ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A rematch of the 2023 national championship game will be held this Saturday between the top-ranked Navy men's rugby team (13-0) and seventh-ranked California (9-2) at Witter Rugby Field in Berkley, Calif. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET. 

"We are fully aware of the challenge we face from Cal this Saturday. This will be a ferocious contest, but that is exactly what we want. We are very excited and cannot wait for kickoff on Saturday," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "We are extremely grateful for the fantastic week we have had in California. Huge thank you to the Janowsky family, all our parents and alumni for supporting our trip."

Broadcast and Ticket Info
Fans can watch the match on the Pac 12 Network HERE by logging in with their TV provider. A list of available TV providers can be found HERE. Brian Hightower (play-by-play) and Colin Hawley (color analyst) will provide broadcast coverage.

Fans can purchase tickets to the match HERE. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth (10-19) and seniors (65+). 

Recap of Western Ontario Match
Navy is coming off a 69-5 victory over Western Ontario back on March 2. 

The Mids built a 24-5 lead through 40 minutes and then struck for 45 points in the second half. Navy ended the match with 11 tries, six of which came in the final 20 minutes.  

The maul helped the Mids score their first try of the contest in just 3:05. Aidan Bryan was credited with the score to give Navy a 5-0 lead. 

A costly mistake by the Mustangs during a lineout led to an easy try for the Mids. Western Ontario overthrew the ball right into the hands of Nate Michaels and he took two steps before setting the ball down in the try zone for a converted try in the 12th minute. 

The Mustangs scored their lone try of the game in the 15th minute to make the score, 12-5.

Navy forced a crucial turnover in its offensive zone to go back on the attack. JD Bengston was fed a pass near the right sideline after the turnover and he rushed up the field to gain 20 meters. The Mids then shifted their attack back to the left of the pitch to Maximus Lear, who slipped through a pair of ankle tackles to score a try in the 23rd minute. His effort helped Navy regain a 12-point advantage. 

The Mids were continuing to drive toward the try zone, but were issued an offensive penalty later in the half. Western Ontario failed to execute a deep clearing kick, which kept Navy in scoring position. Nonso Unini later dove across the try line from short range in the 31st minute to increase the lead to 24-5. 

Coach Hickie put his traditional starting 15 on the field to play the second half.

The Mids won a scrum at midfield and fed the ball to Max Smith on the right sideline. Smith busted through the defense and gained 45 meters before being tackled near the try line. The official charged Western Ontario with a high tackle on the play, which gifted Navy a penalty try in the 48th minute to make the score, 31-5.

The Mids forced a turnover during a scrum and then drew a penalty during their offensive attack. Landon Opp booted a free kick of bounds at the five-meter line for a lineout. Navy quickly formed a maul and Dalton Sand stormed into the try zone in the 61st minute to give the Mids a 36-5 edge. 

Navy's defense made another big play to force a turnover inside its offensive 22-meter zone. After play stopped for an injury, Sean MacLaney delivered a pass to Avion Ganse out of a scrum. He initially trucked a defender and then dragged three more into the try zone with him for a score in the 63rd minute. The first conversion kick of the match for Roanin Krieger gave the Mids a 38-point cushion.

Western Ontario's next lineout throw-in was deemed not straight, which granted the Mids a scrum at midfield. Andrew Baublitz brought in a long pass on the right sideline out of the scrum and he sprinted over 40 meters to score a try in the 66th minute. His score put Navy ahead, 48-5. 

The Mids were granted a scrum near midfield following a knock-on penalty shortly after Baublitz's score. Opp was fed the first pass out of the scrum and he booted the ball down to the five-meter line. As the Mustang returner stood up after falling on the ball, Baublitz stripped it free to create a turnover. Austin Taylor scooped up the ball to score a try in the 69th minute. Krieger made it a 50-point game after nailing the conversion kick.

A Western Ontario player was issued a yellow card in the 76th minute. The penalty awarded Navy a scrum at its offensive five-meter line. The Mids bulldozed the scrum into the try zone and Ian Bullock just had to fall on the ball to score the try in the 77th minute.

Bullock concluded the match by scoring a try in extended time thanks to a great offload from Smith. 

Navy Team Notes
• Navy's 64-point win is its seventh largest in team history
• The Mids racked up 11 tries in the match, which is tied for the fourth-most in a game 
• Navy posted its seventh-highest point total in a single game in its history
• The Mids scored 45 points in the second half, which is the sixth-most points scored in a half in program history
• Bryan's second try of the season at the 3:05 mark is the fifth-fastest try scored by Navy to start a match
• The Mids have scored a try in under four minutes in both games this spring
• Navy surpassed 50 points in a contest for the ninth time this season
• The Mids made multiple key defensive plays against the Mustangs. Navy totaled four breakdown steals and a pair of lineout steals
• The Mids are averaging 54 points per game and allowing only 10.07 
• Navy is facing its second opponent ranked in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) power rankings this spring. The top-ranked Mids opened the spring season with a 32-20 win over No. 11 Mount St. Mary's
• Navy also beat No. 3 Life (20-14), No. 12 Army (23-21), No. 17 Penn State (53-5) and No. 19 Air Force (50-8) during the fall season
• Although the Mids have played nine of their 13 games in Annapolis, the team has still done a lot of traveling this season. Navy opened the season in Dublin, Ireland against Notre Dame. The Mids later traveled south to Marietta, Ga., to face Life. Navy's final two matches of the fall season against Penn State and Army were also on the road. 

Navy Individual Notes
• Krieger is looking to set a new single-season scoring record this weekend. The sophomore needs to score seven points to surpass Lewis Gray's (166 points) total that he set last season
• Smith continues to be a huge offensive weapon for the Mids. Despite only having two carries against the Mustangs, he led the team with 72-meters gained and finished second with five broken tackles
• Ganse totaled 10 broken tackles in the match on only five carries
• Baublitz scored his team-leading 11th try of the season. He joins Gray (17) and Ben Haugh (14) as the only mids to score at least 10 in a season
• Navy's freshmen core has scored nine of the 17 tries during the spring campaign
• Aidan Gerber was the big defensive player in the match. He led the Mids with 13 tackles and two breakdown steals
• Unini and Michaels scored a try for the first time in their collegiate careers two weeks ago

Hear From Landon Opp
Senior Landon Opp talked with Pete Medhurst on the Navy Sports Magazine this week to discuss this weekend's match against Cal. Fans can watch the full interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube page. 

Scouting California
• The Golden Bears enter the contest ranked seventh in the CRAA power rankings with a 9-2 record
• Cal opened its season at the Dennis Storer Classic on Jan. 13 and claimed wins over UC San Diego (94-0), then No. 17 Cal Poly (33-7) and then No. 15 UCLA (21-0)
• The Golden Bears extended their win streak to six after defeating Santa Clara (91-0), UC Santa Barbara (119-0) and UCLA (66-12)
• Cal suffered its first loss the following week to No. 6 BYU (53-26), but rebounded with a victory against then No. 8 Arizona (85-10)
• The Golden Bears then took care of Grand Canyon (74-7) and Utah (69-22)
• Cal is coming off a 27-14 loss two weeks ago to No. 12 Army
• The Golden Bears are currently 4-2 against opponents ranked in the CRAA power rankings
• Cal will also play a reserve-grade game against St. Mary's prior to its match against Navy

Navy vs. California Series
• The Mids and Golden Bears will face each other for the third time with both teams under varsity stats
• Navy won the first meeting last season in Annapolis, 33-28, behind Matthew Thibodaux's hat trick
• The two teams met again in Houston, Texas for the national championship game. Despite facing an early, 15-0, deficit and trailing for over 60 minutes, the Mids rallied late to win the match by a score of 28-22
• Navy has trailed at the half in both matchups against Cal. The Mids have only trailed at halftime in three of their 31 games as a varsity team
• Two vital areas that favored Navy in both games last season were turnovers and penalties. In the two matches combined, the Mids committed 13 fewer turnovers and were called for six fewer penalties 

Up Next
Navy will face its final test before the CRAA Division I-A Playoffs next Saturday against Penn State at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md. The match is scheduled to start at noon.