HAMDEN, Conn. – The Navy women's rugby team (4-5, 10-1 in 7s) earned a second-place finish at the Quinnipiac 7s tournament, highlighted by three dominant shutout victories, on Sunday afternoon in Hamden, Conn.
 
The Midshipmen cruised through their first three matches before their nine-game winning streak was snapped in a tight, back-and-forth championship game against Army's top squad.
 
"It was a solid all-around effort by this team," Navy head coach Murph McCarthy said. "We beat some high-quality opponents to get to the final today. They showed a lot of grit and fought to the final whistle. It hurts to come up short with some of the opportunities we had but I could not be prouder of effort."
 
Catherine O'Hara led the team in both tries and total points, crossing the try line six times for 30 points. Mia Young was right behind her with 27 total points, leading the Midshipmen with 11 conversion kicks (22 points) while adding one try (five points). Aleksandria Gabbard also had a stellar offensive tournament, finishing second on the team with five tries for 25 points.
 
Match Recaps
Navy 55, Army (No. 2 Team) 0
Navy got out to a hot start as Catherine O'Hara tallied three first-half tries. Team captain Ella Callahan also ran in a try in the first half as Navy went into the intermission with a commanding 26-0 lead.
 
Callahan continued the Mids' run, scoring her second try of the game 37 seconds after halftime.
 
Mia Young, Arica Spencer, Hannah Brink and Cecilia Izquierdo also got in on the scoring frenzy as each scored a try in the dominant victory.
 
Navy 17, Sacred Heart 0
Navy recorded its second shutout of the tournament led by Aleksandria Gabbard, who scored two first-half tries to lead the Midshipmen.
 
Izquierdo scored her second try of the tournament in the 13th minute for the final score of the game.
 
Navy 57, New Haven 0
The Midshipmen continued to roll with their third-straight shutout over the Chargers. O'Hara continued her big day with her second hat-trick performance of the tournament, scoring all three tries to help Navy build a 31-0 lead in the first half.
 
The second half was highlighted by Lara Olmsted and Kyndall Wyngaard, who each scored their first try of the tournament.
 
Gabbard continued to be an electric scorer for the Mids, running in two tries in the dominant victory to advance to the tournament championship.
 
Army 15, Navy 12
Navy suffered its first loss of the tournament in a back-and-forth game against rival Army's top squad in the championship game. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Midshipmen.
 
The Black Knights got the scoring started with a try in the fourth minute.
 
Navy responded just before halftime as Gabbard tied the game, 5-5, scoring a try at the buzzer. Young drilled the conversion kick to give the Mids the lead, 7-5.
 
Callahan got Navy out to a quick start to begin the second half with a try to extend the team's lead to 12-5.
 
Army capped off the game with a fast-paced final minute, scoring a try and the conversion to tie the game, 12-12, with 43 seconds left. The Black Knights quickly executed on the resuming kickoff with a walk-off try in the final seconds.
 
Up Next
Navy will play in its final regular-season tournament next Sunday at the Frostburg 7s in Frostburg, Md.
 
Box Scores
Game 1: Navy vs. Army's No. 2 Team (W, 55-0)
0:54 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (5-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (7-0)
 
3:34 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (12-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (14-0)
 
5:38 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (19-0)
 
7:00 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (24-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (26-0)
 
7:37 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (31-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (33-0)
 
9:22 – Try – Navy – Mia Young (38-0)
 
10:35 – Try – Navy – Arica Spencer (43-0)
 
12:14 – Try – Navy – Hannah Brink (48-0)
 
14:00 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (53-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (55-0)
 
Game 2: Navy vs. Sacred Heart (W, 17-0)
0:37 – Try – Navy – Aleksandria Gabbard (5-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (7-0)
 
2:50 – Try – Navy – Aleksandria Gabbard (12-0)
 
12:03 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (17-0)
 
Game 3: Navy vs. New Haven (W, 57-0)
0:46 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (5-0)
 
2:15 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (10-0)
 
3:55 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (15-0)
Conversion kick – Hannah Brink (17-0)
 
5:26 – Try – Navy – Catherine O'Hara (22-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (24-0)
 
6:36 – Try – Navy – Aleksandria Gabbard (29-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (31-0)
 
7:10 – Try – Navy – Aleksandria Gabbard (36-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (38-0)
 
9:16 – Try – Navy – Lara Olmsted (43-0)
 
12:05 – Try – Navy – Kyndall Wyngaard (48-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (50-0)
 
13:16 – Try – Navy – Cecilia Izquierdo (55-0)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (57-0)
 
Game 4: Navy vs. Army's No. 1 Team (T, 12-12)
3:01 – Try – Army (0-5)
 
7:00 – Try – Navy – Aleksandria Gabbard (5-5)
Conversion kick – Mia Young (7-5)
 
8:46 – Try – Navy – Ella Callahan (12-5)
 
13:17 – Try – Army (12-10)
Conversion kick (12-12)
 
13:55 – Try – Army (12-17)