ANNAPOLIS, Md. –
As the buzzer sounded on the final match of the day, Navy players let out an emphatic yell as they embraced and hugged on the field, following the program’s defeat of defending Armed Forces Women’s Rugby champion, Army, Saturday.
But they had to quickly temper their excitement because they have not achieved their ultimate goal.
On the same field where several All-Navy players competed as cadets, they upset an All-Army team that had suffered only one loss since the Armed Forces Women’s Rugby Championship’s inception in 2019.
Navy’s players celebrated their first ever win vs. the All-Army women’s rugby team, snapping the Soldiers’ 14-match winning streak.
“I don't know if there are words,” said Navy non-commissioned officer-in-charge Sarah Anderson, a former Navy player. “Every year these girls come out, and they give it everything. They work so hard, and that was grit. That was motivation. That was a long time coming.”
The 19-15 triumph gave Navy (2-0) much needed momentum heading into Sunday’s final matches, where Navy hopes to win its first gold. Navy wing Allie Bonner scored the game-deciding try to hand Army its first loss since a 2023 defeat to Air Force.
“When we scored on that third try I think we were all really, really hyped. Like, we could feel it,” said Lt. j.g. Charlotte D’Halluin. “We knew we were going to win. All cylinders were firing.”
Three times in 2025 Army had come from behind to win including a victory vs. Navy. The Soldiers had rallied again in their 2026 tournament opener to defeat the Department of the Air Force team in a close game earlier in the day.
In Saturday’s matchup, Navy again built a 12-5 halftime lead, after scoring tries from D’Halluin and Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Emma Savas added another score. Army Maj. Annie Lee answered with a scoring try of her own.
This time Army’s comeback fell short.
Navy coach Talia Carrasquillo coached her team to defend another Army rally. Army’s Naomi Collin scored on a try in the closing seconds to narrow the gap to 19-15 after Army missed an extra point kick but time ran out. Carrasquillo said her team rallied and supported teammates during the game’s critical moments.
“We stayed connected, we supported each other, and we kept the momentum moving forward,” she said.
D’Halluin, a Marshall Scholar assigned to attend the University College London, competed for the Naval Academy’s women’s rugby team where she became a part of the Army-Navy rivalry.
“And all those support lines were there, and we were really just running for each other and playing for each other,” the Sailor said.
Navy defeated the Marine Corps 7-5 in a tight, low scoring opening match.
Marine Corps: After the All-Coast Guard team jumped to an early lead in the teams’ match Saturday, Marine Corps Sgt. Vivian Aragon knew she had to make a statement.
She delivered a crushing blow to a Coast Guard player in the first half that drew “oohs” from spectators at U.S. Naval Academy Rugby Field. That set the tone and a momentum shift in a decisive, 24-10 Marine Corps win.
“Marine Corps is a more physical branch, so I wanted to embody that,” Aragon said. “And also I was overloaded on the edge, so in my head I was like, hey, if I make this hit and it's really good, maybe someone will get the edge to get on the edge or it won't be as mad.”
After Coast Guard’s Elizabeth Flint broke away to score on the opening try, the host Marines responded by putting two straight scores across the try line. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Haley Creech sprinted from midfield for a long score followed by another try by Capt. Kendall Smith to seal the win for the Marines.
“They got in the right mindset, warmed up great,” Marine Corps coach Bryan Dyer said. “We're just hoping to keep that energy flowing. This is the resilience of the team.”
However, in the Marines’ final matchup of the day they fell to Army, 28-7. Maj. Katherine Smith fed 1st Lt. Eliza Herring for the Marines’ only score.
Army: Defending champion Army overcame early nerves to come back and defeat Air Force 21-19, withstanding a late Air Force rally.
However, the Soldiers lost a tournament match for the first time since 2023, losing to Navy 19-15, stopping their tournament match win streak at 14 games. The defeat marked the Soldiers’ first loss since Army fell 24-5 to Air Force on June 23, 2023.
“Navy had that first try on us and put us on our heels. So we were playing catch up the whole game,” said Army center Naomi Colin said. “And we had some good stuff put together offensively. But we just weren't connecting from the inside out on defense. And it's tough”.
However Army rebounded to rout the All-Marine Corps team 28-7 on the same field where some team members competed as members of the Navy women’s rugby club.
A three-minute, try-line stand fueled scoring opportunities for Army (2-1). Colin broke away 40 yards to send a pass to Army 2nd Lt. Katelyn Woenker to put the Soldiers up 21-7 following a successful two-point conversion.
“They are hard hitters and I think that we respected their game,” Colin said. “We knew that they were going to be running hard and realized that it was going to be a big defensive game for us, which it was.”
Air Force: Fueled by two consecutive scores by Air Force Capt. Adrienne Yoder, the Department of the Air Force women’s Rugby team defeated Coast Guard 36-0. Isabelle Burr also scored on a try as Air Force (1-1) showcased a balanced team effort against the Coast Guardsmen after falling to Army 21-19 to open the tournament.
“We played a little bit more of Air Force rugby vs getting caught up in the rivalry against Army,” said Air Force coach, Maj. Gianna Khoudary. “We were able to move the ball better. We were able to find the spaces better and capitalize, explode through the gaps.”
Yoder, a veteran member of the team, scored both tries by weaving through a small opening in the Coast Guard defense to put Air Force up, 24-0. Yoder said she learned how to attack in tight spaces while playing hockey and soccer as a youth.
The Airman attempted to draw the defense away from her wing. When the defender didn’t bite, she said she sprinted through the space she created.
“She's got the speed to capitalize on them when she sees it,” Khoudary said. “She's also able to follow along with the other players when she can set somebody else up to take and exploit the space. Phenomenal reads.”
Against defending champion Army, Air Force jumped out to an early lead before a furious rally by Army. An Air Force last second rally fell short in extra time.
“There were a lot of nerves going into the first game,” Yoder said. “We spent all year waiting to come here and make our mark. So I think once we had the first game out of the way, then it was just, hey, let's play our game and capitalize on the moments that matter.”
Coast Guard: The All-Coast Guard women’s rugby team struggled to score points during its two losses with the Marine Corps, 24-10 and Air Force, 36-0.
Flint, a lieutenant commander from Springfield, Virginia, gave Coast Guard (0-2) a spark first on a scoring try that seized an early 5-0 lead for the Coast Guardsmen. Flint later fought through a tackle to cross the try line for another score.