Navy Holds Off Life in Annapolis
Navy Holds Off Life in Annapolis
In a meeting of two Top 3-ranked D1A teams, Navy defeated Life 29-21 in a well-played match in Annapolis.
Navy had come in with a well-deserved reputation for finishing strong and pulling away from opponents late in the match. That didn't happen this time.
Navy had the lion's share of possession early and that led to Life getting penalized. Roanin Krieger, who is Navy's all-time-leading scorer and has been pretty lights out this season, slotted the long-range kick for a 3-0 lead.
Soon after that, center Drew Baublitz sliced through and targeted the far corner. He was tackled, but quick ball had Life scrambling. The Running Eagles were not able to fold around and cover the weak side, so when Navy center Max Smith came in to act as halfback, he simple picked up and raced 15 meters to score untouched. Krieger put over the kick and Navy had a 10-0 lead.
Life defended a bit better after that and held Navy out on another prime chance for the Midshipmen. Late in the first half, they finally got some possession and momentum. Life pushed down to the line, and flanker Chris Cloete powered over. The difficult conversion was slotted and now it was 10-7.
But there was time for Navy to answer, and answer they did. Life couldn't secure the restart, and after a hard carry by Ed Soeder for Navy, Avion Ganse popped a snappy kick over the defensive line. Jordan Vassell fielded the kick but he was smashed by the chasers, driving him back into in-goal and forcing a five-meter scrum for the Midshipmen.
From there Navy attacked to the middle. Life was penalized, and yellow-carded, for slapping the ball out of the scrumhalf's hands, and Navy opted for the lineout, mauled it, and flanker Aidan Gerber touched it down. Krieger clotted the extras and the teams went into the halftime with Navy up 17-7.
The Midshipmen made it 22-7 soon after the second-half kickoff. Another Life penalty, another maul, and this time, hooker Dalton Sand touched it down.
Navy is so good at making chances pay off and they did that even when they were on the back foot. Life was attacking when Ganse intercepted a floaty pass. He took off down the field, and he had support with him. The Mids moved the ball well, but Life scrambled hard to stop a full-on breakaway try. However, the Navy support swarmed in, the forwards consolidated nicely, and they took the ball down under the posts.
There Krieger slipped through for his team's fourth try, and he converted for what seemed like a commanding lead at 29-7.
However, Life stormed back. They got a penalty, took the maul, and bounced off the back before Mart Gerritse worked and squirmed his way over the line. Gerritse converted and it was 29-14.
The Running Eagles then chased down a Bautista Araujo box kick, won the ball, worked the offloads down the tramlines, and were soon inside the Navy 22.
They got a scrum from that and then a penalty for an intentional knock-on. That led to a yellow card with 10 minutes left. Navy would be short-handed for pretty much the rest of the game. Life called for a scrum, went wide to exploit the space left by the yellow card, and with quick ball Araujo was able to pick up, fight through a couple of tackles, and take it over. Jont Lee's conversion made it 29-21.
But Navy held on. They were back up inside their 22 and in trouble late, but with the two-score cushion they were in a somewhat comfortable position. Life wing James Rose had a chance down the wing but Krieger was able to get him into touch. Navy put in tackle after tackle to defend their line and finally earned a turnover, only to be penalized for not releasing.
Time seemed to have expired, but maybe Life had a chance. And then there was one more twist. Just before Lee was set to kick for touch, Referee Will Nelson conferred with his AR and brought the play back to an earlier penalty against Life. Navy tapped and kicked to touch to end the game.
So a good win for Navy, but the Life comeback is something they will remember.
Navy 29
Tries: Smith, Gerber, Sand, Krieger
Convs: Krieger 3
Pens: Krieger
Life 21
Tries: Cloete, Gerritse, Araujo
Convs: Lee 2, Gerritse
