Game Preview
• The Navy men’s lacrosse team will battle 2012 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinalst and Patriot League rival Colgate on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. in the first game of the 2013 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic … meeting for the 16th time in series history, Navy and Colgate will face off at 2:00 pm, followed by Virginia vs. Johns Hopkins at 4:30 pm.
• The Midshipmen are coming off the program’s first loss to Holy Cross after the Crusaders dealt Navy a 7-5 defeat at Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y. at the Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic last Sunday  Holy Cross outscored the Mids, 4-1, over a 17-minute period that began in the second quarter and spilled into the second half, giving the Crusaders a lead they would not relinquish.
• Saturday’s game marks the fifth time Navy has played at M&T Bank Stadium.  The Mids defeated Princeton (8-7) in the 2004 NCAA Semifinals before dropping a 14-13 decision to Syracuse in the National Championship.  Meanwhile, Army and Navy squared off in the Day of Rivals event in 2009 and ‘10.  The Mids beat Army in 2009 (8-4), while the Black Knights nipped Navy in 2010 (7-6).
• Colgate, ironically, also played in the Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic, but eased its way past the Michigan after outscoring the Wolverines 4-1 in the second period.  Anchored by hat tricks from Peter Baum and Ryan Walsh, the Raiders posted a 10-7 victory en route to winning their third consecutive contest.
• Saturday’s contest will be carried live on ESPNU with Eamon McAnaney (play by play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action.

Scouting the Raiders
• In his second season, head coach Mike Murphy his led Colgate to a 6-2 mark with wins in each of its last three games.
• The Raiders opened the season by playing each of their first five games on the road.  To date, Colgate has played just two of its eight games at home.
• The Raiders have played just one ranked team this season, dropping a 19-3 decision to then seventh-ranked Cornell in Ithaca on March 2.
• Colgate is 1-0 in Patriot League action this season, dealing Holy Cross a 14-6 loss in Hamilton, N.Y. on March 9.
• The Raiders have done a nice job of taking care of the ball this season, committing just 13.5 turnovers per game which is the 12th-best mark in Div. I lacrosse.
• If there was a weak spot in Colgate’s game it would be extra-man offense and its goalkeeper play.  Colgate is 57th out of 63 teams in man-up offense, scoring goals on just 21.1 percent (4-19) of its opportunities.  Meanwhile, the Raiders are 59th in saves per game with Conor Murphy and Gordon Santry combining for just 8.88 saves per contest.
• The attack cominbination of Peter Baum and Ryan Walsh is one of the best in the country.  Baum, the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner, has put up 34 points on 23 goals and 11 assists, leading the team in all three categories.  He is ranked 12th in points per game (4.25), ninth in goals per game (2.88) and 48th in assists per game (1.38).  Meanwhile Walsh has produced 25 points on 20 goals and 5 assists.
• Faceoff specialist Robert Grabher is 24th nationally with a 53.3 win percentage (95-179).  He leads the team and is seventh in the country with an 8.13 ground balls per game average.
• As previously mentioned Conor Murphy and Gordon Santry have split time in goal with each player making 4 starts.  Murphy has produced a 7.73 goals-against average and is making stops on 53.8 percent of the shots he’s seen.  Santry, meanwhile, owns an 11.84 GAA and  41.8 save percentage.
• Junior defenseman Bobby Lawrence leads the way with 15 caused turnovers and is second on the team with 30 grounders.

Navy vs. Colgate – The Series
• Navy leads the all-time series with Colgate, 11-4, including wins in 3 of the last 4 contests.
• The two teams have met 13 times since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004 … during that span, Navy has produced a 9-4 record and outscored Colgate, 141-100.
• Each of the last 5 contests between the two programs has been decided by 1 goal, including last year’s contest in which Navy’s Sam Jones targeted a shot with 3.4 seconds remaining in the game to lead the Mids to a 12-11 victory.
• Saturday’s contest marks the fifth game played on neutral soil between the two programs and third regular-season neutral site battle.  Navy defeated the Raiders in 2004 (21-6) and 2005 (11-6) in Orlando.
• Navy and Colgate have twice faced one another in the Patriot League Tournament and have been met with split results … in 2007, the Mids claimed a 15-9 win over the Raiders in the championship game, before dropping the program’s first Patriot League Tournament contest at the 2008 semifinals against eventual champion Colgate.

Weekend Rewind
• After Navy took a 2-1 lead, Holy Cross outscored the Mids, 4-1, over a 17-minute period that began in the second quarter and spilled into the second half, giving the Crusaders a lead they would not relinquish.
• It marked Holy Cross’ first win in a series that had seen Navy win the previous 9 games.
• Navy had won 7 straight game when holding its opponent to 7 or fewer goals, all of which were under Rick Sowell’s direction.
• The Mids played their fourth consecutive game without scoring an extra-man goal … the Mids were 0 for 3 against Holy Cross.
• The Navy-Holy Cross tilt marked just the second time a Div. I men’s lacrosse game has been played at a Major League Baseball Stadium.
• The first Div. I men’s lacrosse game to be played at an active MLB stadium was between Navy and Johns Hopkins on May 8, 1971.  The Mids dropped the Blue Jays, 9-6, in front of more than 18,000 fans.
• With a goal and an assist, junior attackman Sam Jones extended his point-scoring streak to 11 games and is the lone player on the roster to record a goal or an assist in every game this season.
• Sophomore midfielder Gabe Voumard continues to be a goal-scorer for the Mids as he registered his 12th goal of the season in Navy’s loss to Holy Cross.  Remarkably, 10 of his 12 goals have been unassisted.
• Junior midfielder Pat Durkin had his 19-game starting streak come to an end when he came off the sideline to lead the Mids with 2 goals and 1 assist against Holy Cross.
• Senior faceoff specialist Evan McGoogan tied his career high with 10 wins on his 16 attempts (62.5) against the Crusaders … he also picked up a career-high tying six ground balls.
• Junior long pole Pat Kiernan put together 5 ground balls and 3 caused turnovers to push himself higher in the national standings.  He is 13th in ground balls (6.75) and third in caused turnovers (2.63).

The Big Leagues
• In the last decade, Navy has played six games at NFL Stadiums, including four contests at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.  The Mids defeated Princeton at M&T Bank Stadium in the 2004 NCAA Semifinals before dropping a 14-13 decision to Syracuse in the National Championship two days later.  Navy faced Army in back-to-back years (2009, ‘10) at M&T Bank Stadium in the Inside Lacrosse-sponsored Day of Rivals which also featured Johns Hopkins vs. Maryland.
• In 2008, the Midshipmen defeated Holy Cross, 16-3, at Texas Stadium, now the former home of the Dallas Cowboys.
• Last February, Navy faced off against Jacksonville at EverBank Field, the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, in the Moe’s Southwest Grill Classic.
• Last Sunday, the Mids dropped a 7-5 decision to Holy Cross at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, as part of the Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic Presented by Konica Minolta.  It was just the second time a Div. I men’s lacrosse game has been played at a Major League Baseball Stadium.
• The first Div. I men’s lacrosse game to be played at an active MLB stadium was between Navy and Johns Hopkins on May 8, 1971.  The Mids dropped the Blue Jays, 9-6, in front of more than 18,000 fans.

National Leader Board
• According to the latest national statistics released on Monday by the NCAA, the Mids are ranked among the top 20 in five categories.
• After producing 10 and 11 caused turnovers against Towson and Holy Cross, respectively, Navy maintained its position as the nation’s leader in the category, forcing 11.38 turnovers per game.  Junior long pole Pat Kiernan is #3 nationally, averaging 2.63 takeaways per game while senior close defenseman Austin Miller is #6, causing 2.38 turnovers per game.
• Navy’s man-down defense has lost its mojo as of late.  The Mids had not surrendered a man-down goal in 3 games and held their opponents to an 0-for-11 mark.  However, Navy has given up man-down goals on 7 of its last 13 opportunites over the last 3 contests.  The Mids are now ranked 13th, giving up goal on 75.7 percent (28-37) of the opportunities.
• Navy is ranked 10th in ground balls per game (34.38) which is a huge improvement over 2012.  The Mids were ranked 43rd in ground balls per game, averaging 27.67.
• The Mids are also ranked among the top 20 in scoring defense (17th, 8.75) and faceoff win percentage (20th, 52.9).

Kiernan Among Nation’s Top Poles
• Junior long stick defensive midfielder Pat Kiernan is one of the best at his position in the country.
• Kiernan leads Navy in both caused turnover and ground balls and is among the national leaders in both categories.  He is ranked third in caused turnovers per game (2.63) and 13th in ground balls (6.75).
• Kiernan was a machine against Towson where he registered a career-high 12 ground balls and won 8 of his 10 faceoffs.  Meanwhile, against Lafayette he picked up 7 ground balls and forced 7 Leopard turnovers.
• Additionally, he has garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors three times this season.
• He has produced 12 career points, including  a program-record 10 in 2012.
• He is tied for eighth in the country among active poles with 12 points behind Bryant’s Mason Poli (50 pts), Loyola’s Scott Ratliff (33), Brown’s Roger Ferguson (24), Maryland’s Jesse Bernhardt (17), Dillon Ayers of St. John’s (17), Mark Burns of Mount St. Mary’s (13) and Bellarmine’s Bobby Schmitt (13).  Syracuse’s Matt Harris also has 12 points
• He is second all-time in career points scored by a Navy defensemen, while his 9 goals are the most in program history.

Kickoff Times Set For All Five Of Navy’s Home Football Games

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—The Naval Academy Athletic Association and CBS Sports Network announced Tuesday the kickoff times for all five of Navy’s home football games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Navy’s home opener against Delaware on Sept. 14 and November games against Hawai’i (Nov. 9) and South Alabama (Nov. 16) will kick at 3:30 PM and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

The Homecoming game on Oct. 26 against Pitt will kick at 1:00 PM and will be televised by CBS Sports Network, while the Air Force game on Oct. 5 will kick at 11:30 AM and will be televised by CBS Sports Network or by CBS.

Season tickets are on sale now at http://bit.ly/LNw2FX or by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo has elevated Ashley Ingram to running game coordinator in addition to his duties as the center/guards coach. Navy finished sixth in the nation in rushing last year, averaging 278.5 yards per game.

“Coach Ingram is as good a football coach that I’ve ever been around and his knowledge and expertise have contributed greatly to our success the last five seasons,” said Niumatalolo.  “He is a great teacher and a great recruiter.”

“I would like to express my gratitude to Coach Niumatalolo for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to helping support Coach Jasper, who is one of the top offensive coordinators in the country, and the rest of our outstanding staff.”

Ingram is entering his sixth year at the Naval Academy and the Midshipmen have compiled a record of 40-25 (.615) in Ingram’s tenure, beating Army all five times, earning four bowl bids, winning three Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies and beating Notre Dame twice.

Ingram helped lead Navy to an 8-5 record in 2012 and a berth in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Navy defeated Air Force, 28-21, in overtime and Army, 17-13, to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.

The win over Army marked Navy’s 11th consecutive victory over its biggest rival. Other big wins for Navy in 2012 included a come-from-behind 31-30 victory over Indiana and wins over bowl-bound East Carolina (56-28) and Central Michigan (31-13). Guard Josh Cabral was named All-East.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy women’s basketball team learned its NCAA Tournament fate Monday night while attending a Selection Show party at Federal House Bar & Grille in Downtown Annapolis. The Midshipmen, winners of their third Patriot League Tournament title in as many years, garnered the No. 15 seed in the Bridgeport, Conn., Regional. Navy will face second-seeded Kentucky Sunday at Carnesecca Arena on the St. John’s campus in Queens, N.Y. The game will tip at 12:05 p.m. EDT and will be aired live on ESPNU.

The Navy Ticket Office will not be selling tickets for the game. Tickets can be purchased through the St. John’s Ticket Office either online at RedStormSports.com or by phone at 1-888-GoStorm. Single session ticket prices are $10 for students/youths, $10 for senior citizens and $15 for adults. An all-session pass that allows entry to both Sunday’s first round and Tuesday’s second round are $15 for students/youths, $15 for senior citizens and adults can purchase a pass for $25.

Kentucky posted a 27-5 record this season. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament where they fell to Texas A&M. Kentucky placed second in the SEC during the regular season with a record of 13-3, and was ranked seventh in both national polls that were released Monday by the Associated Press and USA Today.

Kentucky will be making its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 10th trip to the event in all. The Wildcats lost in the Elite Eight in both 2010 and 2012, with a loss in the round of 32 coming in 2011.

Navy, which compiled a 21-11 record this season and shared the Patriot League regular season crown with an 11-3 record, has faced a team out of the current SEC three times in its history. The Mids have lost a pair of games to Florida, most recently during the 2010-11 season, and defeated Mississippi once.

Navy is making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history. The 14th-seeded Mids lost to No. 3 DePaul, 56-43, in a 2011 first-round game played at Penn State in their initial appearance in March Madness. Navy then received a No. 15 seed last season and lost, 59-44, to No. 2 Maryland in College Park.

Sunday’s second game at the site features No. 7 Dayton facing region-host and 10th-seeded St. John’s. The winners of the two games will meet Tuesday for the right to move on to Bridgeport.

“I’ve never seen Kentucky play,” said Alix Membreno (Jr., Loxahatchee, Fla.), who was tabbed as the MVP of the Patriot League Tournament. “They are a No. 2 seed, so obviously they are a great team. It is a great opportunity to go to Queens, my family is from New York, it’s just a great opportunity to play. The higher the seed gets, the less there is for us to lose. We’re going to go up there and give it our all.

“I think a 15 seed is great. We’re just so blessed to be in the same position we have been in the last two years. It is still exciting (with it being our third NCAA Tournament), but in different ways. Each year is different; it is a different team, a different vibe, but it is nice it is not something new. We’ve been in this position before.”

“I’m so happy we got a 15 seed,” said Jade Geif (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.), who received first-team all-league honors this season for a second year in a row. “I don’t know a lot about Kentucky. We’re just excited to get in there, try and get a win.

“Definitely, it is still exciting. You can just feel the nerves when you are watching the TV just waiting for it flip over and show Navy and see who we are playing. It is so exciting every time. Even walking over here, everyone was just so hyped.”

“It is a really, really strong opponent,” said Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper of facing Kentucky. “They are going to be challenging the way Maryland was and not the way DePaul was. They are deep, tall, athletic, long and they have one of the best players in the country in A’dia Mathies.”

FLUSHING, N.Y. —  Holy Cross midfielder Terry McKenna scored four goals while Michael Ortlieb made 12 stops between the pipes to lead the Crusaders (4-3, 1-1 PL) to a 7-5 victory over the Navy men’s lacrosse team (3-5, 1-2 PL) Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.  Sunday’s contest marked just the second Div. I men’s lacrosse game played at a Major League Baseball venue, as Citi Field played host to the Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic presented by Konica Minolta.

“I’m certainly disappointed by the result today,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “Give credit to Holy Cross.  They played good enough to beat us, so I have to tip my cap to them.

“It was a great opportunity to play in this even.  We came up here to get a win, first and foremost, so the result definitely put a damper on an otherwise great experience.”

McKenna carried the Crusaders on his shoulders, scoring the first three goals for Holy Cross, including the game’s first marker at 4:29 on an unassisted strike from eight yards out on the left wing.

The Mids knotted the game with a minute remaining in the opening period when rookie attackman T.J. Hanzsche (Berwyn, Pa.) beat Holy Cross defenseman Daniel Schmader and curled around for a left shot up the middle.

Navy took its lone lead of the game when junior Pat Durkin (Germantown, Md.) set up at the top of the box and found second-year midfielder Gabe Voumard  (Cape May, N.J.) cutting to the crease for his 12th goal of the season 26 seconds into the second quarter.

The Crusaders answered with back-to-back goals scored by McKenna just 1:27 apart to give them a 3-2 advantage with just under 12 minutes to go in the half.

Navy tied things up when Durkin scored the first of his game-high two goals.  Junior Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) fed Durkin who drew the double team and spun his way for a low side-winder at 6:47 in the second.

Holy Cross took the lead for good when James Kennedy and Myles Gillespie collaborated for an extra-man goal from just three yards out with 5:00 to go in the first half.

The Crusaders extended their lead to two goals less than four minutes into the third quarter when reserve Chris Smith launched a 13-yard shot from the left side.

Navy answered a minute latr when Durkin beat defenseman Matt Ward and sent his diving left-handed shot past Ortlieb to get the Mids to within one with 10:22 to go in the third.

Holy Cross pushed their lead to two at 6-4 when McKenna fed leading scorer Clay Haarmann for its second extra-man goal of the game with 1:47 to go in the quarter.

The Mids again trimmed the lead to one, 6-5, with 11:51 remaining when Jones set up behind the goal and curled around the left side, beating Reed Kennedy for his game-high  13th goal.

McKenna sealed the win for the Crusaders with his fourth goal of the game, taking a pass from Haarmann and lodging his shot into the back of the net from 15 yards out with 5:16 to go.

Durkin paced the Mids with three points on two goals and assist, while Hanzsche, Jones and Voumard all pitched in goals.

Senior Evan McGoogan (Cranberry Township, Pa.)  played a solid game, winning 10 of the 16 draws he took and led the Mids with six ground balls.

Junior long pole Pat Kiernan (Ridgewood, N.J.), meanwhile, picked up five ground balls and caused three turnovers to lead the defense, while senior keeper Nolan Hickey (Garden City, N.Y.) surrendered all seven goals and made 10 saves.

“I thought today was more about what we did and didn’t do vs. what they did,” added Sowell.  “We didn’t shoot well, but that’s been our Achilles heel all year.  There are a number of things that have plagued us.  We’re in a rut right now that we can’t seem to get ourselves out of, but we have to figure it out in a hurry.”

The Midshipmen return to action next Saturday when they face Colgate in a Patriot League matchup at the Konica Minolta Faceoff Classic.  Game time is slated for 2:00 pm at M&T Bank Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

Game Preview
• The Navy men’s lacrosse team will play the first of two neutral site contests in consecutive weeks when it travels to Flushing, N.Y. on Sunday to take part in the Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic presented by Konica Minolta  … meeting for just the 10th time in series history, Navy and Holy Cross will face off at 12:00 pm at Citi Field.
• Following the Navy-Holy Cross tilt, Colgate and Michigan will take center stage with a 3:00 pm contest.
• Towson held the Midshipmen without a goal over the final 22 minutes of play while the Tigers scored the final three goals of the game to earn an 8-7 victory over Navy last Tuesday in Annapolis.  Navy twice held a 3-goal lead over the Tigers, but the Mids were unable to find the back of the net and their 4-game home winning streak came to an abrupt end.
• Holy Cross, meanwhile, is also looking to bounce back after a 14-6 loss to Patriot League foe Colgate.  The Raiders racedout to a 6-2 halftime lead and never opened the door to allow the Crusaders back into the game.
• Sunday’s contest will be carried live on ESPN3 with Eamon McAnaney (play by play), Quint Kessenich (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action.

Scouting the Crusaders
• In his third season as head coach Jim Morissey has led the Crusaders to a 3-3 record, including an 0-1 mark in Patriot League action.
• Holy Cross wins over Hartford (11-9), Sacred Heart (11-9) and Rutgers (9-8), while dropping decisions to St. John’s (11-9), Harvard (16-12) and Colgate (14-6).
• After opening the season with their first two games at home, the Crusaders have since played four in a row on the road and Sunday’s game will make the fifth away from Worcester.  Holy Cross has held its own, posting a 2-2 mark in its four road games.
• Leading the way for Holy Cross in the scoring column is sophomore attackman Clay Haarmann who owns 17 points on a team-high 15 goals and 2 assists.
• Senior midfielder John Hannan has produced 13 points on 12 goals and 1 assist, while senior attackman James Kennedy also owns 13 points on 6 goals and a team-best 7 assists.
• Junior Kenny O’Connor has started four games in goal for the Crusaders, while rookie Michael Ortlieb has made appearances in three games and started two.  O’Connor owns an 11.15 goals-against average with a 41.3 save percentage, while Orlieb his warded off 53.1 percent of the shots sent his way and is giving way to 11.19 goals per game.
• Perhaps the weakest link in the Crusaders’ game is faceoffs.  Holy Cross is ranked 61st out of 63 teams, winning just 36.9 (55 of 149) percent of its draws this season.  They have 7 different players at the “x” this season with sophomore Tyler Purdue (29 of 77, 37.7) and senior Tim Pond (19 of 52, 36.5) taking the majority of the faceoffs.
• The two areas that Holy Cross has flourished in this season are turnovers per game, where they are ranked  sixth and averaging just 12.67 per contest, and man-down defense, giving up goals on 30.8 percent of the opportunities.  The Crusaders stand 10th nationally in man-down defense.
• Nearly 70 percent (69.0) of Holy Cross’ goals have been unassisted this season, as the Crusaders have 18 assists on 58 goals.
• On the year Holy Cross has been outscored 67-58.  It owns a 32-29 advantage in the opening half, including an 18-10 margin in the second quarter, but the Crusaders’ opponents hold a 38-26 scoring advantage in the second half, including a 28-17 edge in the third quarter.

Navy vs. Holy Cross – The Series
• Sunday’s contest marks just the 10th meeting between Navy and Holy Cross … the Mids own a flawless 9-0 advantage in the series, including a 23-5 victory over the Crusaders in the inaugural meeting in Annapolis in 2004.
• Navy and Holy Cross are meeting at a neutral site for the third time in series history, as the Mids and Crusaders previously met in Dallas, Texas in back-to-back years.
• In 2007, the two programs faced one another at SMU’s Ford Stadium where the Mids dealt Holy Cross a 12-2 loss.  It was Navy’s first trip to Texas since the Mids defeated Johns Hopkins, 9-6, on May 8, 1971, at the Houston Astrodome.
• In 2008, Navy and Holy Cross were part of the Ford Patriot Cup which featured two high school games, along with two Div. I men’s lax games (Rutgers vs. Army).  Navy scored a 16-3 win over the Crusaders at Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys.
• Navy and Holy Cross have played one another three times in Worcester, Mass. (2005, ‘09, ‘11) and four times in Annapolis (2004, ‘06, ‘10, ‘12).
• Navy has scored eight or more goals in all nine games, while putting up double-figure goals in seven of the nine (8 in 2005 and 2011) … the Mids’ defense, meanwhile, has held Holy Cross to five or fewer goals in eight of the nine games.  Last year the Crusaders scored a series-high seven goals in a losing effort.

Tuesday Rewind
• Navy jumped out to a 3-0 lead and later led 4-1, but was unable to keep the hot hand as Towson scored the final 3 goals of the game and held the Mids scoreless for the final 22 minutes in an 8-7 Tiger victory.
• It’s the second time this season Navy’s has been held scoreless for 20-plus minutes (51:08 by Bucknell).
• Junior attackman Tucker Hull punched in his ninth goal of the year at 7:17 in the third quarter in what would be his 100th collegiate point.  He is just one of 30 players in the program’s 106-year history to reach the milestone
• Junior attackman Sam Jones extended his point-scoring streak to 10 games and is the lone player on the roster to record a goal or an assist in every game this season.  He turned in a goal and 2 assists against the Tigers.
• Sophomore midfielder Gabe Voumard continues to create offense for himself as he ran his unassisted goal total to 10 on Tuesday.  He has scored 11 goals on the year.
• Senior midfielder Bryce Dabbs registered his fourth collegiate multi-goal effort and the second of the season with his 2 goals against Towson.
• Junior long pole Pat Kiernan played a whale of a game, picking up a career-high 12 ground balls while winning 8 of the 10 faceoffs he took.
• Senior Cade Norris played one of his best games in a Navy uniform, grabbing seven ground balls on the defensive end of the field while senior close defenseman Austin Miller matched his career best in caused turnovers with 4.

One-Goal Decisions
• Navy has played 74 one-goal games (of 246) since the start of the 1996 season, winning just 30 (40.5) of those contests.
• Among those 74 games, 26 of them have gone into extra minutes with Navy winning 11 (42.3).
• Over the last six seasons, 28 of the Mids’ 79 contests have been decided by one goal and Navy has produced wins in just 11 of those contests.  Over the last four seasons, the Mids are just 5-13 in one-goal affairs.
• In 2007, Navy played a program-record seven one-goal games, including five that were decided in overtime.
• Navy was 1-1 a year ago in one-goal decisions, marking the first time since 1996 that it had not played at least three one-goal games.
• The Mids are 1-3 this season in one-goal contests, dropping a 10-9 decision to 15th-ranked Fairfield, a 9-8 overtime game to Georgetown – both in the same week – and an 8-7 heartbreaker to Towson this past Tuesday in Annapolis.  Meanwhile, Navy gave up 2 goals in the final 17 seconds of its game against Lafayette to edge the Leopards, 12-11.

National Exposure
• Since the start of 2004, 54 Navy lacrosse games have been televised.
2004    4-2 (6)    CSTV 1-1    ESPN 2-1    WMAR 1-0
2005    3-3 (6)    CSTV 3-0    ESPN 0-3
2006    3-4 (7)    CSTV 2-4    ESPN 1-0
2007    2-3 (5)    CSTV 2-1    ESPN 0-1    MASN 0-1
2008    3-5 (8)    CBS C 1-2    ESPN 2-2    MASN 0-1
2009    5-2 (7)    CBS C 3-0    ESPN 1-2    MASN 1-0
2010    3-5 (8)    CBS C 3-3    ESPN 0-2
2011    0-3 (3)    CBS  0-2    ESPN 0-1
2012    1-3 (4)    CBS  1-2    ESPN 0-0    NBC 0-1
2013    0-0 (4)    CBS  0-0    ESPN 0-0    NBC 0-0
CBS Sports Network: 16-15    ESPN: 6-12
NBC Sports Network:  0-1    MASN: 1-2    WMAR: 1-0
• 4 regular-season contests are on tap to be aired this season, including 2 by CBS Sports Network.
• CBS Sports Network is airing both of the Patriot League Tournament semifinal contests (April 26 at 4:30 and 7:30) as well as the championship (April 28 at 3:00 pm).
• ESPN3 which is an internet-based affiliate will carry Sunday’s Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic from Citi Field which features the Mids against Holy Cross at 12:00 pm, followed by Colgate vs. Michigan.
• The Mids own a 24-30 record when their games are televised (since ‘04) … Navy is 16-15 on CBS Sports Network all-time and 6-12 on the ESPN family of networks … the Mids are also 1-0 on local Baltimore station WMAR, 1-2 on MASN and 0-1 on NBC Sports Network.
• The Mids own a 66-22 record in games that have not been televised since the start of 2004.

Patriot League Success
• Since joining the Patriot League in 2004, Navy is 53-17 (75.7) against conference members, which includes an 11-2 (84.6) mark in the Patriot League Tournament … the Mids are 41-14 (74.5) in regular-season action.
• The Mids have lost regular-season contests to …
Army (3)    2008, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12
Bucknell (5)    2005, ‘09, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13
Colgate (3)    2006, ‘09, ‘11
Lafayette (1)    2010
Lehigh (2)    2011, ‘12
… and dropped the program’s first Patriot League Tournament contest at the 2008 semifinals against eventual champion Colgate and its second to Army in the 2010 championship contest.
• Twelve of the 17 losses were in games played either at the opponent’s field or at a neutral site.
• Navy owns a 25-5 record at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against Patriot League competition since joining the conference in 2004 … the Mids are 19-5 during the regular season.
• The Mids have produced undefeated marks in conference action twice, 7-0 in 2004 and 6-0 in ‘07.
• Navy has won at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title in five (2004-05-06-07-08) of the nine years it has been a member of the league.
• Additionally, the Mids have claimed the league’s tournament crown five times (2004-05-06-07-09).
• 31 different Mids have garnered All-Patriot League recognition, while 19 of the 31 have earned honors multiple times.

ANNAPOLIS - Behind a five-goal second quarter, Towson men’s lacrosse (3-4) powered through to defeat Navy (3-4), 8-7, on Tuesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

Towson got off to a slow start, allowing Navy to take a 3-0 lead. Senior Andrew Wascavage made six stand-up saves that frame for Towson. Sophomore Cory Dobynsbroke the ice for the Tigers at 10:38 in the second, scoring off a Rob Zoppo pass. His goal kicked off a scoring run where Towson posted five of the next seven goals to finish the half tied at five. Junior Thomas DeNapoli, Zoppo, and Hodgson each tallied an unassisted goal from about 12 yards out over a span of 1:33 to knot the score at 4-4 with 3:38 left in the half. Dobyns and Zoppo paired up again just before the half to tie the game again, 5-5, with 16 seconds showing on the clock.

Dobyns and junior Andrew Hodgson each had a pair of goals for Towson. Navy’s Bryce Dabbs led the Mids with two goals. Wascavage made 14 saves in net for the Tigers, while Nolan Hickey stopped seven shots for Navy. The win marked the first time Towson has defeated the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

“Against a great team like Navy, you’re obviously fortunate to come away with a win,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “It was a big win for our guys, rebounding from a tough overtime loss to Marist. It gives us confidence and really shows the coaching staff what we can do.”

Navy scored two quick, tough goals to start the second half and go up 7-5 with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter. Junior Andrew Hodgson posted his first man-up goal since his freshman year at 4:10 off an assist from Dobyns (7-6).The Tigers evened it at 7-7 on junior Devin Grimaldi’s second career goal assisted by senior Neil Hutchinson and took their first lead of the game on an unassisted tally, and eventual game winner, from sophomore Greg Cuccinello at 10:28 in the fourth quarter.

Next up, Towson travels to No. 17 Duke on Saturday, March 16 for a 1 p.m. contest with the Blue Devils.

NOTES: Towson fared well from 10-15 yards out, scoring four goals from that distance … junior Devin Grimaldiscored his second career goal … junior Andrew Hodgson scored his first man-up goal since 2011 … the win marked the first time Towson has beaten Navy in Annapolis … Towson was not called for any penalties and went 1-3 on EMO.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 8, Navy 7
Towson (3-4)     0-5-1-2/8
Navy (3-4)         3-2-2-0/7

GOALS: TOW – Dobyns 2, Hodgson 2, Cuccinello, DeNapoli, Grimaldi, Zoppo; NAVY – Dabbs 2, Voumard, Jones, Durkin, Heneveld, Hull. ASSISTS: TOW – Zoppo 2, Bolewicki, Dobyns, Hutchinson; NAVY – Voumard, Hull, Jones. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (14, 60:00, 7 goals allowed); NAVY – Hickey (7, 60:00, 8 goals allowed).SHOTS: TOW – 28; NAVY – 35. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 29; NAVY – 30. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 7-19; NAVY – 12-19. CLEARS: TOW – 20-25; NAVY – 17-20. EMO: TOW – 1-3; NAVY – 0-0. ATTENDANCE: 824.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  Fresh off its 12-11 victory over Patriot League foe Lafayette this past Saturday, the Navy men’s lacrosse team (3-3, 1-1 Patriot League) will step away from conference action to face Towson (2-4) on Tuesday evening.  Meeting for the 12th time in series history, the Mids and Tigers will face off at 7:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

After being held to just two goals by Bucknell the week prior, Navy’s offense caught fire on Saturday against the the Leopards where five players accounted for the 12 goals including three players with hat tricks.   The Mids outscored Lafayette 4-2 to start out the fourth quarter to take a 12-9 advantage, but Lafayette closed to within one after scoring back-to-back goals in the final 17 seconds of the game.

Towson, meanwhile, has won two of its last three contests but surrendered a 10-9 decision in overtime to Marist at home last Friday.  Knotted at nine through three quarters, neither team could get on the board in the fourth, forcing overtime.  Jack Doherty punched in his fourth goal of the night with just one second remaining in overtime to lead the Red Foxes to victory.

The game will be streamed online via Navy All-Access (subscription) with live stats available at NavySports.com.

Opening Face-Off
Towson lost a tough one against Marist at home on Friday, 10-9 in overtime. Navy is coming off a narrow 12-11 win over Lafayette at home on Saturday. Today’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Junior Thomas DeNapoli’s career-high five goals (and fourth-straight hat trick) led the Tigers in the OT loss to Marist. The Red Foxes scored five of the last seven goals in the game to seal the win. DeNapoli’s 18 goals and 21 points lead Towson. Senior Andrew Wascavage has a 9.48 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .540 in net for the Tigers.

Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy is 3-3 on the season after squeaking out a 12-11 win in Annapolis last weekend.. The win snapped a three-game losing streak. Navy had won the first two games of the season. The Midshipmen have outscored opponents 62-56 so far and hold edges in ground balls (217-202), caused turnovers (70-61) and shots (223-216). Sam Jones leads Navy with 11 goals. He is followed closely behind by Gabe Voumard’s 10 goals. The goalie of record is Nolan Hickey. He has a goals-against-average of 9.11 and a save percentage of .584.

Towson-Navy Series History
Navy leads the all-time series 7-4. The Midshipmen have won the last two games contested. The series began in 1975 with Navy winning the opening salvo, 13-9. The teams did not play again until 1991 when the Tigers won at home, 15-8. Navy and Towson played regularly throughout the ‘90s before the series went on a 13-year hiatus. It resumed in 2010. Towson has never won at Navy.

Towson-Navy By the Numbers

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  T.J. Hanzsche (Fr./Berwyn, Pa.), Sam Jones (Jr./Annapolis, Md.) and Gabe Voumard (So./Cape May, N.J.) pitched in hat tricks for the Mids, while long pole Pat Kiernan (Jr./Ridgewood, N.J.) posted a career-high seven caused turnovers and picked up seven ground balls to lead the Navy men’s lacrosse team to a 12-11 victory over Patriot League foe Lafayette Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.   The Midshipmen are now 54-5 when scoring 10 or more goals since the start of the 2004 season, including 8-0 over the last two seasons.

The win snapped a three-game skid by the Mids that featured a pair of one-goal losses to Fairfield and Georgetown.  Meanwhile it also extended Navy’s home-game winning streak to four in a row dating back to last year’s regular-season finale against Johns Hopkins.

The game featured multiple runs by both teams as the see-saw affair was highlighted by six ties.

“We tried to get away from them several times, but just couldn’t shake them,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “Jim Rogalski is doing a heck of a job with his team.  Their attack is tough, but we felt confident we could match up well.”

The Mids opened the game scoring back-to-back goals just 37 seconds apart, including the game’s first goal at 12:40 by Hanzsche.  The rookie attackman received his first collegiate starting nod and became the 16th different Navy player to score a goal this season.

“We weren’t looking for T.J. to be the answer, but we were hoping he’d be part of the solution for us.  He played calm and within himself and definitely took advantage of the opportunities he was presented with.  I think he’s a dynamic player.”

Lafayette evened the score by the end of the quarter with sophomore attackman Brian Bock scoring the first of his game-high four goals and rookie attackman Kevin Wanke punching in his first of four goals with an extra-man strike.

Navy and Lafayette exchanged goals in the second quarter, however a turnover on a failed clear attempt by Sonny Round was converted into the go-ahead goal by the Mids when short stick defensive middie Cade Norris (Sr./Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) found Jones to give the Mids a 4-3 halftime advantage.

Navy took a two-goal lead when Voumard found a seam on the left wing just 1:13 into the second half.

Lafayette responded with three straight goals over a one-minute, 14-second span to take its first lead in the game at 6-5 with 10:51 to go in the third quarter.  Bock scored the first two goals, including a near point blank shot after a turnover by Navy defenseman Nik Mullen (Jr./Wading River, N.Y.) in front of the Navy goal, while Bock provided the assist on the third goal in the run.

The Mids stunted the Leopards’ run at 8:52 when attackman Tucker Hull (Jr./Charlotte, N.C.) came around the left side of the goal and Jones found him to knot the game at 6-6.

Lafayette came right back two minutes later with rookie middie Brendan Dunlap scoring from 15 yards out on a 5-on-3 advantage and giving Lafayette the lead once again.

Navy, though, would score the final two goals of the third quarter, both by Hanzsche, to regain the lead by quarter’s end.  The second of Hanzsche’s goals was scored off a heads-up play by midfielder Jay Mann (Sr./Cockeysville, Md.).  After an offside call against Lafayette with four seconds remaining in the period, Navy took advantage of the quick whistle and Mann found Hanzsche just outside of the crease for a buzzer beater.

While Bock’s extra-man goal at 13:16 in the fourth quarter once again tied the game (8-8), Navy went on to score four of the next five goals to take a lead it would not relinquish.

The Midshipmen held a comfortable 12-9 lead with 2:18 remaining, but a disciplined Lafayette team scored twice in the final 17 seconds which included its fourth extra-man goal of the game against the nation’s top-ranked man-down squad.  The Mids came into the contest having given up just two goals in 24 extra-man opportunities, but surrendered the four goals on Lafayette’s six attempts.

Hanzsche, Jones and Voumard paced Navy with each scoring three goals and adding an assist, while Hull is now just one point shy of the 100-point list after posting a pair of goals in Saturday’s win.  Midfielder Bryce Dabbs (Sr./Damascus, Md.) also scored a goal and dealt out an assist.

Kiernan played a nearly flawless game as he caused seven of Lafayette’s 17 turnovers, while contributing a team-high tying seven ground balls.  Close defenseman Austin Miller (Sr./North Bethesda, Md.) also picked up seven ground balls in a solid defensive effort by the Mids.  Senior keeper Nolan Hickey (Garden City, N.Y.) finished the game with 13 saves, including nine in the opening half.

Navy just edged Lafayette in the faceoff battle, taking wins on 14 of the 26 draws.  Rookie Sean Reilly (Doylestown, Pa.) won 11 of the 21 for the Mids, while pole Pat Menezes (Fr./Wading River, N.Y.) was 2 for 3 in his first appearance at the “x” and Evan McGoogan (Sr./Cranberry Township, Pa.) was 1-for-2.

Lafayette was anchored by its starting attack which accounted for eight of the 11 goals, including four each by Bock and Wanke.

The Midshipmen return to action on Tuesday when they play host to Towson at 7:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.