy later had the ball less than a meter from the try zone, but Cal jarred it loose for a knock-on.
 
The Golden Bears took advantage of a penalty to kick to ball back into their offensive 22-meter zone. Navy's defense came up with a vital turnover to keep Cal off the scoreboard. Ben Haugh slipped out of a tackle and then delivered a perfect pass to Austin Taylor, who sprinted up the middle of the pitch to gain 35 meters. Max Smith danced his way through multiple tackles to gain over 25 meters and advance the ball inside the five-meter line. Jake Cornelius later dove into the try zone in extended time for a try. A successful conversion kick from Krieger made the score, 24-7, at halftime.
 
The Mids charged inside their offensive five-meter line three times in the first seven minutes of the second half, but the Golden Bears didn't surrender any points on all three possessions.
 
Cal launched a goal-line drop kick back to its defensive 10-meter line. Avion Ganse gained back a big chunk of ground on the return to push the ball back into the 22-meter zone. Powerful runs from Tanner Russell and Krieger moved the ball back inside the five-meter line. Haugh then dove between two defenders to score a try in the 48th minute. Krieger's ensuing conversion kick went through the uprights to cut Navy's deficit to just 10 points.
 
The Golden Bears caught a clearing kick inside their defensive 22-meter zone and charged up the field to their offensive 10-meter line on a huge return. Cal continued to drive into the 22-meter zone, but lost the ball after being charged with a knock-on. The Golden Bears stole the ball back during the scrum. The official then issued Navy a penalty, which granted Cal a penalty kick. The Golden Bears made the kick from just inside the 22-meter line to take a 27-14 lead in the 56th minute.

As the teams were exchanging clearing kicks, Cal booted the ball straight out of bounds while inside its defensive 22-meter zone. The play gifted the Mids a lineout from where the ball was kicked. Navy won the lineout and then received a penalty kick from a high tackle. Krieger sent the ball right down the middle to make the score, 27-17, in the 58th minute.
 
An offsides penalty shortly after the kickoff awarded the Mids a free kick. Opp launched the ball downfield to the 22-meter line, but didn't kick it out of bounds. The Golden Bears took advantage of the mistake by returning the ball up to midfield. Another fake-out pass allowed Cal to break through the defense and gain over 20 meters. The Golden Bears worked the ball to the right of the pitch and the ball carrier delivered a beautiful no-look pass to a teammate. Cal scored a try as a result of the pass in the 61st minute to go up, 32-17.
 
Navy received a free kick at midfield in the 64th minute from a penalty. Opp booted the ball out of bounds down into the 22-meter zone. The Mids were gifted a scrum shortly after the lineout from another penalty. The Golden Bears made another big defensive play during the scrum to steal the ball back. Cal marched up the pitch near its offensive 22-meter line. However, the Golden Bears turned the ball over after overthrowing a pass out of bounds. Navy lost possession on the throw-in during its lineout to give Cal the ball inside the 22-meter zone. The Golden Bears advanced the ball to their offensive five-meter line, but a knock-on penalty returned possession to the Mids. Navy once again lost the ball during the scrum and Cal turned the turnover into a try in the 71st minute to gain a 20-point edge.
 
A Golden Bear found a gap in the defensive front just moments after the kickoff. He ran over 50 meters before offloading the ball to a teammate to score another try in the 73rd minute.
 
Cal committed a knock-on trying the catch the ensuing kickoff, which granted Navy a scrum inside the 22-meter zone. Krieger was fed a pass out of the scrum and he powered his way through three defenders to score a try from 22 meters out in the 75th minute. He then made the conversion kick to make the score, 42-24.
 
The Golden Bears answered with another long run to score the final try of the match in the 78th minute.
 
Box Score
First Half
12:20 - Try - Cal (0-5)
Conversion Kick - Cal (0-7)
 
17:19 - Try - Cal (0-12)
Conversion Kick - Cal (0-14)
 
21:26 - Penalty Kick - Cal (0-17)
 
28:17 - Try - Cal (0-22)
Conversion Kick - Cal (0-24)
 
40:00 - Try - Navy - Jake Cornelius (5-24)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (7-24)
 
Second Half
48:33 - Try - Navy - Ben Haugh (12-24)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (14-24)
 
56:08 - Penalty Kick - Cal (14-27)
 
58:47 - Penalty Kick - Navy - Roanin Krieger (17-27)
 
61:08 - Try - Cal (17-32)
 
71:00 - Try - Cal (17-37)
 
73:12 - Try - Cal (17-42)
 
75:50 - Try - Navy - Roanin Krieger (22-42)
Conversion Kick - Roanin Krieger (24-42)
 
78:07 - Try - Cal (24-47)