ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's rugby team (2-4, 1-4) welcomes Mount St. Mary's (1-3, 1-3) to the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md., on Sunday for its final home contest of the fall season.
The match will begin at noon and can be streamed for free on Navy Athletics YouTube with links provided on NavySports.com(.)
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 Sacred Heart Match
Navy had another stellar defensive match, but still suffered a 14-11 loss to Sacred Heart last Saturday.
An intentional knock-on penalty against the Mids gifted the Pioneers a tap-and-go to push the ball inside their offensive 22-meter zone in the third minute. Sacred Heart worked the ball back to the left of the pitch and broke through Navy's defense to score a try from 15-meters out. The Pioneers took a 7-0 lead with the made conversion kick.
Navy received a scrum at its offensive 22-meter line from a knock-on penalty against Sacred Heart shortly after the kickoff. The Pioneers were issued a defensive penalty during a breakdown and the Mids chose to attempt a penalty kick.
Abby Hershner nailed the kick from 19 meters to make the score, 7-3, in the seventh minute.
Navy had an excellent chance at a score late in the first half. The Mids were awarded a scrum at their offensive five-meter line after the Pioneers dropped the ball trying to field a kick. Navy went on the attack out of the scrum and touched the ball down in the try zone. However, the official ruled that Sacred Heart held up the ball to negate the score. The Mids remained in possession with a penalty advantage and the Pioneers were called for an additional penalty on the ensuing scrum. The referee gave a Sacred Heart player a yellow card for the penalty to give Navy a one-player advantage. Despite having one less player, the Pioneers kept the Mids out of the try zone by stealing the ball during a breakdown to go into halftime ahead, 7-3.
Sacred Heart was still down a player to begin the second half and Navy began to move up the pitch with short offloads. A Pioneer defender made a great read on a pass and intercepted the ball out of the air. Sacred Heart took advantage of the turnover by scoring a try just 1:20 into the second half. A made conversion kick by the Pioneers extended their lead to 14-3.
A free kick advanced the Mids into their offensive 22-meter zone shortly after the score. Powerful carries from
Maggie Geiger and
Sydney Boutz moved the ball within one meter of the try line. Sacred Heart forced the ball back and recovered a grubber kick to retain possession. A Pioneer defender downed the ball, but the official signaled she held possession outside of the try zone before downing the ball. The play granted the Mids a scrum at the five-meter line.
Morgan McPeak picked up the ball out of the scrum and carried two defenders into the try zone with her for a score in the 48th minute to shrink Navy's deficit to six.
Hershner brought the Mids within three points with a penalty kick in the 58th minute and earned another attempt in the 71st minute to try and tie the match. Hershner had plenty of leg on the attempt from the 22-meter line, but the ball sailed left of the upright to allow the Pioneers to maintain a three-point lead.
A high tackle penalty resulted in another yellow card against Sacred Heart to give Navy one last opportunity to score.
Lilliana Gemma sent a free kick out of bounds just outside the 22-meter zone for a lineout. The Mids won the lineout, but the ball bounced backward on a bad pass. The Pioneers fell on the loose ball to establish possession and ran out the clock to claim the victory.
Another Strong Defensive Showing
Navy's defense had one of its best outings in its varsity history against Sacred Heart. The Pioneers scored just 14 points in the contest, marking their lowest scoring total in a game this season. Sacred Heart entered the match ranked third in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) in scoring at 31.3 points per game.
Defense was critical for the Mids in their first varsity season. Navy allowed just 18.9 points per match in 15s competition. Additionally, the Mids surrendered 20 points or less in nine of their 13 matches. Navy has conceded 20 points or less in three of its six matches this season.
Hershner Increases Her Record
Hershner made her ninth and 10th penalty kicks of the season to add to her single-season record. The senior's 34-points scored is the fourth-most points scored by a Mid in a single season. Hershner needs to add three more points to pass
Eliza Herring for the third-most points in a season.
NIRA Update
Harvard remained undefeated with a 61-5 win over Princeton. The Crimson are 6-0 overall this season and 5-0 in NIRA conference play. The Tigers suffered their fourth-straight loss and are the only team in the NIRA without a win this season.
Brown took care of Penn State, 31-17, in a non-league match to improve to 4-2 this season.
Queens put together a strong effort on both sides of the ball to defeat Long Island, 32-9. The Royals are now 2-2 in conference play, while the Sharks fell to 1-4.
Another key matchup this weekend in the NIRA features Harvard and Dartmouth. The two teams are undefeated in league play and the match will likely have major implications on who earns the No. 1 seed in the NIRA Playoffs.
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers possess a 1-3 record in NIRA league play this season. Mount St. Mary's opened the fall with an 18-0 loss to Long Island, but responded with a 27-26 victory against Princeton the following week. The Mountaineers struggled defensively in their next two matches. Mount St. Mary's suffered a 55-5 defeat to Sacred Heart and a 39-10 setback against Army.
The Mountaineers haven't competed since their loss to the Black Knights on Sept. 30. Mount St. Mary's was scheduled to play a non-league match against Frostburg State last Saturday, but the game was canceled.
Although Sunday will be the first time the Mids and Mountaineers square off in 15s, the two squads are very familiar with each other from 7s competition last spring. After tying, 17-17, at the West Chester 7s, Navy and Mount St. Mary's met twice at the Legacy 7s tournament. The Mids claimed the opening contest, 12-7, but the Mountaineers bounced back with a 17-5 victory in the first-place match.
Up Next
Navy concludes the regular season with the first Army-Navy Rugby Star Match next Friday in West Point, N.Y. The match is part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. The contest is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
