Navy continued its impressive run as the best of D1A made the final four this weekend.
The Midshipmen defeated Army for the third time this season, this time making it relatively emphatic at 30-6.
“To hold Army without a try for 80 minutes is a combination of a lot of hard work defensively and being disciplined. I thought even though we gave away a number of penalties, we were still disciplined in the right areas of the pitch,” said Navy Director of Rugby Gavin Hickie. “We played tactically really well in terms of executing our set piece, scrums and lineouts. What we did in the second half is what we’ve done all season long. We made it very tough to play against us with our physicality.
“Massive credit to our seniors for the leadership they’ve shown throughout the season. The team has earned the right to another week of practice and we’re excited about moving on to the semifinals of the DI-A playoffs. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to cheer us on today. The team was thrilled with all the support and we can’t wait until next week.”
The game itself was tight for the first half. Sean MacLaney's eightman pick put Navy ahead, but Army replied with a penalty. Another Navy try, this time with MacLaney linking with Lewis Gray to set up JD Bengston.
Back came Army with a penalty only for Gray to answer and make it 13-6 at the break. Almost five minutes into the second half when Jack McMahon fed Landon Opp to burst through the middle. At 20-6 Navy had some semblance of control and a Ben Haugh try, and a conversion and a penalty from Roanin Krieger finished it up 30-6.
Life vs Lindenwood was delayed until Sunday due to weather.
