More often than not, rivalries result in close games. Penn State and Navy have proved that this year.
The Lady Ruggers avenged their early season loss by defeating Navy 15-12 yesterday. In a back and forth game, Penn State took command in the first half with strong defense and good spacing, two things that were lacking in the 27-23 loss to Navy on Sept. 27. The Lady Ruggers led at the half 12-0.
“We really pressured them in the first half, and that was a huge difference in our ability to control the game,” Penn State coach Pete Steinberg said. “We defended them much better, and we were able to move the ball wide on them, which we hadn’t done before.”
The second half started out much differently for the Lady Ruggers. Navy scored an early try, cutting the lead down to five. Navy put the pressure on, and Penn State scrambled on the defense.
“We made some subs in the second half and lost some strength in the scrums,” Steinberg said. “We really struggled to continue our control.”
Luckily for Penn State, Amy Manidis scored a free kick shortly after Navy’s first try, putting the Lady Ruggers up 15-7. However, Navy continued to sustain pressure and again scored another try.
With their lead cut to just three points, the Lady Ruggers really started to regain their focus. Navy used too much energy in trying to comeback and started to wear down.
Penn State dug deep and outworked the opposition in the last ten minutes, keeping the play in the Navy end. Seniors Devon Boyle and captain Kim Magrini led by example with their hard play. The team followed suit and held on for the 15-12 victory.
“In our last game (against Navy) it was the last 15 minute that lost it for us. We got tired and didn’t play as a team,” Magrini said. “Our focus and desire won the game for us today. When they scored, we came back with our own intensity.”
The victory showed exactly how much the team the progressed. Ending the fall season by defeating a Navy team that will go into the spring season as the number one seed shows the Lady Ruggers are poised to make another national title run.
