breaking news
Chile Condors Beat USA Eagles, Qualify For RWC 2023today is Mar 23, 2023
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After a thrilling victory over rival Army last Saturday, the Navy men's rugby team (10-0, 8-0) concludes its fall season this Saturday against St. Bonaventure (6-1, 6-1) in Olean, N.Y., for an 11 a.m. kickoff. A win for the Mids would secure the Rugby East North Division Title and cap off an undefeated fall season in the program's first year as a varsity team. "Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center was a special day for Navy Rugby. The team wants to thank everyone who was there to support us," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie . "Looking ahead, we are under no illusion how difficult this week's game against St. Bonaventure will be. They are a very good varsity rugby team with home field advantage. They possess a big forward pack with extremely elusive and skillful backs. This will be a massive challenge for us. We are laser-focused on our final step of our fall journey to reach the summit." Recap of Army Match Navy faced its longtime rival for the first time with both teams under varsity status, and it was Navy singing second at the Prusmack Rugby Center after a 27-14 win. Despite Army having possession deep in Navy territory for the first ten minutes, Navy struck for the first score on a try from Ryan Bullock in the 13th minute to take a 7-0 lead after a conversion kick from Lewis Gray . Army answered with a try in the 20th minute and both defenses didn't budge over the next 15 minutes of action. Gray broke the tie with a penalty kick in the 36th minute and a huge defensive stand by Navy at the end of the half gave them a 10-7 lead at the break. The Mids scored the first 10 points of the second half to give them their largest lead of the match. Gray nailed another penalty kick in the 45th minute, and a try from Sean MacLaney in the 50th minute put Navy ahead 20-7. A penalty by Navy allowed Army to respond with a try in the 65th minute to get Army back within six. Dale Sturdifen put any hopes Army had of a comeback to rest after making an incredible diving score in the 70th minute for Navy's third try to put them back ahead by 13. Navy's defense kept Army off the board in the final 10 minutes to secure its 10th win of the season. Gray Named NAAA Athlete of the Week Co-captain Lewis Gray was selected as the Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) Athlete of the Week, presented by Northrop Grumman for his performance in Navy's victory over Army. Gray went 5-5 on his kicks to lead the Mids in scoring with 12 points on three made conversion kicks and two made penalty kicks. His best make of the day was his final kick when he was forced to kick all the way from the left sideline and behind the 22-meter line. Gray added to his impressive scoring totals on the season, currently leading Navy with 131 points, 29 conversion kicks and six penalty kicks. Gray alone has accounted for 25.7 percent of Navy's points this season (131 of 509). Gray is also the top scorer in the Rugby East Conference with 101 points in conference play and a league-leading 24 conversion kicks. Set Piece Proves Vital Coach Hickie has emphasized how important having a high set piece percentage is, which is the percentage of won scrums and lineouts. Navy won 100 percent of its scrums and 82 percent of its lineouts, while Army won 92 percent of its scrums and just 62 percent of its lineouts. Navy had three lineout steals in the match with the biggest coming from Vaughn Schmitz moments before Navy scored its second try. Navy Owns Territory Percentage Although the Black Knights had possession of the ball for 53 percent of the match, it did them little good due to most of it being stuck deep in their own territory. The ball was on Army's side of the pitch for 61 percent of the match, most of which was in the second half due to Navy's excellent defense and using the wind as an advantage in the kicking game. Army averaged 23.2 meters per kick in the match while Navy averaged 35.2 meters per kick and had nearly 200 more meters gained from kicks despite having six fewer attempts than Army. The best Way to Win is Always Lead One of the most outstanding stat lines for Navy is they've barely trailed this season. Navy has only trailed for six minutes and 24 seconds all season and in just one match against Notre Dame College. The Falcons took a 6-3 lead at the 19:42 mark, but Navy took the lead back at the 26:06 mark, making it the only span Navy has trailed on the year. Looking to Secure Division Crown Navy's victory moved them within one point of Army in the Rugby East North Division standings. Army still holds the lead with 20 points but can't earn any additional points this week. Navy can pass Army in the standings and secure the division championship with a win over St. Bonaventure. Even if Navy loses the match, they can still win the division if they earn at least one bonus point by either scoring four or more tries or losing by seven points or less. Scouting St. Bonaventure The Bonnies enter the match 6-1 with their only loss coming to Army. St. Bonaventure's offense has been the key to its success, currently second in the Rugby East with 274 points. After scoring just seven points against Army, the Bonnies have scored at least 30 points in four straight matches and won all four contests by at least 14 points. Navy will look to use its offense to its advantage on a St. Bonaventure defense that has surrendered 20 or more points in three of its last five matches. Keelin Coyle enters the match as the second-best scorer in the Rugby East with 81 points on four tries, 23 conversion kicks and five penalty kicks. His 23 conversion kicks are second in the league behind Gray's 24. Navy will need to be aware of where Ultan Horrigan is on the pitch. The wing has scored six tries this season and is only one of four players in the conference with at least six tries. Up Next Navy will be back in action in the spring for more regular season matches before it competes in the USA Rugby D1A National Championship Playoffs.
