ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's rugby team (3-0, 1-0) returns on its home pitch hosting its first Rugby East matchup of the season taking on Penn State (0-1, 0-1) on Saturday.
Kickoff against the Nittany Lions is set for 1 p.m. and can be watched live on the Navy Athletics YouTube page and on navysports.com.
"We are looking forward to another opportunity to grow as a team. We did a lot of good things last week and came away with an important bonus point win," remarked director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "As always there are a number of areas we want to improve and our game against Penn State on Saturday provides us with that opportunity."
Krieger Adding to the Record Book
· Junior fullback Roanin Krieger entered the season as the Mids all-time leading scorer with 351 total points.
· In the 41-23 road victory over St. Bonaventure, Krieger set a program record five penalty kick conversions and scored 21 total points in the match which is best for seventh in program history.
· The Placerville, Calif., native enters the week as the team's leading scorer with 32 total points on seven conversion kicks and six penalty kicks.
· The 2023 Rugby East leader in total points, leads the league after week one with 21 points.
Perfection in the East
· Last week's 41-23 victory over the Bonnies, the Midshipmen remained perfect in Rugby East action with an all-time 17-0 record averaging 41.5 points per match.
· The bonus point victory puts Navy in sole possession of the Rugby East divisional standings, just one point ahead of Kutztown.
Navy at Home
· Since becoming a varsity sport in 2022, the Midshipmen are a perfect 25-0 on their home pitch at the Prusmack Rugby Center.
· Against Rugby East foes, Navy is 9-0 when it hosts divisional opponents.
· The largest margin of victory at home came against a Rugby East opponent, Southern Virginia, 75-0 back in 2022.
· The Mids are 2-0 on their home turf this season with a combined score of 98-22, defeating Mount St. Mary's (36-8) and the University of Maryland (62-14).
Scouting the Nittany Lions
· The Nittany Lions are led by first year head coach Zac Mizell and enter the match with an 0-1 record.
· Penn State was edged out by Rugby East foe Mount St. Mary's (Md.) in its season opener, 26-22. The Nittany Lions were stumped inside the five-meter zone in the final minutes to fall in the divisional battle.
· Adam Bilbo leads the Nittany Lions with two total tries.
Series History vs. Penn State
· Navy holds a 4-0 all-time series record against Penn State. In last season's meeting in University Park, the Mids rolled their way to a 53-5 victory where six midshipmen found the try zone.
· The two teams faced in the spring season in Annapolis in a much closer bout but Navy still prevailed in a 37-12 victory.
· The Midshipmen averaged 44 points per match while only giving up an average of 12.2 points per match to the Nittany Lions.
All-Time Series Matchups vs. Penn State
Oct. 8, 2022 (H): Navy 39 – Penn State 22
March 18, 2023 (N): Navy 47 – Penn State 10
Nov. 4, 2023 (A): Navy 53 – Penn State 5
March 23, 2023 (H): Navy 37 – Penn State 12
Last Time Out: at. St. Bonaventure
The Navy men's rugby team (3-0, 1-0 Rugby East) extends its Rugby East winning streak to 17-straight with a road victory over St. Bonaventure (0-1, 0-1 Rugby East), 41-23. After a front line collapsed in the first scrum of the day, the Mids elected for a penalty kick to go up first on the scoreboard. Krieger Capitalized to give Navy an early 3-0 lead.
The Midshipmen responded with a pair of tries of their own to go up 15-7. The Midshipmen continued their offensive momentum in the second half pushing the Bonnies defense in their own territory, scoring 10 points in the first nine minutes to extend the lead, 28-10. Navy would add another try and two more penalty kicks to walk out of St. Bonaventure with a 41-23 victory.
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.
