Air Force to take on Navy in rugby match-up

  • Published
  • U.S. Air Force Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Air Force will meet Navy on the rugby pitch Oct. 2 at the U.S. Naval Academy, Maryland. 

The winning team will take home  -- or in the case of Air Force, keep -- the Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea Memorial Rugby Cup. 

Shea was a 1989 Air Force Academy graduate and a member of coach Vern Francis' 1989 National Championship Team at the Academy. He cross-commissioned into the Marine Corps and was killed in combat in Iraq Sept. 14, 2004. 

Head coach Denny Merideth said this is the Academy rugby team's first official match of the season.

"I expect things to be interesting and not just because of the forecast of rain on game day," he said. "We've competed in a small tournament in Wyoming, but that was a developmental game. Navy has had two or three official games. Rain or shine, I know we'll give it our all in defense of the Shea Cup."

The game begins at 5 p.m. (ET) at Navy's  Prusmack Rugby Complex.