BOYDS, Md. - The Navy women's rugby team split its final two games to garner a third-place finish at the 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship on Sunday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.
 
The Mids fell in their semifinal match to Brown, 27-5, to set up a meeting with American International College in the third-place contest. Navy was behind, 10-0, early in the second half, but battled back to claim a 14-10 victory. Sophomore Megan Leitz scored the game-winning try in the 15th minute to cap off the second season for the Mids as a varsity program.

"It's always a challenge to get up for a third-place match after a tough loss in the semifinals. It's not the game you want to be playing in, but it's still a great opportunity. We made a few errors in that semi that we were able to right in the final game of the day including possession and connection," said assistant coach Abby Gustaitis. "When we had one last chance to win it, we executed with composure and I can't ask for anything more as a coach. Hats off to the 12 girls that represented Navy today and the greater squad for a strong finish to the season."
 
Match Recaps
Navy vs. Brown (L, 27-5)
Early mistakes put Navy behind early in its semifinal match against Brown.
 
The Mids were unable to corral the opening kickoff and the Bears picked up the loose ball before running into the try zone for a score just 13 seconds into the game.
 
Brown drove back into the 22-meter zone in the second minute, but a forward pass returned the ball to Navy. The Bears reclaimed possession after tackling Siena Hall out of bounds. Brown won the ensuing lineout and its ball carrier busted through the defensive line to score a try in the third minute. The Bears took a 12-0 lead after nailing the conversion kick.
 
A Brown defender was issued a yellow card for a high tackle in the fourth minute, which gave Navy a one-player advantage. Leitz gained 10 meters after winning the scrum for the Mids to push the ball up to midfield. Navy shifted its attack to the right, but a bad pass forced Mia Young to retreat to the 10-meter line to retrieve the ball. Young picked up the ball and ran around the lone Bear defender near her. She then bolted down the sideline and outran everyone to score a try in the fifth minute to bring the Mids within seven points.
 
Brown committed a penalty shortly after the second-half kickoff to gift Navy possession near its offensive five-meter line. A forward pass negated the scoring opportunity for the Mids and granted the Bears a scrum. Brown gained over 40 meters on its next two carries. The Bears lost possession due to a forward pass, but were back on the offensive moments thanks to a penalty. Brown won its offensive scrum at the 10-meter line and its ball carrier slipped through a pair of tackles to score a try in the 10th minute to make the score, 17-5.
 
The Bears tallied two more tries in the final minutes to take the match, 27-5.
 
Navy vs. American International College (W, 14-10)
Navy took the pitch for the final time to take on American International College in the third-place match.
 
The Mids drew multiple penalties over the first six minutes of the first half, but weren't able to find a gap in the Yellow Jacket defense.
 
American International went down a player after being issued a yellow card in the sixth minute. The penalty also awarded Navy a scrum at its defensive 22-meter line. The Yellow Jackets stole the ball during the scrum to gain possession inside the 22-meter zone. The Mids stole the ball back just before the sixth minute inside the five-meter line. Navy attempted to make a last-minute drive to the try zone, but was called for a penalty on its next ruck. American International earned a tap-and-go from the penalty and its ball carrier powered her way into the try zone for the final play of the first half.
 
The Yellow Jackets were charged with a knock-on for dropping the kickoff to begin the second half. The infraction gave the Mids a scrum inside their offensive 22-meter zone. The official then penalized Navy on the following ruck. American International passed the ball to its outside attacker on the right sideline. She ran around the lone defender in front of her and ran over 80 meters to score a try in the seventh minute to give the Yellow Jackets a 10-point lead.
 
The Mids responded quickly to cut their deficit to three points. A big run by Raquel Manadero shortly after the kickoff pushed Navy near the 22-meter line. The Mids received a tap-and-go from a penalty just before the 10th minute. Caroline Shegogue brought in a pass near the 22-meter line and used a full head of steam to plow past American International's defense to score a try. Abby Hershner made her first conversion kick to make the score, 10-7.
 
The Yellow Jackets were pinned back inside their five-meter line thanks to a deep kickoff by Hannah Brink. American International tried to execute a clearing kick to regain territory, but the ball was blocked out of the back of the try zone by Leitz. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over for not correctly resuming play, which granted the Mids a tap-and-go inside the 22-meter zone. Navy advanced to the five-meter line, but coughed up possession with a knock-on in the 13th minute.
 
American International kept possession past the 14th minute and looked to have the match secured. However, a Yellow Jacket player was charged with a yellow during a ruck to gift the Mids one last opportunity at a score. Navy won the ensuing scrum at the 22-meter line and went on the attack with a one-player advantage. Strong carries by Hershner and Young helped gain territory to drive closer to the try zone. Leitz caught a pass following Young's rush and she ran by two defenders to score a try in the 15th minute. Hershner ended the game by nailing the conversion kick and sealing a 14-10 victory for the Mids.
 
Box Scores
Navy vs. Brown (L, 27-5)
First Half
0:13 - Try - Brown (0-5)
 
3:08 - Try - Brown (0-10)
Conversion Kick - Brown (0-12)
 
5:10 - Try - Navy - Mia Young (5-12)
 
Second Half
10:09 - Try - Brown (5-17)
 
11:57 - Try - Brown (5-22)
 
14:27 - Try - Brown (5-27)
 
Navy vs. American International College (W, 14-10)
First Half
7:29 - Try - American International College (0-5)
 
Second Half
7:57 - Try - American International College (0-10)
 
10:08 - Try - Navy - Caroline Shegogue (5-10)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (7-10)
 
15:50 - Try - Navy - Megan Leitz (12-10)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (14-10)