BOYDS, Md. - The Navy women's rugby team played strong defense to win both of its matches during the first day of the 7s Collegiate Championship on Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.
 
The Mids opened the tournament with a 19-5 win over Virginia Tech. The victory set up a rematch against Penn State in the quarterfinals, who defeated Navy in the third-place match in the tournament last season. After the Nittany Lions tied the game, 7-7, in the 13th minute, Mia Young responded with a try on a carry over 80 meters to lift the Mids to a 12-7 victory.
 
Navy will look to continue its revenge tour tomorrow in the semifinals against Brown at 11 a.m. The Bears bested the Mids in the 7s Collegiate Championship Semifinals last season. Fans can watch the match for free on the Rugby Network with the link on NavySports.com(.)
 
"Proud of the girls during our first day of the Collegiate Rugby Championship. They showed a tremendous amount of resilience and tenacity in the two games, especially against Penn State," said assistant coach Abby Gustaitis. "It's already difficult to play this sport with seven players on the pitch, but to still pull out a win with just six players on the field and in the rain showed a lot of discipline and grit. We're now in the semis against a strong Brown team and we're excited to showcase Navy women's rugby tomorrow."
 
Match Recaps
Navy vs. Virginia Tech (W, 19-5)
Navy established possession in its offensive zone just 18 seconds into the contest after forcing the Virginia Tech ball carrier out of bounds. A pair of big gains by Young and Siena Hall moved the Mids into their offensive 22-meter zone. Navy shifted its attack to the left, but a pass out to Megan Leitz was just out of her reach and the ball rolled out of bounds. The Mids regained possession seconds later by stealing the lineout. Charlotte d'Halluin brought in a pass near the 22-meter line and she busted through a pair of tackles to score a try just before the second minute. Abby Hershner put the conversion kick through the uprights to make the score, 7-0.
 
Navy's defense forced another turnover by tackling Virginia Tech out of bounds in the fourth minute. The Hokies were penalized on the next ruck, which allowed the Mids to perform a tap-and-go to advance into the 22-meter zone. Caroline Shegogue would've easily scored a try on a feed from d'Halluin, but the official ruled the pass was forward to negate the score.
 
Navy's defensive pressure pushed Virginia Tech back inside the five-meter line. Leitz stole the ball back and quickly found d'Halluin wide open on the right half of the pitch. She walked into the try zone untouched for her second score of the day in the sixth minute to give the Mids a 12-point cushion.  
 
Navy took a 19-0 lead by scoring a try just 39 seconds into the second half. A big runback on the kick return by Hershner helped the Mids charge into their offensive zone. Navy was then gifted a tap-and-go from a penalty against Virginia Tech. Young found space on the left sideline with the defense out of position and she sprinted into the try zone for a score. Hershner made her second conversion kick of the match following Young's try. 
 
The Mids worked the ball back inside their offensive five-meter line in the 13th minute, but committed a knock-on to return the ball to the Hokies. Virginia Tech drove all the way down the field and ended the match by scoring its lone try in extended time.
 
Navy vs. Penn State (W, 12-7)
Navy had to deal with a strong downpour in its quarterfinal match against Penn State.
 
The Nittany Lions kept the ball in their offensive zone for the first five minutes of the game, but multiple knock-on penalties prevented them from capitalizing on the great field position.
 
The Mids drove into their offensive zone for the first time in the fifth minute thanks to a huge carry from Young. The freshman brought in a pass out of a scrum inside Navy's defensive 22-meter zone and she put on the jets to advance the ball to the offensive 10-meter line. d'Halluin followed up with a strong carry to push the ball into the 22-meter zone. The Mids passed the ball across the pitch to Hall on the right sideline and she had to run around just one defender to score a try in the sixth minute. Hershner then nailed the conversion kick to give Navy a 7-0 advantage.
 
The Mids looked like they had a shutout lined up, but a late rally by the Nittany Lions helped them tie the match. Hershner was forced to exit the game for two minutes after being issued a penalty just before the 13th minute at midfield. Penn State gained 10 meters with a pair of passes on the left side of the pitch with the one-player advantage. The Nittany Lions lined a pass back to the right, which drew the Mids back toward the middle of the field. Penn State immediately passed the ball back to its wing on the left sideline and she ran 45 meters before being tackled inside the five-meter line. The Nittany Lions ran the ball into the try zone out of the next ruck and their kicker tied the match by making the conversion kick.
 
Young ended the match less than 30 seconds after the kickoff. She received the first pass after Navy received the kickoff inside the defensive 22-meter zone. Young began running left and quickly cut back to the right to gain space on the edge. A Nittany Lion defender had an excellent angle of pursuit, but Young juked her out with a cut back to the inside. She ran the remaining distance into the try zone for the game-winning score to lift the Mids into the semifinals.
 
Box Scores
Navy vs. Virginia Tech (W, 19-5)
First Half
1:52 - Try - Navy - Charlotte d'Halluin (5-0)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (7-0)
 
6:38 - Try - Navy - Charlotte d'Halluin (12-0)
 
Second Half
7:39 - Try - Navy - Mia Young (17-0)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (19-0)
 
16:23 - Try - Virginia Tech (19-5)
 
Navy vs. Penn State (W, 12-7)
First Half
6:18 - Try - Navy - Siena Hall (5-0)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (7-0)
 
Second Half
13:41 - Try - Penn State (7-5)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (7-7)
 
15:19 - Try - Navy - Mia Young (12-7)