By: Nick Pope: Sports Information Director
NEED TO KNOW
Score: Navy 29, Life University 21
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Life University Men's Rugby team battled to the final whistle in a hard-fought road test Saturday, falling 29–21 to Navy in an intense matchup between two of the nation's top programs.
Navy took control early through efficient phase play and set-piece dominance, building momentum through the first half. The Running Eagles refused to back down, responding with second-half tries from Leo Venables and Bautista Araujo as they fought to close the gap. Fly-half Jonty Lee was perfect on conversions, going three-for-three on the afternoon.
Director of Men's Rugby, Dr. Blake Bradford, shared his thoughts on the team's performance, stating, "It's always tough playing Navy on their home field in front of a very hostile crowd, and we have now had to do it twice in two years. Unfortunately, today we came up short in Annapolis. We weren't accurate enough holding on to the ball and that stopped us from building momentum on attack, so we will need to improve on that going forward. With that being said we still had opportunities to win the game in the last 10min, but we weren't accurate enough in their 22 and didn't convert those opportunities."
INSIDE THE MATCH
- Key Moment: Midway through the second half, Life appeared to have a potential game-changing try after a clean line break, but the ball was held up in goal—stalling momentum and allowing Navy to maintain its lead.
- Scoring Breakdown: Life's tries came from Christopher Cloete, Leo Venables, and Bautista Araujo, with Lee adding all three conversions.
The men's rugby team continues its fall campaign next weekend, remaining on the road as the Running Eagles look to bounce back against Southern Viriginia University.
