ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The top-ranked Navy Men's Rugby team (14-1) begins its quest to repeat as national champions on Saturday in the first round of the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I-A Playoffs against No. 14 Mary Washington (7-6) at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. The Mids play host to the matchup as the No. 1 seed in the east playoff bracket. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. 

Fans can stream the game 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 quarterfinals to face the winner of fourth-seed Arkansas State and fifth-seed Davenport. The match will be played at the home of the higher-seeded advancing team.

"We have been on a journey since Dublin last August. It's been a fantastic journey and an absolute privilege to work with each other almost every day since then," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "Now we are fighting for the privilege of working together for another week. We are laser-focused on the task at hand. We hope to see as many supporters as possible at the Prusmack Rugby Center on Saturday."

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 Penn State Match
Navy concluded the regular season with a 37-12 win against No. 17 Penn State on March 23. 

An early knock-on penalty against the Nittany Lions gave the Mids possession at their offensive 10-meter line. Penn State was later penalized during a ruck and Landon Opp sent a short free kick out of bounds near the try line. Navy formed a maul after winning the lineout and Dalton Sand scored a try during the play in the eighth minute. Roanin Krieger snuck the conversion kick inside the right upright to give the Mids a 7-0 lead.

The ensuing kickoff bounced down inside the five-meter line and Penn State was able to jump on the loose ball. The Nittany Lions punched their way across the try line on the following ruck in the ninth minute to make the score, 7-5.

An incredible play by JD Bengston helped Navy score its second try in the 27th minute. Krieger received a pass out of a lineout at the offensive 10-meter line and he immediately kicked the ball into the try zone. Bengston sprinted down the left sideline and outran three defenders before falling on the ball to give the Mids a 12-5 lead.  

Penn State sent a box kick straight out of bounds, which granted Navy a lineout between its offensive 10 and 22-meter lines. The Nittany Lions were then called for a penalty for collapsing the maul. Opp booted a free kick out of bounds just inside the 22-meter zone. The Mids formed another maul after winning the lineout and bulldozed their way near the try line. The official issued another penalty to Penn State during the maul, which awarded a penalty try to Navy in the 34th minute to gain a 19-5 advantage.

The Mids made a huge defensive stand after the Nittany Lions established possession inside the five-meter line shortly after the kickoff. After clearing the ball back to midfield, Ben Haugh slipped through a pair of tackles and ran over 30 meters. He then offloaded the ball to Ian Bullock, who gained another 20 meters to give Navy possession inside its offensive 22-meter zone. The Mids worked the ball to the right of the pitch out to Andrew Baublitz. The freshman found space on the edge and ran into the try zone in the 38th minute to make the score, 24-5.

Penn State gained back momentum by scoring a try in extended time to make the score, 24-12, at halftime.

Multiple knock-on penalties and turnovers prevented either team from adding points to the scoreboard until the 59th minute. The Nittany Lions were called for offsides during a clearing kick, which granted the Mids a penalty kick from their offensive 22-meter line. Krieger made the kick to give Navy a 27-12 cushion. 

The Mids established possession inside the 22-meter zone again in the 69th minute thanks to a 50-22 kick from Krieger. Navy lost possession after committing a turnover during the lineout. Penn State kicked the ball back to midfield, but a great return from Krieger set up the Mids in their offensive 22-meter zone again. Navy attacked the right of the pitch and Aidan Gerber found space to score a try in the 71st minute. Krieger nailed the conversion kick to put the Mids ahead, 34-12. 

Kade Williams accounted for the final points of the match after making a penalty kick in the 75th minute.

Navy Team Notes
• The Mids surpassed their scoring total (760 points) and number of tries scored (112) from last season in three fewer games. Navy has scored 763 points and 114 tries during the 2023-24 campaign
• The kicking game for the Mids returned to form after struggling against Cal. Navy posted a season-high 1,127-meters kicked on 31 attempts in the contest. The match marked the third time the Mids surpassed 1,000-meters kicked this season
• Navy also had much more success during scrums. The Mids won all five of their scrums and forced a turnover during four of Penn State's scrums 
• Navy hopes more favorable weather conditions on Saturday will limit the number of turnovers. The Mids have totaled 49 turnovers in their last two games at home, both of which were played in the rain
• Navy limited Penn State to just four trips into the 22-meter zone. A big factor in the Nittany Lions having very few scoring chances was the Mids kept the ball in their offensive zone for 72 percent of the contest
• Navy will look to have better gain line success this weekend. The Mids were tackled behind the gain line on 32 of their 67 carries against Penn State. The Nittany Lions surpassed the gain line on 40 of their 87 carries
• Despite the difference in gain line success, Navy (323) still outgained Penn State (296) by 27 meters
• The Mids have continued their dominance on their home pitch this season. Navy is 10-0 in Annapolis and has outscored its foes, 565-103
• The Mids will face Mary Washington for the second time in their varsity history. Navy won the first meeting last season in Annapolis, 18-3

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger is just six points away from reaching the 300-point mark in his career. He leads the team in scoring this season with 181 points
• The Placerville, Calif., native was the main weapon for Navy's kicking game two weeks ago. He totaled 556-meters kicked on 13 attempts
• Baublitz scored his team-leading 12th try of the season against the Nittany Lions. The freshman is one of only three mids (Lewis Gray, 17 and Ben Haugh, 14) to score at least 10 in a season
• Baublitz gained 42 meters and broke four tackles on only two carries
• Gerber also played a key role in the offensive attack. He compiled 43-meters gained on five rush attempts
• Sand continues to be another bright spot in Navy's freshmen class. He has scored four tries in four matches during the spring season
• Ryan Hotaling was a vital piece for the Mids in the second half defensively. He played the entire second half and finished with five tackles and eight ruck arrivals

Hear From Tanner Russell
Junior Tanner Russell sat down with Pete Medhurst this week on the Navy Sports Magazine to discuss his rugby journey and preview Saturday's first-round matchup. Fans can watch the interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube page. 

Scouting Mary Washington
• Mary Washington garnered the eighth seed in the east bracket after compiling a 7-6 record during the regular season
• The Eagles defeated Belmont Abbey (36-11), Wheeling (17-15), Mount St. Mary's (39-20), Penn State (20-15), Southern Virginia (39-28), Virginia Tech (78-7) and Guelph (33-14) this season
• Mary Washington is 1-4 against teams who qualified for the playoffs this season
• The Eagles finished in sixth place in the Rugby East during the fall with a 3-3 record
• Junior Sebastian Schefermann was the fourth-best scorer in the conference during the fall campaign. He totaled 56 points from three tries, seven conversion kicks and nine penalty kicks. The Durban, South Africa, native finished in a tie with Krieger for the most penalty kicks in league action

Additional First-Round Playoff Games (All Times ET)
East Bracket
Saturday
No. 4 Arkansas State vs. No. 5 Davenport (Noon)
No. 2 Life vs. No. 7 Army (1 p.m.)
No. 3 Lindenwood vs. No. 6 Mount St. Mary's (6 p.m.)

West Bracket 
Friday
No. 3 BYU vs. No. 6 UCLA (5 p.m.)

Saturday
No. 1 St. Mary's vs. No. 8 Grand Canyon (3 p.m.)
No. 2 Central Washington vs. No. 7 Arizona (3 p.m.)
No 4. Cal vs. No. 5 Cal Poly (4 p.m.)