ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A trip to the national championship will be on the line Saturday when the top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (16-1) plays host to second-ranked Life (11-1) in the Division I-A Playoff Semifinals. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at the Prusmack Rugby Center. 

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 national championship to face the winner of top-seeded St. Mary's and third-seeded BYU from the west bracket. That match will be played May 4 at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, Texas.

"This team has been on a fantastic journey since August and we are very grateful to have one final opportunity at home in Annapolis," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "Our sole focus is on earning another two weeks together."

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 Quarterfinal Recap (vs. No. 8 Arkansas State)
Navy used a dominant second half to win last week's playoff quarterfinal match against No. 8 Arkansas State, 57-5. The Mids scored five tries in the final 40 minutes and made a penalty kick to outscore the Red Wolves, 38-0, in the second half.

Navy's defense held strong to prevent an early score by Arkansas State. The Red Wolves were called for a knock-on penalty in the sixth minute to give Mids a scrum just outside their offensive 22-meter zone. Roanin Krieger fed a pass to Andrew Baublitz out of the scrum and he sprinted through the defense to gain 20 meters. Baublitz then handed the ball off to Landon Opp, who was tackled a meter away from the try line. William Webb powered his way into the try zone moments later for the first score of the match to give Navy a 5-0 lead.

Arkansas State committed another knock-on in the 11th minute. The penalty granted the Mids a scrum near their offensive 22-meter line. Jack Aleman brought in a pass from Krieger at the 22-meter line and he broke out of a tackle to advance the ball inside the five-meter line. Webb later bulldozed his way into the try zone from short range again in the 13th minute. Krieger then put his first conversion kick through the uprights to give Navy a 12-point advantage. 

The strong wind hurt the Mids in the 21st minute. Krieger attempted to drive the ball further into Navy's offensive zone with a clearing kick, but the ball was forced backward by the wind. The ball bounced into the hands of an Arkansas State player and he ran 50 meters before being perused at the 22-meter line. The ball carrier was able to offload the ball to a teammate and the Red Wolves made another two passes to score a try to make the score, 12-5.

A huge steal by Vaughn Schmitz during a lineout set up the Mids inside their offensive 22-meter zone in the 34th minute. Jake Cornelius took advantage of the Red Wolves being out of position to charge inside the five-meter line. Haugh found a crease in the defense and ran through two defenders to score a try just before the 36th minute. Krieger added two points with a successful conversion kick to give Navy a 19-5 cushion. 

The lineout struggles continued for Arkansas State in the second half. Austin Taylor tapped the ball backward during the lineout jump into the hands of Aidan Gerber inside the 22-meter zone. He immediately dashed up the middle of the pitch to move the ball inside the five-meter line. Haugh then shoved a defender out of his way to score a try from close range in the 43rd minute. Krieger extended the lead to 26-5 by making the conversion kick.

The Mids were gifted a lineout in their offensive 22-meter zone minutes later after the Red Wolves dropped the ball out of bounds. Navy drew a penalty during a maul to earn a scrum. Sean MacLaney threw a pass to Krieger out of the scrum and he bolted through the defensive front to score a try in the 46th minute. Krieger then put his fourth conversion kick through the uprights to put the Mids ahead, 33-5.

Arkansas State mishandled another kick return in the 53rd minute and the ball rolled out of bounds inside its defensive 22-meter zone. Navy slowly inched its way up the pitch and Taylor eventually dove into the try zone for a score in the 54th minute. Krieger nailed another conversion kick to make it a 35-point game.

A pair of big carries by Max Smith set up the Mids just outside of the try zone. Edmund Soeder was then shoved across the try line by a pair of teammates for a score in the 63rd minute. Krieger put Navy in front, 47-5, with a successful conversion kick. 

Arkansas State overthrew a lineout at its defensive 10-meter line moments after the kickoff. Ian Bullock picked up the loose ball and gained 25 meters before lobbing a pass to Avion Ganse. He juked out three defenders before running into the try zone in the 65th minute. Krieger continued his excellent kicking performance by making his seventh-straight conversion attempt to make the score, 54-5.

Krieger accounted for the final points of the match after sending a penalty kick through the uprights in the 79th minute.

Navy Team Notes
• The Mids have outscored their two playoff opponents, 98-12
• Navy's 52-point win is its eight-largest margin of victory in its history
• The match marks the 10th time the Mids have totaled 50 or more points this season. Navy is averaging 50.65 points per game during the 2023-24 campaign
• The Mids have held their last three foes scoreless in the second half
• A major factor in Navy keeping the ball in its offensive zone for 57 percent of the contest was its kicking game. The Mids outkicked the Red Wolves, 963-470
• Navy's defense forced a season-high 17 turnovers and totaled four breakdown steals in the victory
• Another key area for the Mids was their success on lineouts. Navy won 10 of its 12 lineouts, while Arkansas State was successful on only six of its 11 lineouts
• The Mids scored a try in eight of their 15 trips inside the 22-meter zone. Navy hadn't converted on over half of its opportunities inside the 22-meter zone in seven-straight matches 
• One area coach Hickie is looking to clean up is the number of linebreaks surrendered. The Red Wolves totaled seven line breaks in the game, which is tied for the most allowed by the Mids this season
• Navy has been penalized 10 or fewer times in eight of its last nine games
• The Mids are looking to advance to the national championship for the second-straight year and the third time in their history
• Navy won last year's title game over Cal, 28-22, to capture its first national championship in team history
• The Mids defeated Life, 20-14, in Marietta back in October
• Two vital areas that favored Navy were lineouts and the kicking game. The Mids converted 20 of their 21 lineout throws and the Running Eagles were successful on just seven of their 15 lineouts. Additionally, Navy totaled 1,051-meters kicked, while Life compiled 720-meters kicked

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger scored 22 points last Saturday, which is tied for the sixth-most points scored in a single game in program history. He has surpassed the 20-point mark four times this season
• Krieger's effort helped him become the first mid to score more than 200 points in a single season (219)
• The sophomore nailed seven conversion kicks to surpass 100 made attempts in his career (101)
• Krieger's seven conversion kicks are tied for the fourth-most makes in a single game in team history  
• The Placerville, Calif., native is looking to score in his 10th-consecutive match this Saturday, which would be a new program record 
• Haugh tallied two tries against the Red Wolves and has scored multiple tries in three of his eight appearances this season
• Krieger and Haugh have scored 10 tries in 2023-24, which is tied for the fourth most in a season in program history
• Webb scored a try for the first time since his hat trick against Notre Dame the first week of the season
• Cornelius was the main weapon for Navy's rushing attack. He led the team with 77-meters gained on 11 carries 
• Opp single-handedly outperformed Arkansas State in the kicking game. The senior finished with 505-meters kicked on 16 attempts
• Ganse once again showed how dangerous he is in open space. He led the Mids with 12 broken tackles and ended with 48-meters gained on four carries
• Despite only playing 16 minutes, Dalton Sand finished in a tie with Gerber as the team leader in tackles with 13

Scouting Life
• The Running Eagles enter the contest with an 11-1 record
• Life won five of its six Rugby East matches to place second in the league standings during the fall 
• The lone loss for the Running Eagles was at home against the Mids (20-14) in October. Navy handed Life its first loss at home since March 9, 2022, when it lost to Army, 14-10
• The Running Eagles were the top offense in the Rugby East during the fall campaign with 49.8 points per game
• Bradley Crane and Adam Chadwick both finished in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Crane's 94 points ranked second in the conference. He scored two tries, made 39 conversion kicks and nailed two penalty kicks. Chadwick led the Rugby East in tries scored (10) to finish in a tie for sixth in the league in scoring with 60 points
• Life opened the playoffs with a comeback victory over seventh-seeded Army (24-17). The Running Eagles were trailing, 17-14, in the 62nd minute, but scored the final 10 points to claim the match
• Life beat third-seeded Lindenwood (25-10) in the quarterfinals after outscoring the Tigers, 15-0, in the second half
• The Running Eagles are playing in the semifinals for the ninth time in their history. Life had been eliminated in the quarterfinals the last two years after advancing to the semifinals eight-consecutive seasons (2012-19)
• The Running Eagles are seeking their sixth appearance in the national championship game and first since 2019 
• Life has won four national titles in its history (2013, '16, '18, '19)

West Bracket Update
• The additional semifinal match will be between top-seeded St. Mary's and third-seeded BYU at 2:30 p.m. ET
• The Gaels defeated fourth-seeded Cal in the quarterfinals, 34-16
• St. Mary's is looking to compete in the national championship match for the seventh time in program history. The Gaels advanced to the title game five-straight years (2013-17) and won three championships (2014, '15, '17). St. Mary's last appearance in the finals was in 2022 when it lost to Army, 20-8
• The Cougars upset second-seeded Central Washington, 40-26, last Saturday
• BYU is seeking its first trip to the national championship game since 2012. The Cougars made all seven of their appearances in the championship match from 2006-12 and won two titles (2009, '12)