Game Preview
•  Navy (3-9, 1-5 Patriot League) will close out the 2013 campaign on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Baltimore to battle 11th-ranked Johns Hopkins (7-4) … the 87th edition of the Navy-Johns Hopkins game is slated for a 4:00 pm faceoff at Homewood Field.
• Saturday’s contest will mark the final collegiate game for Navy’s 11 seniors.
• The Mids are coming off a 14-7 loss to arch rival Army last Saturday in Annapolis … the Black Knights jumped out to a 4-1 lead and while Navy would close to within 2 early in the second half, Army’s attack combo of Garrett Thul and John Glesener was too much to overcome.
• Johns Hopkins, meanwhile, upset top-ranked Maryland last Saturday in College Park, 7-4, in what is one of the longest rivalries in the sport.
• Saturday’s contest will be televised by ESPNU with Mark Dixon (play by play) and Quint Kessenich (analyst) calling the action.

Navy vs. Johns Hopkins – The Series
• Saturday’s contest marks the 87th meeting between Navy and Johns Hopkins … it’s the 64th-consecutive year the two programs have battled and it is the third-longest continuous series between Navy and another team on the lax field behind Army-Navy and Navy-Maryland.
• The Blue Jays own a commanding 58-27-1 advantage in the series, however Johns Hopkins’ amazing 36-game winning streak was snapped in 2010.  Navy again surprised the Blue Jays with an 8-2 victory last spring in Annapolis.
• Johns Hopkins owns a 27-7 record in games played against the Mids on its home field … the last time Navy scored a victory over the Blue Jays in Baltimore was May 10, 1969, when the Mids posted a 9-6 win.
• Seven of the last 14 games between Navy and Johns Hopkins have been decided by one goal, including five of the last 10 … additionally, four of the seven one-goal games have gone into extra minutes.
• Second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell is 1-0 all-time against the Blue Jays.

Scouting the Blue Jays
• Thirteenth-year head coach Dave Pietramala has guided the 11th-ranked Blue Jays to a 7-4 record this spring which includes a 4-2 mark at home.
• Hopkins has losses to 12th-ranked Princeton (11-8), 11th-ranked Syracuse (13-8), 7th-ranked North Carolina (11-10 OT) and 20th-ranked Albany (10-9).
• Despite those disappointing losses, the Blue Jays are coming off a strong performance that saw them upset No. 1-ranked Maryland last Saturday in College Park, 7-4.  It was a game Hopkins never trailed in.
• Meanwhile, following its matchup against the Mids, Johns Hopkins will face Loyola next Saturday at Homewood Field before capping the regular season with a road trip to West Point to face Army on May 3.
• Sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick and junior attackman Brandon Benn lead the way for the Blue Jays as both have amassed 20-plus goals this season.   Stanwick is atop the scoring leader board with 38 points on 22 goals and 16 assists and owns the nation’s fourth-best shooting percentage at 55.0 percent.  Meanwhile, Benn has punched in a team-best 23 goals and added just one assist as the team’s second-leading scorer.
• Senior attackman Zach Palmer has split his 24 points in half with 12 goals scored and 12 assists dealt out.
• Hopkins stands sixth nationally in extra-man offense, punching in goals on 47.9 percent of its opportunities.  The Blue Jays have scored 23 goals on 48 attempts.  Rookie attackman Ryan Brown has been the sharpshooter on EMO’s, scoring 8 of his 13 goals a man up.
• One of the best faceoff teams in the country, Hopkins is led by senior Mike Poppleton who has won an amazing 66.5 percent (135-203) of his draws and stands No. 2 in the country behind Bryant’s Kevin Massa (71.6).  As a team, the Blue Jays are ranked third, winning 63.7 percent of their draws
• Senior Pierce Bassett has started all 10 games as the Blue Jays’ netminder.  He owns an 8.23 goals-against average and a 58.9 save percentage which is ninth best in the country.

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 24th on Navy’s all-time scoring list with 105 points, just one behind 23rd-place Matt Pawlikowski (1990-93).
• Meanwhile, last Saturday junior attackman Sam Jones joined the elite 100-point list with 2 goals and an assist against arch rival Army.
• Jones is ranked 25th on Navy’s all-time scoring list with 102 points, just one behind 24th-place Billy Looney (2004-07).
• Hull and Jones are 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) and Billy Looney (103) from the Class of 2007 are the others.
• Hull and Jones are just the 13th and 14th players, respectively, to reach the 100-point mark as a junior in program history.  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 20 points on 13 goals and 7 assists.
• Jones, who leads the team with 33 points on 21 goals and 12 assists, has reached the 30-point milestone as a freshman, sophomore and junior … he is one of only 7 players in program history to achieve that feat, joining Paul Basile, James Chambers, Ian Dingman, Mike Herger, Jeff Long and Nick Mirabito.
• 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 to tie to tie Owen McFadden (1964-66) for 17th on the list … he needs 2 to tie 16th-place Brendan Schneck (1977-78).

Fast Facts
• Sophomore attackmen Tucker Hull and Sam Jones have started every game (37) they have played in since their arrival in 2011 … junior midfielder Pat Durkin saw his 19-game starting streak come to an end against Holy Cross, however, he has started 24 of the last 25 games … meanwhile senior midfielder Bryce Dabbs has gotten the starting nod in 23 of the 24 games in which he’s played.
• At least one Navy player has turned in a hat trick in 36 of the last 58 games (dating back to the 2009 season), including seven of the 12 games this season … Sam Jones has registered a team-high 4 hat tricks this season and 10 for his career, while sophomore midfielder Gabe Voumard and junior attackman Tucker Hull have posted a pair of hat tricks …T.J. Hanzsche and Erik Hoffstadt have also turned in hat tricks for the Mids this spring.
• 48 of Navy’s 99 goals (48.5) this season have been unassisted, including 10 of Gabe Voumard’s 12 scores.  Last year 46 of Navy’s 109 goals (42.2) were unassisted.  Additionally, 13 of Sam Jones’ team-high 21 goals have been unassisted.
• Since 2004, Navy owns an amazing 55-2 record when holding its opponents to six or fewer goals, including a 13-1 mark in the last five seasons combined.
• Navy owns a remarkable 54-5 record when scoring 10 or more goals since 2004, including a 30-4 mark in the last five seasons (9-1 in 2009, 10-1 in 2010, 3-2 in 2011, 5-0 in 2012 and 3-0 in 2013).
• At least one pole has scored either a goal or dealt out an assist every year since 1994.  Last year, Pat Kiernan led the charge with 10 points on 7 goals and 3 assists.  He extended the Navy point scoring streak with a goal in the Mids’ win over Detroit.
• The 20-7 win over VMI in the opener marked the Mids’ largest scoring output since dealing Holy Cross a 23-5 loss on April 18, 2004.
• The 13-goal win was Navy’s largest margin of victory since beating Holy Cross 16-3 on March 15, 2008.
• The Midshipmen have scored man-down goals twice this season, marking the most man-down goals since scoring two in 2006.

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.

BALTIMORE, Md. —  Attackman Ryan Walsh and Peter Baum combined for seven goals and three assists to lead the Colgate men’s lacrosse team (7-2, 2-0 Patriot League) to an 11-3 victory over Navy (3-6, 1-3 PL) Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the Konica Minolta Faceoff Classic played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

“At the end of the day, Colgate was the better team from start to finish,” said second-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell.  “You have to tip your hat to Colgate, they played a really good game.”

Colgate opened the game scoring four in a row, including back-to-back goals just seven seconds apart by Walsh and fellow attackman Brendon McCann.  Walsh found McCann cutting up the middle with 7:11 to go in the first period and at 7:04 McCann returned the favor, feeding Walsh for a point blank shot to give the Raiders a 4-0 lead.

Rookie attackman T.J. Hanzsche (Berwyn, Pa.) finally got the Mids on the scoreboard when he beat Colgate defenseman Kevin Boyle and fired in his diving shot from the right crease with 2:34 remaining in the quarter.

Navy closed to within two (4-2) with 9:57 to play in the second quarter when freshman Patrick Keena (Vienna, Va.) picked up the loose ball after his initial shot was saved by keeper Conor Murphy and he stuffed the ball into the net on extra-man as he was tackled to the ground.

After nearly 16 minutes without a goal, Colgate’s Walsh came around the left side of the goal and bulled his way past Navy senior defenseman Jay Christopher to spark a seven-goal run by the Raiders.

Colgate held a 6-2 lead at the half and pushed it to 9-2 after three quarters of play.  The Raiders scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter before Navy’s 31-minute scoring drought ended when junior middie Sean Price (Millersville, Md.) found classmate Austin Heneveld (East Hampton, N.Y.) cutting into the middle of the field and Heneveld found the seam for the Mids’ third and final goal.

The two teams combined for 41 turnovers including 25 in the second half, while the Mids were just 14 for 20 on clears and Colgate was 19 for 29.

Navy’s starting attack and midfield scored just one point in the game, while its bench combined for two goals and an assist.  Leading scorer Sam Jones was held without a point for the first time in 12 games.  The last time he did not score a point was in last year’s conference loss to Lehigh (3-30) in Annapolis.

“Right now we don’t have a lot of flow or pace on the offensive end,” said Jones, who is just 10 points shy of becoming one of only 31 players in program history to score 100 points.  “We aren’t creating good opportunities for ourselves and when we do, we fail to capitalize.  We’re hesitant and I think that results in us not taking very high percentage shots.”

Senior faceoff specialist Evan McGoogan (Cranberry Township, Pa.) was a bright spot on the stat sheet for the Mids, winning 8 of the 15 draws he took and grabbed a team-high tying five ground balls.

Walsh led Colgate with seven points on four goals and three assists, while Paul contributed three goals and starting middie Jimmy Ryan added two goals and an assist.

The Mids return to action next Saturday when face Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. in what will be their third straight game away from Annapolis.  Game time is slated for 1:00 pm.

“I find it hard to believe that our guys are going o throw in the towel,” added Sowell, regarding Navy’s final four regular-season games.  “It’s part of who I am, but it’s also what I’ve learned from this team.  We’re gong to stick through this and see it through to the end.  When we win, we’ll win with class and when we have a loss, we’ll lose with class.  But on Monday we are going to prepare for the next game and have the team ready to go for Lehigh.”

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.