ANNAPOLIS, MD. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (13-1) faces its final test before the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I-A Playoffs this Saturday against 17th-ranked Penn State (1-8) at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. The match will begin at 10 a.m. 

"It feels like a long time since we commenced our preseason on Hospital Point last August. We have faced significant challenges in terms of injuries, but have enjoyed another great season," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We are excited to welcome Penn State and despite the weather forecast, we are aiming to finish the regular season with a strong performance."

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 California Match
The Mids are coming off their first loss of the season against No. 7 California. 

After missing a penalty kick early in the match, the Golden Bears returned to their offensive 22-meter zone with a free kick from a penalty. After driving up the middle of the pitch, 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 later attacked the left half of the pitch out of a 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.

Cal forced a turnover on a lineout and 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 made the 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. Cal took advantage of another big carry to score a try in the 28th minute. The Golden Bears gained a 24-0 advantage after nailing the conversion kick.

Navy's defense came up with a vital turnover after Cal drove into the 22-meter zone late in the first half. Ben Haugh slipped out of a tackle after the turnover and 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 to get the Mids on the board. A successful conversion kick from Roanin Krieger made the score, 24-7, at halftime.

A huge kick return from Avion Ganse gained a big chunk of ground to push Navy into the 22-meter zone early in the second half. Powerful runs from Tanner Russell and Krieger advanced the ball 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 the deficit to just 10 points.

The Golden Bears went up by 13 after making a penalty kick in the 56th minute. 

The Mids answered with a penalty kick of their own two minutes later to make the score, 27-17. 

An offsides penalty shortly after the kickoff awarded Navy a free kick. Landon Opp didn't kick the ball out of bounds and Cal took advantage of the mistake by returning the ball up to midfield. A fake-out pass allowed the Golden Bears to break through the defense and gain over 20 meters. Cal's ball carrier delivered a beautiful no-look pass to a teammate to score a try in the 61st minute to go up, 32-17. 

The Golden Bears made a series of key defensive plays to prevent the Mids from answering the score. Cal then worked its way down to its offensive five-meter line. The Golden Bears initially lost possession from a knock-on, but stole the ball right back during the scrum. 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.

Navy Team Notes
• Saturday's loss ended Navy's win streak at 31
• The Mids hadn't lost a match since they fell to Life in the 2022 Division I-A Playoffs
• A major difference in Navy's game was its low number of kicks, attempting just nine in the loss
• The Mids totaled at least 20 kicks in 12 of their previous 13 games this season
• A vital stat that favored Cal was its success on carries over the gainline. The Golden Bears passed the gainline on 92 of their 145 carries (63.4). Navy surpassed the gainline on 63 of its 132 carries (50.0) 
• Another area the Mids will look to improve will be their scrums. Navy lost possession on three of its six scrums in the contest
• Although the Mids drove into their offensive 22-meter zone 15 times in the match, they only found the try zone three times
• Navy had another excellent game in breaking tackles, totaling a season-high 56. The Mids have recorded at least 50 broken tackles in five matches this season
• Navy played a clean game with only seven penalties. The Mids have committed 10 or fewer penalties in seven-consecutive games
• Navy only needs to score four more tries this season to surpass its total from 2022-23 (112)
• The Mids are also 35 points away from passing their scoring total from a year ago (760)

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger made history by setting a new single-season scoring record last Saturday. His 14-point outing raised his season total to 174 points, surpassing Lewis Gray's previous record of 166 points
• Krieger will look to score the 300th point in his career this Saturday. The sophomore has compiled 287 points in less than two full seasons
• Haugh saw his first action since he suffered an injury against Kutztown back on Sept. 30. Navy's team captain scored his eighth try of the season during his 49 minutes of action. Additionally, he led the team in meters gained (44), offloads (five) and line break assists (two). He also totaled the second-most broken tackles with 11
• Ganse totaled 14 broken tackles and ended with 43-meters gained on nine carries
• William Webb and Dalton Sand both had dominant games defensively. Webb led the Mids with 22 tackles, while Sand finished with 21. Both players missed just one tackle each
• Sand also had another stellar performance on his throws during lineouts. The freshman was successful on eight of his nine throws
• Cornelius' try increased his scoring total to 37 points during the 2023-24 campaign. He's looking to become just the seventh player in team history to surpass 40 points in a season

Scouting Penn State
• Despite owning just a 1-8 record this season, Penn State was ranked No. 17 in the latest CRAA power rankings (March 15)
• The Nittany Lions finished in last place in the Rugby East during the fall season with a 0-6 league record
• Penn State's lone victory this season was in the Mint City Bowl against Ohio State (61-10)
• The Nittany Lions began their spring season in Spain. Penn State fell in both of its exhibition matches to Cisneros Rugby Club (26-19) and Sant Cugat (26-24)
• The Nittany Lions are coming off a 45-17 loss to No. 2 Life last Saturday
• Stephen Hoey (10th) and Dan Morariu (14th) both finished in the top 15 in the Rugby East in scoring during the fall
• Hoey compiled 33 points from a try, five conversion kicks and six penalty kicks. His six penalty kicks ranked third in the league
• Morariu totaled 25 points in league play from five tries. He was one of only nine players in the Rugby East to score at least five tries in conference action

Navy vs. Penn State Series
• The Mids are 3-0 against the Nittany Lions in their varsity history
• Navy has outscored Penn State, 139-37, in the three meetings
• The two teams faced each other during the fall season and the Mids took the match by a score of 53-5
• Penn State's five points was its lowest scoring total in a 15s match since its, 34-3, loss to Life in the 2019 Division I-A Playoffs
• The Mids won their first game against the Nittany Lions as a varsity team, 39-22, in Annapolis on Oct. 8, 2022

Up Next
Navy will enjoy a bye week before its first CRAA Division I-A playoff patch on Saturday, April 6 at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. The playoff bracket will be announced on Monday, March 25.