ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's rugby team posted a 3-1 record en route to placing third at the Navy 7s held Sunday at Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis.
 
The Mids rebounded from an early loss to close strong, capped by a 31-14 victory over Princeton in the third-place game. Sacred Heart won the tournament title, while Queens finished second.
 
"It was a really good showing today," head coach Murph McCarthy said. "It was a hard-fought battle all tournament, but I am happy overall with the team's performance.
 
"This tournament has doubled in size from last year," McCarthy added. "I think everyone is going to report how good today was and hopefully we have more newcomers next year."
 
Match Recaps
Navy 17, La Salle 12
La Salle opened the scoring in the seventh minute, capitalizing on a Navy knock-on to take a 7-0 lead into halftime.
 
Navy answered early in the second half, as Cecilia Izquierdo raced the length of the field for a try following a La Salle penalty. Ella Callahan converted to tie the game at 7-7.
 
The Mids took the lead in the 11th minute when Catherine O'Hara broke through a defender for a try, making it 12-7. On the ensuing kickoff, Navy forced a turnover and Callahan added a try to extend the lead to 17-7.
 
La Salle added a try at the horn, but Navy held on for the 17-12 win.
 
Queens 24, Navy 5
Queens struck quickly with a try in the opening minute and added another before halftime to take a 12-0 lead.
 
The Royals extended their advantage in the second half with two more tries, capitalizing on Navy penalties and strong runs in open space.
 
Ellie Pierson scored Navy's lone try, breaking through the defense late in the match to make the final score 24-5.
 
Navy 36, LIU 0
Navy responded with a dominant shutout victory over LIU.
 
Izquierdo opened the scoring in the third minute and added another try early in the second half, finishing off a loose ball for a long run. A Hannah Brink conversion kick made it 12-0.
 
Callahan followed with two tries of her own, while O'Hara and Pierson each added scores to cap a five-try second half as the Mids cruised to a 36-0 win.
 
Navy 31, Princeton 14 (Third Place Game)
Izquierdo continued her strong day with a try in the opening 90 seconds to give Navy an early lead.
 
O'Hara extended the advantage after finishing a pass from Mia Young, making it 14-0 Navy. Princeton responded with a try on the ensuing kickoff to cut the deficit to 14-7.
 
Navy answered before halftime when Megan Leitz intercepted a pass and returned it for a try, pushing the lead to 21-7.
 
Princeton scored early in the second half to make it a one-possession game, but Navy responded following a high-tackle penalty, as Arica Spencer set up Lara Olmsted for a try.
 
Callahan sealed the win with a try off a Princeton fumble as time expired, securing the 31-14 victory.
 
"There were two key messages after the loss to Queens," assistant coach Abby Gustaitis said. "We focused on simplifying our attack and being more condensed with crisp passing. The team adjusted well, whether during the match or afterward, and that led to our success.
 
"There is no place to hide in 7s," Gustaitis added. "Everyone has ownership and has to stay engaged. It's important to have depth and we relied on all 12 players throughout the day."
 
Tournament Placements
Champion – Sacred Heart
2nd Place – Queens
3rd Place – Navy
4th Place – Princeton
5th Place – La Salle
6th Place – Mount St. Mary's
7th Place – West Chester
8th Place – LIU
 
Box Scores
Game 1: Navy vs. La Salle (W, 17-12)
6:25 – Try – La Salle (0-5)
Conversion kick (0-7)
 
9:00 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (5-7)
Conversion – Ella Callahan (7-7)
 
11:10 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (12-7)
 
12:20 – Try – Navy Ella Callahan (17-7)
 
14:00 – Try – La Salle (17-12)
 
Game 2: Navy vs. Queens (L, 5-24)
1:00 – Try – Queens (0-5)
Conversion kick (0-7)
 
2:59 – Try – Queens (0-12)
 
8:13 – Try – Queens (0-17)
Conversion kick (0-19)
 
10:46 – Try – Queens (0-24)
 
12:10 – Try – Navy – Ellie Pierson (5-24)
 
Game 3: Navy vs. LIU (W, 36-0)
2:12 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (5-0)
 
7:30 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (10-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (12-0)
 
8:50 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (17-0)
 
10:13 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (22-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (24-0)
 
12:00 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (29-0)
 
14:00 – Try – Navy – Ellie Pierson (34-0)
Conversion kick – Ella Callahan (36-0)
 
Game 4: Navy vs. Princeton (W, 31-14)
1:20 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (5-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (7-0)
 
3:30 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (12-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (14-0)
 
5:16 – Try – Princeton (14-5)
Conversion kick – Princeton (14-7)
 
6:59 – Try – Megan Leitz (19-7)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (21-7)
 
7:41 – Try – Princeton (21-12)
Conversion kick (21-14)
 
12:30 – Try – Navy – Lara Olmsted (26-14)
 
14:00 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (31-14)