ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Led by junior attacker Aimee Gennaro’s (Havertown, Pa.) game-high six points and a stout team defense, the No. 15/12 Navy women’s lacrosse team (18-1) won a fourth-straight Patriot League Tournament title by defeating Holy Cross (9-10), 14-4, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Navy earns the Patriot League’s automatic berth to the 26-team NCAA Tournament and will learn its opponent and site during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, May 5th at 9:00 PM on NCAA.com. Navy will be making a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

“I am so proud of our team for stepping onto the field today and winning our fourth Patriot League title,” head coach Cindy Timchal said. “It is certainly a reflection of how hard this team has worked. I give credit to Holy Cross as well. They proved they are a Patriot League finalist team and played brilliantly on Friday night. We were fortunate to get a fast start against them today, but they played tough all the way.”

Gennaro tallied five goals with one assist in Sunday’s final after scoring a game-high five points on two goals and three assists in Navy’s 9-8 semifinal win over Lafayette on Friday. Gennaro was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team for the second time in her career.

Senior attacker Jasmine DePompeo (Sayville, N.Y.) earned Patriot League Tournament MVP honors for the second time. DePompeo had six points in Navy’s two tournament wins and broke the Patriot League’s single-season scoring record on Sunday with her 120th point of the season (55 goals, 65 assists).

Her 65 assists rank as the fifth-best in a single season in NCAA history and she is the nation’s leading scorer. DePompeo was named to the Tewaaraton Award nominee list and is a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.

Sophomore midfielder Lindsay Rheiner (Wycombe, Pa.) and goalie Annie Foky (Charlottesville, Va.) rounded out Navy’s four selections to the all-tournament team.

After trailing at halftime in its previous three games, Navy had a strong start against Holy Cross by scoring the first two goals and taking a 10-2 halftime lead.

“We knew we had to step onto that field with a lot of confidence,” Timchal said. “We knew that we would have to get a fast start and play tough the whole way through.”

Gennaro scored just one minute into the game on a free-position goal and then tallied her second four minutes later.

After Holy Cross’ Kat Sutton scored, senior attacker Kathy Young (Berwyn, Pa.) scored her first of four goals and then assisted on junior midfielder Jill Coughlin’s (Annapolis, Md.) strike.

Holy Cross slipped in another goal to make it 4-2, but the Mids took over with an 8-0 run over the next 18 minutes. Gennaro opened the spurt with another free-position goal and then senior defender Brijet Mall (Cumming, Ga.) raced down the field on a clear and went unmarked to the cage and put in her first career goal, which set off a wild celebration on the Navy sideline.

Sophomore midfielder Casey Browne (Miller Place, N.Y.) followed with a strike before Young once again found the back of the net.

DePompeo then got involved with back-to-back assists, first setting up sophomore attacker Loren Generi (Bayport, N.Y.) and then feeding Gennaro with just 18 seconds remaining in the first half. Navy scored 10 goals on just 11 shots in the first half.

Navy opened the second with back-to-back goals on tallies by Young and Gennaro as the lead grew to 10 at 12-2. The Crusaders chipped away with back-to-back goals with 11 minutes remaining, but Navy’s Young and Generi scored the game’s final two goals for the 14-4 final.

Generi had two goals and four draw controls and became Navy’s career leader with 221 draw controls in just two seasons of play. Generi has 103 draw controls this season after a school single season record of 118 in 2012.

Foky made six saves, after stopping seven shots on Friday night, to improve to 16-1 in the cage.

Rheiner had three ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers against Holy Cross after tallying two goals, four ground balls, three caused turnovers and a draw control in the semifinals.

Young scored four goals on Sunday and had a goal and an assist on Friday.

Holy Cross held a slight edge in shots at 21-20, Navy led in ground balls (14-11) and draw controls were even at 10-10.

The victory extends Navy’s program record winning streak to 12 games and the Mids have won 18-straight against league opponents.

Navy also defeated Holy Cross in the 2012 tournament final, 18-11.

The Patriot League Tournament is presented by Rockin’ Refuel.

2013 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Navy
Jasmine DePompeo (MVP)
Aimee Gennaro
Lindsay Rheiner
Annie Foky

Holy Cross
Maddie Carrellas
Sara Cox
Kat Sutton

Lafayette
Ana White
Addie Godfrey

American
Kimberly Collins
Alex Lugovina

Game Preview
• Bragging rights will be on the line this Saturday when  Navy (3-8, 1-4 Patriot League) battles arch rival Army (6-4, 2-2 PL) in the annual Star Game … the 92nd edition of the Army-Navy Game is slated for a 2:00 pm faceoff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
• Saturday’s contest will mark the final collegiate game for Navy’s 11 seniors … those 11 players and their parents, along with three support staff members from the Class of 2013, will be honored in a pregame ceremony..
• Navy is looking to bounce back after dropping an 11-8 decision to No. 1-ranked Maryland last Friday evening in Annapolis.  The Terps jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Mids rallied to score 5 straight and hold a 5-3 second quarter lead.  The Terps, however, regrouped in the second half and a 6-2 run would be the difference maker in the come-from-behind victory .
• Army is coming off a tough one-goal loss to Bucknell.  Although the Black Knights held a 5-3 halftime advantage, the Bison would scored five of the next six goals to take a lead it would not relinquish en route to the 9-8 win at West Point. Army was held scoreless the entire third quarter, giving way to Bucknell.
• Saturday’s contest will be televised by CBS Sports Network with Dave Ryan (play by play), Evan Washburn (analyst) and Sheehan Stanwick Burch (analyst) calling the action.  The Armed Forces Network will also carry the game for our troops bases overseas.

Army vs. Navy – The Series
• Today’s contest marks the 91st meeting between Army and Navy on the lacrosse field, meeting for the 81st-consecutive year … it’s the longest continuous lacrosse series between Navy and another team.
• Navy owns a 57-31-3 series advantage that included 13-straight wins by the Midshipmen between 1998 and 2007 … the Mids have won 14 of the last 19 contests in the series.
• The Mids also own a 52-30-3 advantage in Star Games, winning 11 of the last 15.
• Army, however, has won five of the last six games in the series, including each of the last four games overall and three-consecutive Star Games.
• Navy owns a 28-14-1 advantage in games played in Annapolist, including seven of the last eight.
• There have been only six times in the 90-game history (dating back to 1924) in which the two programs have battled twice in one season (1978 and 1981 in the NCAA Tournament; 2005, ‘06, ‘07 and ‘10 in the Patriot League Tournament).
• Navy has scored eight or more goals in 21 of the last 24 games against Army … the Mids have held the Black Knights to single digits in nine of the 13 games since joining the league in 2004 … Army has reach double digits just twice in the last nine games against the Mids.

Scouting the Black Knights
• Eighth-year Army head coach Joe Alberici has directed the Black Knights to a 6-4 overall mark, including a 2-2 Patriot League record.
• All four of Army’s losses – Massachusetts, Syracuse, Lehigh and Bucknell – have been against nationally-ranked foes … meanwhile, the Black Knights have wins over Lafayette and Colgate in Patriot League action.
• Army is coming off a tough one-goal loss to Bucknell … the Black Knights held a 5-3 halftime advantage, but the Bison would scored five of the next six goals to take a lead it would not relinquish … Army was held scoreless the entire third quarter, giving way to Bucknell.
• The Black Knights are ranked among the top 10 in scoring defense (#6), holding their foes to 7.60 goals per game, in caused turnovers (#7), posting 9.80 takeaways per contest and in ground balls per game (#10), grabbing 14.7 per contest.
• Army’s two lowest rankings are in shot percentage (#55, 24.1) and saves per game (#50, 10.0).
• Sophomore midfielder John Glesener is atop the scoring leader board for the Black Knights with 44 points on 23 goals and a team-best 21 assists.  Glesener is the only Army player with double digit assists.  He is ranked sixth nationally in points per game and 13th in assists per outing.
• Senior attackman Garrett Thul is the sharp-shooter of the team with a team-best 32 goals, including 5 extra-man strikes.  He is ranked No. 2 in the country with his 3.20 goals per game average behind Cornell’s Steve Mock who is posting 3.70 goals per game.
• Second-year midfielder Alex Newsome has scored 7 of his 14 goals on extra-man.
• Army has used 5 different face-off men this season, however, rookie Alex Daly has taken the majority.  He has won 49.7 percent (78-157) of his draws this season and is pacing the team in ground balls with 40.
• First-year starting keeper Sam Somers has been solid in goal, surrendering 6.79 goals per game and posting a 60.0 save percentage.  He is ranked No. 2 nationally in GAA and sixth in save percentage.
• All-Patriot League defenseman Brendan Buckley is one of three players on the team with double figure caused turnovers and leads the team with 18 takeaways.

Senior Salute
• The Naval Academy Athletic Association will recognize the senior class and its parents prior to start of Saturday’s contest against Army.
• Navy’s 11-player senior class has amassed a 20-30 record, including a 10-13 Patriot League mark.
• The following is a list of Navy’s seniors and their service assignments.

Jay Christopher    Navy Pilot
Bryce Dabbs    Supply Corps
Brye French    Marine Corps Ground
Nolan Hickey    Marine Corps Ground
Brendan Lewis    Naval Flight Officer
Jay Mann    Special Warfare
Evan McGoogan    Special Warfare
Austin Miller    Marine Corps Ground
Cade Norris    Special Warfare
Peter Rogers    Surface Warfare, LHD-1 WASP (Norfolk, Va.)
Chris Talarico    Marine Corps Ground

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 ground balls and is second in caused turnovers.  Additionally, he is among the national leaders in both categories.  He is ranked eighth in caused turnovers per game (2.55) and 21st in ground balls (5.73).
• He is Navy’s record holder for career caused turnovers (50), a stat introduced in 2009 … with 25 caused turnovers this season, he is ranked No. 3 on the Mids’ single-season list … also ranked ninth (14, 2012) and tied for 13th (11, 2011) on the chart.
• 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.
• He is ied for 16th on Navy’s career ground balls list with 134 alongside Eddie McKinnon (1999-02) and Joe Donnelly (1985-88) … he needs 5 to tie 15th-place Matt Pawlikowski (1990-93) … meanwhile, he is 11th on the Mids’ single-season chart with 63 grounders … it’s the most ground balls by a Navy player since 2008 when draw specialist Mikelis Visgauss grabbed 80.
• He also stands 19th on the Mids’ career faceoff wins list, winning 22 of the 43 draws (51.2) he has taken.
• 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 (54 pts), Loyola’s Scott Ratliff (40), Brown’s Roger Ferguson (27), Maryland’s Jesse Bernhardt (19), Dillon Ayers of St. John’s (18), Bellarmine’s Bobby Schmitt (16) and Mark Burns of Mount St. Mary’s (13).  Syracuse’s Matt Harris and Air Force’s Kyle O’Brien also have 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.

Welcome to the Club!
• On March 12, Navy junior attackman Tucker Hull became the 30th player in program history to join the Mids’ elite list of 100-point scorers.  He is the first player to add his name to the list since 2011 when Andy Warner graduated with 101 points.
• Hull currently stands 25th on Navy’s all-time scoring list with 102 points, just one behind 24th-place Billy Looney(2004-07).
• Meanwhile, junior attackman Sam Jones is ONE point away from 100.  Should Jones reach that milestone, it would be only the fourth set of classmates in program history to reach 100 points.  Brendan Schneck (121) and Mike Hannan (101) from the Class of ‘78, Mike Herger (197) and Brian Keith (134) from the Class of 1990 and Ian Dingman (188) andBilly Looney (103) from the Class of 2007 are the others.
• Hull is just the 13th player in program history to reach the 100-point mark as a junior.  Mike Herger (109), Ian Dingman(102) and Brendan Schneck (121) accomplished it as sophomores.
• Hull led Navy in scoring in each of his first two seasons and is once again one of the leaders this season as he stands No. 2 in scoring with 17 points on 10 goals and 7 assists.
• As a rookie, he and classmate Sam Jones anchored an offense with 38 points on 23 goals and 15 assists.  Last season, Hull produced 47 points on 23 goals and 24 assists.
• Hull is the Mids’ first 40-point scorer since Nick Mirabito turned in 46 points on 23 goals and 23 assists in 2008 … it’s the most points scored by a Navy player since 2006 when Jon Birsner dealt out 36 assists en route to his 54-point effort.
• With his 3 assists against Detroit, Hull joined the Mids’ all-time career assists list … he produced his 46th career assist against No. 1-ranked Maryland last Friday to tie to tie Owen McFadden (1964-66) for 17th on the list … he needs 2 to tie 16th-place Brendan Schneck (1977-78).

BETHLEHEM, Pa. —  Junior attackman Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) played a role in six of the Mids’ seven goals, but it wouldn’t be enough as the 18th-ranked Lehigh men’s lacrosse team dealt Navy a 12-7 loss on a sunny afternoon at Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa.  The Mids, who have lost seven of their last eight games, are now 3-7 overall and 1-4 in Patriot League contests, while the Mountain Hawks are 7-4 and 3-0 in conference action.

“We really didn’t get settled in until the second quarter,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “Give Lehigh credit, their offense got going quickly and it was an uphill battle for us from there.

“Our defense has played tough all year, but we just haaven’t been able to find a way to get the ball into the back of the net on the offensive side.”

Lehigh scored the game’s first goal when Navy senior defenseman Austin Miller’s (North Bethesda, Md.) clearing pass was intercepted by Dante Fantoni and he quickly found Alex Drake for the goal at 13:43.  The Mids answered two minutes later when Jones scored the first of his season-high four goals on an unassisted strike.

At the 8:27 mark, senior midfielder Noah Molnar targeted a 15-yard shot that slipped past Navy keeper Nolan Hickey’s (Chaminade, N.Y.) left shoulder and sparked five straight goals by the Mountain Hawks.

After being held without a goal for nearly 16 minutes, Navy finally scored its second goal of the game at the 10:46 mark in the second quarter when senior faceoff specialist Evan McGoogan (Cranberry Township, Pa.) won the draw and fed Jones for the goal.  It was McGoogan’s first collegiate point.

With a 6-2 halftime advantage, Lehigh extended its lead by scoring the first three goals of the third quarter including sophomore attackman Dan Taylor’s third goal of the game.

The Mids got on the scoreboard at the 4:46 mark in the third when, on a timer-on situation, Jones sent a cross-the-field pass to rookie attackman T.J. Hanzsche (Berwyn, Pa.) who was anchored on the right crease and stuffed in his sixth goal of the season.

Lehigh answered two minutes later when Kurtis Kaunas fired off another long shot at Hickey to give Lehigh a 10-3 lead after three quarters of play.

Navy put together as fine a quarter as they’ve had in recent weeks when it scored four goals in the final 15 minutes.  Junior midfielder Erik Hoffstadt (Dover, Del.) kicked it off with an extra-man goal 14 seconds into the final stanza off an assist from Jones.

Lehigh answered with back-to-back goals by Kyle Stiefel and Patrick Corbett, who took advantage of the goalie change from Hickey to rookie John Connors at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Navy, however, regrouped and scored the final three goals of the game, including a pair by Jones.

Jones finished the game with four goals and two assists, marking his third-career six-point game the first of the season.  He is the third Navy player this season to register six points and first since fellow attackman Tucker Hull (Charlotte, N.C.) put up six against Detroit in mid-February.  Meanwhile, he is the first player to post four goals in a game since Gabe Voumard’s (Cape May, N.J.) four-goal effort in a one-goal loss to Fairfield in mid-February.

Meanwhile, Jones came into the contest 10 points shy of the century mark but is now just four points short of becoming the 31st player in program history to reach the elusive 100-point milestone.  Hull scored his 100th point earlier this season against Towson.

Miller led Navy with a career-high eight ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Jones, defenseman Jay Christopher (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and long pole Pat Kiernan (Ridgewood, N.J.) also contributed a pair of takeaways.

McGoogan, meanwhile, won 11 of the 21 faceoffs he took and in doing so moved from 15th to 13th on Navy’s career faceoffs won list with 98.  He trails 12th-place Michael Schaal by 11.

Nine different players accounted for Lehigh’s 12 goals with Taylor (3) and Corbett (2) being the lone multi-goal scorers on the day for the Mountain Hawks.  Reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Matt Poillon came up with nine saves for Lehigh, while Dante Fantoni and Tripp Telesco registered three caused turnovers.

After three straight games on the road, the Mids finally return home on Friday when they play host to No. 2 Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  CBS Sports Network will televise the contest beginning at 7:00 pm with Dave Ryan and Evan Washburn calling the action.

Game Preview
• Looking to snap a three-game losing skid, the Navy men’s lacrosse team will battle 2012 Patriot League Champion Lehigh on Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. … meeting for the 32nd time in series history, the Mids and 18th-ranked Mountain Hawks will face off at 1:00 pm at Ulrich Sports Complex.
• The Midshipmen were dealt their third conference loss of the year last Saturday when Colgate attackmen Peter Baum and Ryan Walsh combined for 7 goals in leading the Raiders to an 11-3 win over Navy in Baltimore at the Face-Off Classic.  Colgate jumped out to a 4-0 lead and after Navy clipped the lead to 2 at 4-2, the Raiders held the Mids off the scoreboard for 31 minutes and rattled off 7 straight goals of their own en route to the victory.
• Meanwhile, after finding itself down 2-1 after the first quarter of play, Lehigh’s David DiMaria (3G) helped the Mountain Hawks outscore Holy Cross 7-3 the rest of the way to post an 8-5 victory over the Crusaders last Saturday in Worcester, Mass.

Scouting the Mountain Hawks
• Sixth-year Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese has led the 18th-ranked Mountain Hawks to a 6-4 record this spring which features Patriot League wins over Army (10-6) and Holy Cross (8-5) … Lehigh has also picked up wins over Saint Joseph’s (14-1), Villanova (11-9), VMI (18-2) and Penn State (12-10) … its losses have come at the hands of Denver (18-10), Air Force (15-10), Penn (6-4) and Massachusetts (6-4).
• Similar to last year, Lehigh fields one of the nation’s best defensive units, giving up just 7.80 goals per game and owning a #7 national ranking.
• One of the keys to the success of the defense is reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year sophomore Matt Poillon … Poillon boasts a 59.1 save percentage which is sixth nationally and his 7.65 goals-against average is the ninth best in the country.
• Additionally, All-Patriot League defenseman Ty Souders leads the way with 17 caused turnovers and 21 grounders while Mike Noone has 14 takeaways and 16 ground balls.
• Newcomer Tripp Telesco has recently stepped up his production on the defensive end and was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week this past Monday.
• Senior David DiMaria is pacing the Mountain Hawks with 40 points on 20 goals and 20 assists and is ranked 16th in points per game (4.00) and assists per game (2.00).
• Fellow starting attackmen Dan Taylor and Dante Fantoni have contributed 27 (15-12) and 26 (16-10) points, respectively.
• Senior Ryan Snyder has taken the bulk of the draws for Lehigh once again this season, winning 81 of the 153 faceoffs (52.9) and is ranked 28th nationally.  He also is pacing the team in ground balls (49), averaging 4.90 per contest.
• While Lehigh is ranked in the top 20 in just two categories, the Mountain Hawks fall no worse than 38th in any given stat.  Averaging 10.70 saves per game, Lehigh is ranked 38th, while its 29.5 ground balls per game average is 37th.

Navy vs. Lehigh – The Series
• Saturday’s contest between Navy and Lehigh marks the 32nd game in a series that began in 1910 … the Midshipmen own a commanding 28-3 series advantage.
• The Mids won the first three contests before suffering their first loss in the series, a 4-3 decision in 1913 … Navy had won 25 in a row against the Mountain Hawks until Lehigh dealt the Mids a 14-10 loss in Bethlehem in 2011.  The Mountain Hawks put together their first winning streak against the Mids by tacking on a 9-4 victory over the Mids last spring.
• Last year’s game marked the first time Navy and Lehigh had met in Annapolis since 2008 … the two played one  another three-straight years in Bethlehem … Saturday’s game marks the fifth among the last six contested in Bethlehem.
• Navy owns a 6-1 series advantage in games played in Bethlehem … the Mids’ lone loss at home was the 2011 game.
• Since Navy joined the league in 2004, the Mids have scored double-figure goals in six of the 11 contests … Navy has produced nine goals in three of the other five games during that stretch.
• Navy and Lehigh have met twice in the Patriot League Tournament, 2005 and 2006, with the Mids winning both.

Weekend Rewind
• Colgate jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and weathered a short-lived rally by the Mids en route to dealing Navy its third straight loss.  After Navy cut the lead to two at 4-2, the Mids were held scoreless for over 30 minutes while Colgate reeled on 7 consecutive goals en route to the 11-3 victory last Saturday in Baltimore at the Face-Off Classic.
• It was the third time this season that Navy has experienced 20-plus minute dry spells – 51:08 vs. Bucknell, 31:02 vs. Colgate, 22:17 vs. Towson.
• The game marked the second straight in which Navy played its foe at a professional sports venue … the previous week the Mids faced Holy Cross at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
• Navy snapped its four-game streak of being held without an extra-man goal when rookie Patrick Keena found the back of the net in the second quarter … Keena has scored 3 of the Mids’ 6 man-up goals this season.
• Junior attackman Sam Jones had his 11-game point-scoring streak snapped by the Raiders … going into the game, he was the only player on the roster to have scored a point in every game this season.
• Meanwhile, sophomore midfielder Gabe Voumard also had his 7-game goal-scoring streak end against Colgate.
• Junior midfielder Sean Price fed Austin Heneveld for the Mids’ final goal of the game … it was Price’s first collegiate assist.
• Rookie T.J. Hanzsche has scored in three games for the Mids and in all three games he has been responsible for Navy’s first goal of the game.
• Senior defenseman Austin Miller recorded 3 caused turnovers in the loss to move into a tie with former teammateMichael Hirsch (2008-11) for second on the Mids’ all-time caused turnover list.  He owns 37, while teammate Pat Kiernan has registered 48 over his career.

Scoring Adventures
• Navy is outscoring its opponents 19-13 in the opening quarter of its 9 games this season, however, the competition has outscored the Mids, 27-19, in the final quarter.
• The Mids own a 41-32 scoring advantage in the first half, but trail 48-36 in the second half (does not include the OT goal by Bucknell).
• In Patriot League games, Navy has been outscored by 18 (40-22) … Navy is struggling in the middle portion of its conference games as the opponent has outscored the Mids 22-10 in the second and third quarters combined.
• Navy averaged 12.0 goals per game (48G) in its first 4 contests … over the last 5 games, Navy is average 5.8 goals per game (29G).
• Overall, the Mids are averaging 8.56 goals per game (77G) and in Patriot League contests they are averaging 5.50 goals per contest (22G) … in nonleague contests, Navy is averaging 11.00 goals per game (55G).
• In 4 of Navy’s 6 losses this season, it has taken an early lead and lost.
• Navy owned a 4-1 lead in the second quarter over Georgetown and lost in OT, 9-8.
• The Mids held a 2-1 advantage against Bucknell and were outscored 10-0 over the last 50 minutes to lose 11-2.
• Against Towson, Navy held 3-0 and 4-1 leads before succumbing, 8-7.
• The Mids jumped out to a 2-1 advantage over Holy Cross early in the second quarter, but dropped a 7-5 decision.

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.
• Navy has maintained its position as the nation’s leader in caused turnovers for the last 3 weeks, forcing 11.44 turnovers per game.  Junior long pole Pat Kiernan is #4 nationally, averaging 2.56 takeaways per game while senior close defenseman Austin Miller is #5, causing 2.44 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 8 of its last 17 opportunites over the last 4 contests.  The Mids are now ranked 12th, giving up goal on 75.6 percent (31-41) of the opportunities.
• Navy is ranked 11th in ground balls per game (33.56) 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 (20th, 9.00) and faceoff win percentage (20th, 53.2).

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.

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, 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.

Game Preview
• After playing three straight games on the road, the Navy men’s lacrosse team returns home to face Patriot League foe Lafayette on Saturday … the 15th edition of the Navy-Lafayette series is set for a 12:00 pm faceoff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• The Mids are coming off a puzzling 11-2 loss that saw Bucknell hold Navy scoreless for 51 minutes.  The Midshipmen built a 2-1 advantage with 6:08 remaining in the opening quarter, but were blanked for the remainder of the game as the Bison scored 10 consecutive goals to deal the Mids their third straight loss.
• Lafayette has lost two in a row, dropping an 8-5 decision to Marist last Saturday and a mid-week contest to Delaware, 11-9.  The Leopards were tied up with the Blue Hens, 7-7, going into the final quarter, but Delaware scored four straight goals and held Lafayette scoreless for over 10 minutes.
• A radio broadcast of Saturday’s contest will be carried by WNAV 1430 AM/99.9 FM with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller handling the call … coverage begins with the Navy lacrosse pregame show at 11:45 am … the game will also be streamed online via Navy All-Access (subscription) with live stats available at NavySports.com.

A Win over Lafayette would …
• snap the Mids’ three-game skid.
• give Navy a 14-1 series advantage over Lafayette and stretch the Mids’ winning streak to four in a row against the Leopards.
• improve the Mids’ record to 9-0 against Lafayette in games played in Annapolis.
• give Navy’s Rick Sowell a 5-1 record all-time against Lafayette, including a 2-0 mark while at Navy.
• give Rick Sowell a 95-90 career record and a 9-9 mark at Navy.
• push Navy’s all-time record to 759-317-14.

Scouting the Leopards
• First-year head coach Jim Rogalski has led Lafayette to a 2-4 record this season with the Leopards actually posting a better record on the road (2-1) as opposed to playing at home (0-3).
• After opening the season with an 11-10 overtime victory against Georgetown, the Leopards have dropped four of their last five games including each of their last two.
• Lafayette was tripped up at home last Saturday by Marist and dropped an 11-9 decision to Delaware on Tuesday after the Blue Hens outscored the Leopards 4-2 in the final quarter.
• Six of the Leopards’ 10 starters return including junior goalkeeper Jake Hyatt who has started all 5 games between the pipes this season where he owns a 9.98 goals-against average and a 58.0 save percentage.  He is averaging 13.8 saves per game which is ranked ninth nationally, while the team as a whole is ranked 10th.
• Additionally, Lafayette’s top two scorers return in sophomore attackman Brian Bock, who led the way a year ago with 30 points on 15 goals and 15 assists, and fellow second-year attackman Cory Scheuerle, who posted 16 points on 14 goals and 2 assists.  Bock recorded 7 goals and 8 assists this spring, while Scheuerle has scored 3 goals.
• After seeing action in 8 of the 13 games a year ago and earning 4 starts, attackman Sonny Round is off to a fantastic start to his sophomore campaign.  He is Lafayette’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 5 assists.  Meanwhile, rookie Kevin Wanke has been solid for the Leopards with 7 goals and 4 assists.
• Senior Greg Rau won 47.7 percent (51-107) of his faceoffs a year ago and is winning at about the same clip this season.  He has won 41 of his 82 draws.
• Senior defenseman Geoff Stears owns a team-high 10 takeaways and is third on the team with 13 ground balls.
• Lafayette has had more extra-man opportunities than any other team in the country with 35.  On Tuesday, Delaware was flagged eight times with the Leopards scoring on three of their eight opportunities.  On the year, Lafayette is 13-for-35 (37.1) on extra-man.

Navy vs. Lafayette – The Series
• Saturday’s contest marks the 15th meeting between the two programs, and the 11th since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004.  Navy leads the series, 13-1.
• The two teams first met in 1926 with Navy earning a 23-0 win … Navy and Lafayette battled one another three times between 1929-31 … the 1931 contest was the last time the two programs had met before the Mids joined the Patriot League.
• The Mids won 10 straight against the Leopards before dropping the program’s only loss to Lafayette on March 12, 2010 in Easton.
• Navy has scored double digits in 11 of the 14 games, while the Mids have held Lafayette to single digits 13 times.
• In the 14-game history, the Mids have outscored the Leopards, 180-64 … since joining the league in ‘04, Navy has outscored Lafayette, 116-63.

Meet the Mids
• Navy will hold its annual “Meet the Mids” event following its game against Lafayette on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Members of the Navy men’s lacrosse team will be available for autographs on the Blue Concourse, with the first 300 kids in line for the postgame autograph session receiving a Navy lacrosse “Meet the Mids” t-shirt, compliments of Annapolis area Papa John’s and Chick-fil-A.
• Navy’s 2013 lacrosse poster and an autograph card will be available, while prizes will also be handed out.
• For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-US4-NAVY or visit NavySports.com(.)

National Leader Board
• According to the latest national statistics released on Monday by the NCAA, the Mids are ranked among the top 20 in four categories including No. 1 in a pair.
• The Mids jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 in caused turnovers this week, averaging 11.8 per contest.  Senior close defenseman Austin Miller, meanwhile, is eighth nationally causing 2.4 turnovers per game while junior long pole Pat Kiernan is 12th, averaging 2.0 per contest.
• Navy is also ranked No. 1 in man-down defense, surrendering just two goals on 24 attempts (91.7).  The Mids have not given up an extra-man goal in their last three games.
• Navy is eighth in ground balls (35.6) 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 saves per game, averaging 13.2.
• Navy dropped out of the top 20 following the Bucknell loss in scoring margin (10th to 26th), scoring defense (13th to 21st), scoring offense (17th to 33rd) and points per game (20th to 35th).

Home Field Advantage
• 2013 marks the 52nd season Navy has played at least one game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Navy owns a 43-19 record (69.4) in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the start of the 2004 campaign, outscoring its foes, 674-454.
• Since playing its entire home schedule at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium beginning in 2004, Navy has lost back-to-back games at home just 5 times … in 2006, the Mids lost to Georgetown, 9-5, and then suffered a 9-8 setback against Johns Hopkins … in 2008, Navy again lost regular-season decisions to the Hoyas and Blue Jays before the Mids’ season concluded with a 10-4 loss to Hopkins in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament … Navy lost back-to-back home games in 2010 to Loyola, 8-7 OT, and North Carolina, 11-4 … in 2011, Navy dropped a one-goal decision to Colgate, a 10-4 contest to No. 7 Maryland and a 14-9 decision to Army … last season, the Mids dropped a one-goal heart breaker to fourth-ranked North Carolina and followed up with a 14-9 loss to Bucknell in the league opener.
• In its 106-year history, Navy has lost 3 straight home games just 5 times …
1980    #1 Virginia, #2 Johns Hopkins, #9 N. Carolina
1985    Washington College, N. Carolina, Army
2003    #13 Rutgers, Air Force, #4 Georgetown,
#4 Maryland
2008    #4 Georgetown, #7 Johns Hopkins,
#4 Johns Hopkins
2011    Colgate, #7 Maryland, #17 Army
… and four-straight home games just once
2003    #13 Rutgers, Air Force, #4 Georgetown,
#4 Maryland
• The 2003 campaign marks the only season in which Navy has lost 4 straight home games at the stadium.
• Having played at least a game a year at the stadium for 42 consecutive years, Navy stepped away in 2003, allowing for state-of-the-art renovations to take place, including the Field Turf surface and two video boards … Navy has played all of its home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the beginning of the 2004 campaign.
• Navy had won 20 consecutive home games against Patriot League foes before dropping a 10-9 decision to Colgate in 2009.
• Opponents have scored double digits against the Mids just 14 times in games played on their home field over the last 10 seasons … Navy has held 21 of its 63 opponents to five or fewer goals since 2004 in games played at home (includes 2010 game vs. VMI played at Rip Miller Field).

LEWISBURG, Pa. —  The Bucknell men’s lacrosse team (3-1, 1-0 Patriot League) overcame an early 2-1 deficit to go on and defeat Navy (2-3, 0-1 PL) 11-2 in both teams’ Patriot League opener played Saturday afternoon at Christy Mathewson Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa.  After opening the season with a pair of wins, the Midshipmen have lost three straight games, all on the road.

The Mids looked to have the hot hand early, jumping out to a 2-1 lead thanks to goals by junior attackman Sam Jones (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomore middie Gabe Voumard (Cape May, N.J.).  Senior midfielder Bryce Dabbs (Damascus, Md.) threaded the needle and sent his pass from the goal-line extended just out of the reach of multiple Bison defenders, hitting Jones for a goal just 1:06 into the contest.

Bucknell senior attackman Chase Bailey answered with a sidewinder at Navy keeper Nolan Hickey’s (Garden City, N.Y.) ankles with 10:27 left in the first period.

Voumard, meanwhile, punched in his seventh goal of the year when he dodged his defender on the left side of the goal for a crease-line goal at the 6:08 mark.

With just under three minutes remaining in the opening period, Bucknell’s Thomas Flibotte got free for a shot that was initially saved by Hickey, but got away from his stick, ricocheted off the pipe and Todd Heritage was Johnny on the spot, picking up the ball in front of the goal and stuffing it in the top right corner.  The Heritage goal sparked four in a row for the Bison which featured a p air of goals by rookie attackman Sean Doyle to give Bucknell a 5-3 halftime lead.

The Bison opened the second half the same way it ended the first, peppering the Navy defense as they outscored the Mids 6-0 in the second half.  The Bucknell defense, meanwhile, kept the Mids off the scoreboard for the final 51 minutes of the contest.

“They really took it to us today,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “Give credit to Bucknell, they really came out and played well.  I felt like we prepared and practiced well all week and were ready to play, but unfortunately we just did not have a good day.”

Bucknell outshot the Mids, 57-14, as Navy got off more shots in the first quarter (6) than it did the entire second half (4).  The Mids’ lack of possession stemmed from their 22 turnovers, most of which were unforced.

Doyle paces all scorers in the game with three goals, while Heritage, Bailey and Flibotte added a pair of goals.  Sophomore middie David Dickson continued  to flourish as the team’s play-maker, dealing out a team-best three assists to go along with his goal.

Jones extended his point-scoring streak to eight straight dating back to last season, while Voumard has now punched in a goal in each of the last four games for the Mids.

Hickey finished the game with a career-high 18 saves in goal, while backup keeper John Connors (Bellmore, N.Y.) contributed one.

The Midshipmen return to action next Saturday when they play host to Lafayette beginning at 12:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Game Preview
• Looking to bounce back after dropping a pair of one-goal decisions a week ago, the Navy men’s lacrosse team (2-2) will travel to Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday to face Bucknell (2-1) in both teams’ Patriot League opener … the 13th edition of the Navy-Bucknell series is set for a 1:00 pm faceoff at Christy Mathewson Stadium.
• After leading by as many as three goals, Navy’s offense sputtered in the middle portion of the game to open the door to a rallying Georgetown squad.  After the Mids took an 8-7 lead with 2:54 to go in regulation, Georgetown answered with a goal 32 seconds later to send the game into overtime where Jeff Fountain notched the game winner.
• While Navy has lost two games by a combined two goals, Bucknell enters the weekend with a 2-1 record winning the two games by a combined three goals including a 10-8 win over Bryant last weekend.

A Win over Bucknell would …
• give Navy a 3-2 start for the first time since 2009 when the Mids began the year 6-2.
• snap a 2-game skid against the Bison.
• give Navy an 8-5 series advantage and would tie the series in games played in Lewisburg at 3-3.
• give Navy head coach Rick Sowell his first win over Bucknell as a head coach … he is 0-1 against the Bison.
• give Rick Sowell a 95-89 career record and a 9-8 mark at Navy.
• push Navy’s all-time record to 759-316-14.
• give the Mids a 6-4 all-time record in Patriot League openers, including a 2-3 mark against Bucknell in openers.
• be Navy’s first win in a Patriot League opener since beating Lehigh, 8-3, in 2010.

Scouting the Bison
• Eighth-year Bucknell head coach Frank Fedorjaka has the Bison off to a 2-1 start, winning their two games against Delaware and Bryant by a combine three goals while dropping a one-goal decision to Mount St. Mary’s.
• Bucknell came from two goals behind in the fourth quarter to defeat Delaware.  Freshman midfielder Thomas Flibotte scored the game-winner with 3:30 to go.
• Ironically, Bucknell owned a two-goal decision over Mount St. Mary’s in the fourth, but gave up two goals in the final 1:35 to suffer its lone loss (12-11) of the season.
• A five-goal second quarter helped Bucknell build an 8-4 halftime lead over Bryant, one it would not relinquich.
• Bucknell has seven returning starters on its roster, including senior goalkeeper Kyle Feeney who owns a 9.23 goals-against average and a 50.0 save percentage.
• Leading the way offensively for the Bison are senior attackman Chase Bailey, second-year midfielder David Dickson and junior attackman Todd Heritage.  Bailey and and Dickson are atop the scoring leader board with 10 points.  Bailey has six goals and four assists, while all 10 of Dickson’s points have come off assists.  Dickson stands sixth in the country averaging 3.33 assists per game.  Heritage, meanwhile, has punched in a team-best eight goals including three on extra-man.
• Junior Jackson Place garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after producing a career-high six caused turnovers.  The starting close defenseman has seven on the year.
• Rookie long pole Alex Spring has been stout, pacing the team with 14 ground balls.
• Bucknell enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the country in turnovers per game, giving up 11.00.  The Bison are fifth nationally in caused turnovers, knocking away 11 per game.
• The two areas Bucknell has struggled at the most this season are faceoffs and saves per game.
• The Bison have yet to decide on a faceoff man, spreading the draws between Gavin Sullivan (9-25), Ryan Gutowski (8-22) and Eric Monfort (8-18).  As a team, the Bison have won just 37.9 percent (25-66) of their draws and stand 56th among 62 teams in the country .
• Bucknell is ranked 56th in saves per game, averaging just 8.67.

Navy vs. Bucknell – The Series
• Saturday’s contest between Navy and Bucknell marks the 13th game in a series that began in 1996 …Bucknell has won three of the last five, including each of the last two.
• Navy had won three straight in the series before rookie Charlie Streep’s goal as time expired snapped the Mids’ winning streak in 2009 during the regular season.
• However, the Mids got sweet revenge on Bucknell’s home field when they scored a 9-8 win in the 2009 Patriot League Championship Game to earn an automatic bid to play in the NCAA Tournament.
• Seven of the 12 games in the series have been decided by one goal, including five of the last six … three of the seven one-goal contests have entered into extra minutes, including two of hte last three … in 2010, midfielder Patrick Moranstuck his shot 1:20 into overtime to lead the Mids to an 8-7 OT win … meanwhile, in 2011 Navy scored four goals in the fourth, including a pair by Nikk Davis in the final 18 seconds of the game to send it into overtime … rookie Todd Heritage, however, found an opening and scored the game-winner for the Bison.
• Bucknell holds a 3-2 advantage in games played in Lewisburg.
• Last year the Bison dealt the Mids their worst loss in series history, beating Navy, 14-9, on its home field.  The 14 goals by Bucknell were the most scored by the Bison in the 12-game history (previously 12 in the 2011 double-overtime win), while the five-goal difference marked the largest margin of victory by either team in the series since Navy scored an 11-5 win over the Bison on March 13, 2004.

Taking the Field In …
10    Navy has lost just five games (53-5) when scoring 10 or more goals since the start of the 2004 season … Navy was 5-0 last season when reaching 10 goals and is 2-0 in 2013.
9    Navy has lost nine straight games when giving up between 8-10 goals to its opponents … the winner of each of the last five Navy-Bucknell games has had to score at least 8 goals for the victory.
8    Junior Sam Jones paced Navy with 3 goals in its overtime loss to Georgetown last Sunday … it marked his eighth collegiate hat trick.
7    Juniors Pat Durkin and Sam Jones head into the Bucknell game riding 7-game point scoring streaks.  Durkin has scored a goal in each of the 7 games.
6    Six of Navy’s 2013 opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the 2012 USILA Coaches Preseason Poll – #1 Maryland, #3 Johns Hopkins, #11 Colgate, #13 Fairfield and #17 Lehigh, while Bucknell is receiving votes.
5    Saturday’s contest marks the fifth time in Navy’s 10 years as a member of the Patriot League that it will open up conference play against Bucknell … the Bison have won three of the four previous openers against the Mids.
4    Sophomore Gabe Voumard punched in a career-high 4 goals at Fairfield a week ago marking his first collegiate hat trick.  Last we he contributed 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points.
3    Junior attackman Tucker Hull needs 3 points to become only the 30th player in program history to score 100 points during their career … the last player in was Andy Warner, who scored 101 points from 2008-11.
2    Junior Tucker Hull has been held without a point in just 2 of the 29 games he has played at Navy.
1    Over the last six seasons, 26 (10-16) of the Mids’ 76 contests have been decided by one goal … the Mids are 0-2 this season in one-goal contests.

Weekend Rewind
• A goal by Jeff Fountain scored 2:56 into overtime led Georgetown to a 9-8 overtime victory over the Mids last Sunday in Washington, D.C.
• Five of the last six meetings between the Mids and Hoyas have been decided by one goal and all five have been in favor of Georgetown.  Meanwhile, three of the last five matchups have been decided in overtime, however, this marked the first in Washington, D.C..
• Navy held a 3-goal advantage in with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter but was held to just one goal over the next 17 minutes, giving way to the Hoyas to work their way back into the game.
• Georgetown led twice in the game, scoring the first goal just seven seconds into the contest and the final goal.  In between, there were five ties, including three in the final quarter of play.
• Goals by Pat Durkin, Tucker Hull and Sam Jones extended point scoring streaks for the trio … Durkin and Jones own a team-best seven straight games with a point, while Hull is riding a five-game streak with assists in each of those games.  Durkin, meanwhile, has punched in a goal in each of the last seven contests.
• Junior attackman Tucker Hull dealt out an assist to go along with his goal, moving into a tie for 18th on the Mids’ all-time career assists list with 45.
• Senior team captain Nolan Hickey played a solid game between the pipes that featured a second consecutive career-high 15-save performance.  He also recorded his best single-game save percentage at 62.5 percent.
• After being held scoreless in the opener, Gabe Voumard has produced 8 points on 6 goals and 2 assists in the last 3 games, including 1 goal and 2 assists against Georgetown.  All 6 of his goals this season have been unassisted.
• Senior faceoff specialist Evan McGoogan moved into 16th place on the Mids’ all-time faceoff wins list after taking 6 of the 16 draws against the Hoyas.  He owns 58 career wins.
• Navy’s man-down unit continues to flourish … the Mids were flagged twice against the Hoyas, but held firm … on the year, Navy has surrendered just two goals on 22 man-up opportunities by its opponents and is ranked 8th nationally (.091).
• Navy was outshot (33-30) and outground balled (39-32) for the first time this season.
• Navy had won seven in a row when leading after three quarters of play.  Under Rick Sowell, the Mids are 8-2 when going into the final quarter with the lead.  In addition to Georgetown, North Carolina is the only other team to overcome a third quarter deficit and win under Sowell’s direction.

Hull Approaches Century Mark
• Navy junior attackman Tucker Hull led Navy in scoring in each of his first two seasons and is once again atop the leader board this season with 12 points on 6 goals and 6 assists.
• As a rookie, he and classmate Sam Jones anchored an offense with 38 points on 23 goals and 15 assists.  Last season, Hull produced 47 points on 23 goals and 24 assists.
• Hull is the Mids’ first 40-point scorer since Nick Mirabito turned in 46 points on 23 goals and 23 assists in 2008 … it’s the most points scored by a Navy player since 2006 when Jon Birsner dealt out 36 assists en route to his 54-point effort.
• Hull is only 3 points shy of joining Navy’s elite list of 100-point scorers, while Jones is 20 points away from 100 … there are just 29 current members of the group with the last player, Andy Warner, joining the list in 2011 with 101-career points.
• With his 3 assists against Detroit, Hull joined the Mids’ all-time career assists list … he produced his 45th career assist at Georgetown to tie Bruce Seitz (1980-83) and Eddie McKinnon (1999-02) for 18th on the list … he needs 1 to tie 17th-place Owen McFadden (1964-66).

Patriot League Success
• Since joining the Patriot League in 2004, Navy is 52-16 (74.5) against conference members, which includes an 11-2 mark in the Patriot League Tournament … the Mids are 41-13 in regular-season action.
• The Mids have lost regular-season contests to …
Army (3)    2008, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12
Bucknell (4)    2005, ‘09, ‘11, ‘12
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.
• Eleven of the 16 losses were in games played either at the opponent’s field or at a neutral site.
• Navy owns a 24-5 record at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against Patriot League competition since joining the conference in 2004 … the Mids are 18-5 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.