ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (7-1) will cap their spring break trip to the West Coast on Friday when it travels to Provo, Utah, to face eighth-ranked BYU (8-2) at South Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The top-10 game will be streamed on the BYU Rugby YouTube channel and available through links on navysports.com.
Last Time Out
Navy suffered its first loss of the season to fourth-ranked and reigning College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) national champion California, 52-45. The Golden Bears scored the go-ahead try in the 75th minute in a back-and-forth contest between national powers.
Avion Ganse led Navy with a hat trick, scoring three tries, while
Andrew Baublitz added two tries.
Roanin Krieger contributed five conversions and a penalty kick.
Navy Sports Magazine
Andrew Baublitz sat down with
Tim Nolan on the Navy Sports Magazine show to discuss the upcoming game against BYU. Fans can watch the interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube channel. Click
HERE for the link.
Navy Notes
• Friday's game against BYU will be Navy's fifth-consecutive game against a CRAA opponent. The Mids are 3-1 during the stretch.
• Navy's depth has been a strength this season, with 18 Midshipmen scoring a try.
• Baublitz has recorded at least two tries in four games this season and leads the team with eight tries.
• Baublitz, the program's all-time leading try scorer, now has 35 career tries for 175 points.
• Ganse's three tries against California matched his season total entering the game.
• Ganse and
Max Smith are tied for second on the team with six tries.
Scouting BYU
• The Cougars enter Friday's game with an 8-2 record. BYU opened the season 8-0 before dropping its last two games to No. 4 California (64-21) and No. 10 Arizona (39-31) last weekend.
• The Cougars' last victory came against No. 12 UCLA (47-24) on Feb. 12.
• BYU is 2-1 at home this season with wins over Utah Valley (115-0) and Weber State (75-0). Its lone home loss came against Arizona.
• Mason Patane paced the Cougars with two tries against the Wildcats last week, while Victor Mataele handled the kicking duties and converted three of five attempts.
Navy vs. BYU Series History
• Navy holds a 1-0 record against BYU as a varsity program.
• The Mids defeated the Cougars in Annapolis last season, 43-28, after overcoming an early 14-0 deficit.
• Navy returns four players who scored in last season's victory:
Andrew Baublitz,
Aidan Bryan,
Roanin Krieger and
Kade Williams.
• Friday's game will mark the first meeting between the programs in Provo, Utah.
