The Navy women’s rugby team (10-9-1) finished fourth in the 7s Collegiate Championship Premier Cup after losing both matches on Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Washington, D.C. Navy fell to No. 1 seed Brown (19-0) in the west semifinals and then faced No. 2 Penn State in the third-place match, losing 24-0.
In the first match against Brown, Navy’s Eliza Herring made an impressive push past multiple defenders to move the team to the midfield line. Marissa Meyer then received the ball and ran over 40 meters, but was tackled just short of the try zone. Despite being a player down, Brown managed to take back possession and make a long run to score the first try of the match in the fourth minute. Brown made the conversion kick to take a 7-0 lead. Navy struggled to regain control and Brown won with a final score of 19-0.
In the second match against Penn State, the Nittany Lions immediately advanced the ball inside the five-meter line and scored a try just 45 seconds into the contest. Navy fought back but struggled to keep possession of the ball. Penn State scored their second try in the fourth minute to take a 12-0 lead. Although Meyer broke through the defensive line and made a long run, Navy was unable to score and committed a knock-on penalty to end the first half. In the second half, Penn State scored two more tries to seal their victory with a final score of 24-0.
Navy will return to 15s competition in the fall as a member of the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA). Despite the loss, the team is looking forward to the upcoming season and the opportunity to compete at a higher level.
Box Scores: 7s Collegiate Championship Semifinals: No. 1 Brown vs. No. 2 Navy Final Score: Brown 19, Navy 0 First Half 4:12 – Brown – Try (0-5) Conversion Kick – Brown (0-7) 6:10 – Brown – Try (0-12) Conversion Kick – Brown (0-14) Second Half 11:06 – Brown – Try (0-19)
7s Collegiate Championship Third-Place Match: No. 2 Navy vs. No. 2 Penn State Final Score: Penn State 24, Navy 0 First Half 0:45 – Penn State – Try (0-5) Conversion Kick – Penn State (0-7) 4:53 – Penn State – Try (0-12) Second Half 9:00 – Penn State – Try (0-17) Conversion Kick – Penn State (0-19) 11:00 – Penn State – Try (0-24)