HOUSTON, Texas – The Navy men’s rugby team (17-2) fell short of its quest to repeat as national champions, falling to St. Mary’s (18-0) in the title match by a score of 26-22 on Saturday at Sabercats Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Gaels took a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. St. Mary’s later extended its lead to 21-0 with a try in the 24th minute, before Navy found the try zone for its first score in the 34th minute. The Gaels regained a 21-point advantage with a try just 90 seconds into the second half, but the Mids controlled the remainder of the contest. Navy outscored St. Mary’s, 17-0, over the remainder of the match and was in position for a go-ahead score in the final five minutes. However, a turnover inside the five-meter line helped the Gaels hold on for the victory.
St. Mary’s stormed into its offensive 22-meter zone at the 1:29 mark with a line break over 30 meters. The Gaels made two passes to the left towards the middle of the pitch and their ball carrier broke a pair of tackles to score the first try of the game. St. Mary’s took a 7-0 lead after making the conversion kick.
The Gaels received the ensuing kickoff and immediately booted the ball out of bounds between their offensive 10 and 22-meter lines. The lineout throw was bobbled into the hands of a St. Mary’s player. The Gaels found space on the right sideline with the Mids out of position to gain 30 meters. St. Mary’s later dropped a perfect pass in between Reece Thacker and Jack Aleman, which helped set up a 20-meter carry to score a try in the fourth minute. The Gaels went ahead, 14-0, following a successful conversion kick.
Navy was gifted a free kick at its offensive 10-meter line just before the seventh minute from a penalty. Landon Opp lined the kick out of bounds inside the 22-meter zone. The Mids formed a maul after winning the lineout and drew another penalty. The infraction forced the official to give St. Mary’s a yellow card, which gave Navy a one-player advantage. Opp sent the free kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line. The Mids controlled their next lineout, but committed a knock-on penalty in the ninth minute to return the ball to the Gaels. St. Mary’s won the ensuing scrum and advanced near the 22-meter line. The Gaels then booted the ball back across the midfield line with a clearing kick.
A penalty against St. Mary’s allowed Navy to return to its offensive zone again in the 19th minute. The possession for the Mids was short-lived due to a knock-on. The Gaels crushed a clearing kick to Opp inside the 22-meter zone and he countered with a deep kick of his own. Navy had an opportunity to recover the kick, but a bad hop resulted in a knock-on. St. Mary’s won its next scrum at its defensive 10-meter line and sprinted up the pitch to gain 20 meters. More great passing by the Gaels resulted in another big gain to push the ball into the 22-meter zone. A St. Mary’s prop was fed a pass on the right half of the pitch and he found a gap in Navy’s defense to score a try just before the 25th minute. The Gaels extended their lead to 21-0 with a made conversion kick.
The Mids corralled the ensuing kickoff and quickly busted off a big run to charge near their offensive five-meter line. However, Navy missed out on another scoring chance after getting called for a penalty on the next ruck. The Mids prevented the Gaels from driving back across the midfield line and later regained possession from a knock-on in the 32nd minute. Navy won the scrum near its offensive 22-meter line and quickly worked the ball out to it Andrew Baublitz on the right sideline. The freshman ran by a defender to gain 15 meters and give the Mids possession inside the 22-meter zone. St. Mary’s committed a penalty trying to bring Baublitz down. Opp lined the free kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line. Navy won the ensuing lineout and team captain Ben Haugh eventually powered his way across the try line for a score in the 36th minute. Haugh’s try made the score, 21-5.
The Mids started with the ball to start the second half and booted a clearing kick into their offensive 22-meter zone in hopes of gaining an edge in the territory battle. The Gaels responded with a big kick return up to midfield. Well-timed passes once again allowed St. Mary’s to gain big chunks of ground to advance into the 22-meter zone. The Gaels threw multiple passes to their attacking group on the right to set up another big carry for a try just 90 seconds into the second half. St. Mary’s missed its first conversion kick following the attempt to keep the score, 26-5.
Navy continued to use the wind to keep the ball in its offensive zone. The Mids were awarded a scrum just outside of their offensive 22-meter line in the 46th minute from a knock-on against the Gaels. St. Mary’s was penalized a few minutes later to grant Navy a free kick. Opp sent the kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line. The Mids created a maul after winning the lineout and drove William Webb into the try zone in the 49th minute. Roanin Krieger made the score, 26-12, with his first conversion kick of the match.
A forward pass gifted the Gaels a scrum in their offensive zone in the 54th minute. St. Mary’s rushed inside the five-meter line with a 30-meter carry, but Navy prevented a score by holding up the ball carrier. The Gaels were charged with a penalty during their kick return, which allowed Opp to boot a free kick out of bounds into the 22-meter zone. Navy worked the ball across the pitch and had numbers down the left sideline. The Mids looked to have a try lined up with the defense out of position, but a forward pass negated the scoring opportunity.
The maul attack helped Navy drive back into the 22-meter zone in the 59th minute. Avion Ganse broke multiple ankles on the next carry to move the ball inside the five-meter line. The Mids once again lost out of a prime scoring chance due to a knock-on during the next exchange of passes. St. Mary’s committed a knock-on of its own shortly after winning the scrum to return the ball to Navy inside the 22-meter zone. Austin Taylor gained 10 meters by plowing through a pair of Gael defenders to move up to the five-meter line. Haugh dove across the try line, but the official signaled St. Mary’s held up the ball before he touched it down, resulting in a turnover.
The Gaels gave the ball right back to the Mids in the 64th minute by committing a penalty. Opp lined the ensuing free kick out of bounds at the five-meter line. Navy finally capitalized from short range thanks to a diving effort by Vaughn Schmitz for a try in the 66th minute. Krieger made it a one-score game with a perfect conversion kick.
Schmitz came up big again with a lineout steal in the 68th minute between the offensive 10 and 22-meter lines. St. Mary’s was charged with a penalty on the following ruck. The Mids chose to attempt a penalty kick and Krieger put the ball between the uprights to make the score, 26-22, in the 69th minute.
Navy returned to its offensive 22-meter zone in the 72nd minute thanks to a knock-on. The Mids slowly gained ground over the next two minutes to push inside the five-meter line. Haugh shoved his way across the try line, but the Gaels knocked the ball free with a hard tackle to force a critical turnover. Although St. Mary’s gained some breathing room by getting the ball up to the 10-meter line, a forward pass returned the ball to Navy to keep its hopes alive. The Mids battled for every inch for over the next five minutes, but lost possession in the 81st minute. The Gaels then kicked the ball out of bounds to officially end the match.
Box Score
First Half
1:49 – Try – St. Mary’s (0-5)
Conversion Kick – St. Mary’s (0-7)
4:30 – Try – St. Mary’s (0-12)
Conversion Kick – St. Mary’s (0-14)
24:58 – Try – St. Mary’s (0-19)
Conversion Kick – St. Mary’s (0-21)
34:25 – Try – Navy – Ben Haugh (5-21)
Second Half
41:30 – Try – St. Mary’s (5-26)
49:41 – Try – Navy – William Webb (10-26)
Conversion Kick – Roanin Krieger (12-26)
66:22 – Try – Navy – Vaughn Schmitz (17-26)
Conversion Kick – Roanin Krieger (19-26)
69:35 – Penalty Kick – Roanin Krieger (22-26)
Tags: Comeback Mens Rugby Falls Short National Championship Loss Marys
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