ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (15-1) continues its playoff push on Saturday to face No. 8 Arkansas State (10-2) in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I-A Playoff Quarterfinals. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md.
Fans can stream the match for free on the Navy Athletics YouTube page with the link provided on NavySports.com(.)
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the semifinals to face the winner of second-seed Life and third-seed Lindenwood. The match will be played at the home of the higher-seeded advancing team.
"We are delighted to have earned the right to play at home on Blake Field at our Prusmack Rugby Center one more time. We've had a good week of training and we know what's at stake," said director of rugby
Gavin Hickie. "The boats are burned, it's either us or them. We are ready."
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
Playoff First-Round Recap (vs. Mary Washington)
The Mids playoff journey began with a 41-7 victory over No. 14 Mary Washington last Saturday.
A 20-meter carry by
Ben Haugh gave Navy possession inside its offensive 22-meter zone in the first minute. An intentional knock-on against the Eagles awarded the Mids a free kick to set up a lineout at the five-meter line. Navy fooled the defense with a low lineout throw, allowing
Jake Beitia to run into the try zone uncontested at the 2:50 mark to take a 5-0 lead.
The Mids were gifted another free kick from a penalty in the sixth minute to push into their offensive 22-meter zone. Navy slowly gained ground to charge down to the five-meter line. A bad pass dropped right in front of a Mary Washington defender, but he knocked the ball forward while trying to scoop it up. The Mids received a scrum from the penalty 15 meters away from the try zone.
Sean MacLaney shifted the attack to the right after winning the scrum.
JD Bengston caught a pass on the edge and juked out a defender to score a try in the 11th minute to give Navy a 10-0 advantage.
The Mids forced a turnover at midfield to go back on the offensive in the 14th minute. MacLaney fed a pass back to
Landon Opp out of the ruck and he launched a kick 20 meters downfield.
Andrew Baublitz read the kick perfectly and caught it near the 10-meter line. The freshman had no defenders in front of him and he dashed 45 meters before touching the ball down in the try zone.
Roanin Krieger extended the lead to 17-0 after making his first conversion kick of the match.
A blocked kick led to the first try of the game for the Eagles in the 16th minute to make the score, 17-7.
Two penalties granted Navy a pair of free kicks to advance near its offensive five-meter line.
Jake Cornelius caught the first pass out of a maul. After being tackled, he lifted himself out of the ruck and powered his way into the try zone in the 23rd minute. Krieger then made his second conversion kick to regain a 17-point cushion.
Krieger added another three points to the scoreboard in the 27th minute by making a penalty kick.
The Eagles drove into their offensive 22-meter zone three times in the final 13 minutes of the first half. The Mids held strong on all three scoring chances to take a 27-7 lead into the locker room.
Navy continued to play outstanding defense in the second half and padded its lead with two more tries in the final 10 minutes.
Opp gained nearly 30 meters on a kick return in the 70th minute.
Ryan Hotaling then ran through a pair of arm tackles and was brought down less than a meter away from the try zone.
Michael Strehle threw a perfect pass to Krieger out of a ruck and he lowered his shoulder on a defender to score a try in the 71st minute. Krieger added to his scoring total by making the conversion kick to give the Mids a 34-7 lead.
Max Smith provided another line break in the 76th minute. He caught a short grubber kick at midfield and then ran 45 meters before being tackled at the five-meter line. Hotaling dove across the try line moments later. Krieger accounted for the final points of the game by putting his fourth conversion kick through the uprights.
Navy Team Notes
• Lineout success was a huge difference-maker last Saturday. Navy won 10 of its 11 lineouts, while Mary Washington was successful on only nine of its 13 attempts
• The Mids totaled three lineout steals in the victory
• Navy limited Mary Washington to just one score in its seven opportunities inside the 22-meter zone
• The Mids have been penalized 10 or fewer times in seven of their last eight games
• Following a season-high 26 turnovers against Penn State, Navy totaled just 12 against Mary Washington
• The Mids have held eight opponents to under 10 points this season
• Navy is averaging 50.25 points per game this season. The Mids have scored at least 50 points in nine matches
• Navy is a perfect 11-0 at home this season and has outscored opponents, 606-110
• The Mids will face Arkansas State for the first time in their varsity history on Saturday
Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger led Navy with 16 points in the win, which is the eighth-most points scored in a single game in program history
• The Sophomore's effort helped him pass 300-points scored in his career. He has compiled 310 points in less than two full seasons
• Krieger needs to nail just six more conversion kicks to reach 100 makes in his career
• Beitia scored the fifth-fastest try to begin a game in team history (2:50)
• Baublitz tallied his team-leading 13th try of the season. He is second on the team in scoring with 65 points
• The freshman led the Mids with 86-meters gained on five carries
• Bengston scored his sixth try of the 2023-24 campaign. He is one of eight mids to score at least six tries this season
• Opp was a vital piece in keeping the ball in Navy's offensive zone for 58 percent of the match. The Green Cove Springs, Fla., native led the Mids with 355-meters kicked on 11 attempts. He also compiled 56-meters gained on four kick returns
• Smith and
Avion Ganse both had productive outings off the bench. Smith ran for 68 meters on seven carries. He also totaled a team-leading six broken tackles. Ganse finished with four broken tackles with 38-meters gained on three carries
•
Austin Taylor was the main force on the defensive end. He led Navy with 15 tackles and forced a turnover during a lineout
Other Playoff Action
East Bracket
• The additional matchup in the East bracket will be between rivals second-seed Life and third-seed Lindenwood
• Life edged Army, 24-17, in the first round. The Black Knights took a 17-14 lead with a try in the 62nd minute, but the Running Eagles scored the final 10 points to avoid the upset
• Lindenwood's defense held Mount St. Mary's scoreless in a 26-0 victory last week
• Saturday will be the sixth time Life and Lindenwood will face each other in the playoffs since 2015. The Lions won last year's game, 29-8, after losing the first four playoff contests against the Running Eagles
• Lindenwood has advanced to the semifinals the last four times the playoffs have been held, but is yet to compete in the national championship game
• Life, who is a four-time national champion, is seeking its first appearance in the semifinals since 2019
West Bracket
• Top-seed St. Mary's and fourth-seed Cal are battling against one another in the playoffs for the four-consecutive time the event has been held
• The Golden Bears won the 2019 matchup, 28-24, to advance to the national championship game. The playoffs returned in 2022 and the Gaels claimed a 35-26 victory to earn a national championship game berth. Cal came out on top in last year's quarterfinal match, 29-28
• St. Mary's cruised to a 78-7 win over Grand Canyon in the first round
• The Golden Bears defeated Cal Poly, 70-13, in their first-round contest
• Also battling for a spot in the semifinals are second-seed Central Washington and third-seed BYU
• Central Washington beat Arizona in the opening round, 23-17, while BYU took care of UCLA by a score of 48-15
Quarterfinal Schedule (All Times ET)
East Bracket
Saturday
No. 1 Navy vs. No. 4 Arkansas State (Noon)
No. 2 Life vs. No. 3 Lindenwood (1 p.m.)
West Bracket
Saturday
No. 2 Central Washington vs. No. 3 BYU (3:30 p.m.)
No. 1 St. Mary's vs. No. 4 Cal (4 p.m.)
