The Life U men entered the Cup Quarterfinals this morning facing a familiar foe in the US Naval Academy (Navy). The teams have met in the knockout rounds each of the past two years with Life U coming out on top. But with Navy looking strong in pool play, and the Running Eagles having to earn their way into the knockout stage on point differential as a pool runner-up, the matchup looked to favor Navy. However, the Running Eagles picked up where they left off last night and played smart, patient rugby to send the Midshipmen packing.
Despite giving up possession to Navy early on, the Life U defense was stout, getting a good spread and closing the gap well. After a couple of minutes, Life U finally earned a turnover, and after a penalty on Navy, Conner Mooneyham ran half the field but without support, Navy stole it then knocked on deep in their own end. Off the scrum, Blane McIlroy went short side and was untouched as he dotted in the corner.
Up 5-0 and continuing to playing suffocating defense, Life U forced a sloppy pass by Navy and earned another turnover. The quick counter allowed Mooneyham to beat the Navy defense to the corner and score another try. The conversion was no good from tough angle, and Life U went into the break up 10-0.
With time on their side, the Running Eagles slowed things down in the second half, kicking for touch on a Navy penalty. The ensuing lineout was snaffled by Navy and they went the other way quickly. A Navy runner broke free but a great chase from behind allowed McIlroy to tackle the carrier, and Sam Cowley was there to force a Navy knock on. After kicking to touch again, Life U turned it into another try by McIlroy in the corner to make it 15-0 with just 2 minutes remaining in the game.
Credit to Navy for their persistence, as they kept plugging away and trying to find a hole. Capitalizing on two penalties against Life U, Navy finally scored a try in the corner after the horn had sounded. The unsuccessful conversion made the final score 15-5 with Life U coming out on top again.
Next up for the men is a date in the semifinals at 3pm or 3:25pm More details to come.
