Ask any coach what they dislike the most, and many will answer penalties.

They plagued the Penn State women's rugby team Sunday in the first half of its showdown against Navy.

Early into the second half, the Nittany Lions were down 24-12 and were in need of a breakout play. They received one from winger Leah Ackerman who broke a 50-yard run for a try. It came on a counter play following a Navy kick, which the team had been working on during practice all season.

"We were having difficulties with counters all season, and the try was exactly what we practiced," Ackerman said. "It was extremely exciting."

She wasn't done yet, though, scoring again only moments later down the sideline. This brought Penn State to within two points, energizing the team. After another Navy try, the Lions backs set Ackerman up yet again following an offsides penalty. She capitalized for her third try of the day in the corner of the field. This accounted for all Penn State's second half scoring output in the 38-27 loss.

"It was an incredible second half for us and for me," Ackerman said. "I never score by myself, it's what the team does to get me the ball. On the wing, the only way I get the ball is if it's passed to me. It's all teamwork."

"Leah played real well," Penn State assistant coach Ines Rodriguez said. "She's improved so much from this time last year. She's very confident in herself and in her running. She scored three beautiful tries today."

Rodriguez also stressed the importance of the other 14 players on the field in the scoring effort.

"Her teammates were the ones that made it possible for her to score those tries," she said.

Despite her personal success, Ackerman was disappointed with the outcome of the game. "Navy's the biggest game of the season. In practice, they are the ones we build up to," she said.

Ackerman, along with her teammates, felt the Lions outplayed the Midshipmen, but fell short on the scoreboard. She said they simply didn't capitalize and missed opportunities.

"We put in a good effort and played well," Penn State captain Barb Kudis said. "We have lots of little things to work on in practice. We had little breakdowns and they capitalized on them."

Kudis also mentioned that she would have loved to have more games building up to the showdown. She said the team was getting frustrated scrimmaging against itself. They had only played in the Beantown Tournament at the University of Massachusetts, where they also lost to Navy, before taking on the Midshipmen this past weekend.

She also added that the entire team was involved in a number of the scores. She explained that these were the most rewarding ways to put points on the board. As for Ackerman, Kudis praised her, saying, "She's been doing a great job. She runs like lightening and breaks tackles. She's been playing remarkable."