ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women’s rugby team (1-2, 0-2) fell to Quinnipiac (1-1, 1-1), 46-3, on Saturday at the Prusmack Rugby Center in Annapolis, Md.
“Quinnipiac was more than we could handle today, but I’m really pleased with how we recouped and had a strong second half,” said head coach Murph McCarthy. “We have some work to do and the film is going to be great for the team to learn some important lessons.”
Navy controlled the ball in its offensive zone early in the match, but a penalty gave the ball to Quinnipiac for a scrum. The Bobcats attacked right out of the scrum and moved inside the 22-meter zone on a series of offloads. Quinnipiac was forced back due to defensive pressure and a bad pass sailed out of bounds to grant Navy a lineout. The throw-in by the Mids wasn’t straight and the ref gifted the Bobcats a scrum. Quinnipiac performed a tap-and-go at the 22-meter line after a Navy penalty to drive inside the five-meter line. The Bobcats punched the ball into the try zone in the eighth minute and the made conversion kick put Navy in an early, 7-0, hole.
A penalty shortly after the kickoff against Navy awarded Quinnipiac a free kick. The Bobcats formed a lineout at the 10-meter line in their offensive zone and used a 20-meter carry to move into the 22-meter zone. Navy was issued an additional penalty on a tackle and Quinnipiac elected to attempt a penalty kick. The Bobcats made the short kick in the 12th minute to take a 10-0 lead.
Quinnipiac received another free kick in the 14th minute from a Navy penalty. The kick landed in the try zone and the Mids downed it for a goal line drop kick. Navy kicked the ball back to the 22-meter line, but Jess Mckenzie was issued a yellow card on a tackle to give Quinnipiac a one-player advantage.
Despite being a player down, the Mids forced the Bobcats back to the 10-meter line. Navy briefly reclaimed possession, but gave it back to Quinnipiac due to a knock-on penalty. The Bobcats caught the Mids off guard with a quick attack to the left to advance the ball inside the five-meter line. Quinnipiac dove across the try line in the 21st minute and nailed the conversion kick to gain a 17-0 advantage.
The Mids forced the Bobcats back deep in their defensive zone with the kickoff. A pair of penalties against Navy allowed Quinnipiac to charge to midfield. The Bobcats then kicked the ball downfield to try and trap the Mids inside the five-meter line. Ji Ji Kim recovered the kick, but Quinnipiac immediately emerged on her to steal the ball. The Bobcats then scored a try on their next pass in the 24th minute and made another conversion kick to build a 24-point advantage.
Quinnipiac advanced to the 22-meter zone in the 28th minute, but a penalty returned the ball to Navy. Charlotte D’Halluin gained back territory with a tap-and-go and Megan Leitz kicked the ball back to the 10-meter line. Quinnipiac attacked to the right after receiving the kick and a 15-meter gain pushed them into the 22-meter zone. The Bobcats switched their attack to the left and a pair of offloads led to another try in the 30th minute. Quinnipiac made the ensuing conversion kick to take a 31-0 lead.
Mia Young received a clearing kick and broke a pair of tackles to push the Mids into their offensive zone in the 32nd minute. A penalty against Quinnipiac then granted Navy a tap-and-go. Grace Oliver plunged ahead on the tap-and-go to advance the Mids near the 22-meter line. Another penalty on the Bobcats gave the Mids an opportunity for points with a penalty kick. Abby Hershner sent the kick right down the middle in the 35th minute to make the score, 31-3.
Quinnipiac established possession in its offensive zone at the 10-meter line from a clearing kick. The Bobcats executed a patient attack and charged inside the five-meter line. Navy forced a turnover to reclaim possession and Leitz booted a clearing kick back to the 22-meter line. A Mid ran up and caught the kick, but was called offsides to grant a scrum to Quinnipiac. The Bobcats then scored their fifth try of the contest in the 40th minute to end the first half and take a 38-3 lead into the locker room.
Quinnipiac booted the ball into Navy’s defensive zone with a clearing kick to begin the second half. The Mids received the kick cleanly and attacked down the left sideline. The Bobcats used the sideline to their advantage and forced the ball carrier out of bounds to earn a lineout at the 10-meter line. Quinnipiac charged into the 22-meter zone with a big carry out of won scrum. Siena Hall was all that stood in the way of another try for the Bobcats and she made a one-on-one tackle to force the ball carrier out of bounds to regain the Mids possession. Quinnipiac immediately went back on offense after the lineout due to an offsides penalty against Navy. The Bobcats formed a maul out of their lineout at the five-meter line and walked into the try zone in the 43rd minute to take a 43-3 lead.
Navy held possession in its offensive zone over the next 12 minutes, but penalties continued to halt any momentum to the try zone. Quinnipiac eventually forced the ball back to midfield and received a scrum on a penalty. The Bobcats advanced the ball inside the 22-meter zone, but a knock-on penalty returned the ball to the Mids. Navy went on the attack and was called for not rolling away to grant a penalty kick for Quinnipiac. The Bobcats sent their second penalty kick through the uprights in the 62nd minute for the final points of the match.
The Mids will enjoy a bye week and be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 1 against Long Island in Brooklyn, N.Y. The match is scheduled to begin at noon.
Box Score
First Half
8:00 – Try – Quinnipiac (0-5)
Conversion Kick – Quinnipiac (0-7)
12:02 – Penalty Kick – Quinnipiac (0-10)
21:00 – Try – Quinnipiac (0-15)
Conversion Kick – Quinnipiac (0-17)
24:44 – Try – Quinnipiac (0-22)
Conversion Kick – Quinnipiac (0-24)
30:12 – Try – Quinnipiac (0-29)
Conversion Kick – Quinnipiac (0-31)
35:48 – Penalty Kick – Navy – Abby Hershner (3-31)
40:33 – Try – Quinnipiac (3-36)
Conversion Kick – Quinnipiac (3-38)
Second Half
43:44 – Try – Quinnipiac (3-43)
62:53 – Penalty Kick – Quinnipiac (3-46)
