ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Sophomore Roanin Krieger achieved a career-high 27 points, powering Navy men's rugby team to a resounding 71-0 win against Queens University of Charlotte at the Prusmack Rugby Center on Friday. Krieger's performance also catapulted him to become Navy's all-time leading scorer in varsity history.
The California native surpassed 2023 graduate Lewis Gray's record of 166 points. His scoring in Friday's match was the second-highest ever by a Mid in a single game. The victory extended Navy's winning streak to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while Queens slipped to 2-1, 0-1.
Gavin Hickie, the director of rugby at Navy, commended the team's overall performance. "We are asking for progression and signs of improvement each week...Our set piece today was very good and obviously so was our defense with holding Queens to zero points," said Hickie. He also mentioned the standout performance of Krieger, saying, "that record is going to be hard to break."
The Navy team displayed a dominant defense, denying Queens any scoring opportunities. Jack Aleman was highlighted for his exceptional work at midfield, contributing to Navy's third shutout win of the 2023-24 season.
In a decisive series of plays, Navy's Tanner Russell picked up a turnover ball and dashed over 20 meters, establishing early territorial advantage. This eventually led to Krieger's first conversion kick, putting Navy ahead 7-0.
Queens attempted to recover, maintaining ball possession for a significant portion of the following 20 minutes. However, their efforts were thwarted by penalties and lost opportunities. Navy responded with a series of successful tries and conversion kicks by Krieger and other team members, increasing the lead to 14-0 and then to 21-0.
Queens struggled to break through Navy's defense, and even when they managed to get within striking distance, penalties once again negated any scoring chances. Navy capitalized, extending their lead to 35-0 by halftime.
Navy continued to build on its momentum in the second half. Players like Andrew Baublitz and Sean MacLaney also contributed to the scoring, with MacLaney dodging a tackle to add a try in the 55th minute. Krieger's conversion extended Navy's lead to 42-0.
Additional tries from JD Bengston and Kade Williams, along with more conversion kicks by Krieger, kept the scoreboard ticking in favor of Navy. A final penalty kick from Krieger in the 80th minute capped off the 71-0 victory.
Finishing behind Krieger in scoring was Ben Haugh with 10 points on two tries. Vaughn Schmitz, Russell, and others also contributed to Navy's comprehensive win. The team now looks forward to their next match against Rugby East North Division rivals, Kutztown, scheduled for next Saturday at noon at the Prusmack Rugby Center.
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