Collegiate Men's Lacrosse

GreatAmerican · March 19, 2008, 9:42am

By Christian Swezey

Posted Mar 19, 2008

Only two teams have beaten Navy in Patriot League play. Step forward, Bucknell and Colgate. They also happen to be Navy's next two opponents, starting today with a home game against the Bison. Here's a quick look at the matchup.

KEY STAT: 28-29
Faceoffs Navy has won in the past two games in the series. It went 12-12 last year and 16-17 in 2006. Of course, most of that was from William Wallace, who has since graduated.

BUCKNELL (5-1)
Bucknell is an unusual team. It uses regularly the "hidden ball trick" as part of its offense, both regular and extra-man. It also uses a 10-man ride on dead ball clearing situations; essentially, it's a full-court, man-to-man pressure defense with the goalie defending the furthest attackman.

The best way to beat it is with quick, flat clearing passes through the middle. Lofted passes tend to give the defense a chance to swarm, as do players who try to break the press/ride by themselves. A quick pass from the goalie into the middle of the field, preferably to a shortstick, usually does the trick. It is very tempting also to take a 40-yard shot--Mirabito did it in 2006 in San Diego--and that works if there is a player to back-up the shot if it goes wide.

This Bison team is a little different from past teams, and frankly, that is to say it's better than past teams. Sophomore A Austin Winter is different from past Bucknell attackman. Guys like Chris Cara (5-feet-6) and Pat Christiansen (5-10 and kinda pudgy) he is not. Winter is 6-4, 200, so he's a tough matchup on a number of levels. I watched last year's game over the computer and I could not tell if DiNola guarded Winter or not, but it looked like he did. That almost certainly will be the way it goes today.

Brandau, another attackman, also has decent size (5-11, 180) and is explosive, especially goalline extended. That is the place that Navy does not like defending because it messes with its slide packages. See if Bucknell looks to have success there first. Last year the Bison used a lot of big-little screens behind with Winter and a middie but there wasn't much urgency to it. I expect that will be different today.

NAVY (6-1)
The Midshipmen appear to have three midfields they will use regularly. The third midfield played just as much as the first midfield against Lehigh and actually was the highest-scoring unit of the three. Bucknell has a tendency not to slide to every midfielder in the middle of the field; that is something Navy can use to its advantage, because all three lines have good shooters--Daratsos and Moran on the first line and Standen on the third line in particular.

In terms of outside shots, I'd also like to see Beggins (second line) get his hands free for a couple since he shoots bouncers really well.

Bucknell's goalie, Sciubba, had a great game last year in a 6-3 loss. Navy didn't vary its shooting location much--Dingman in particular went high-high often. It is tempting to do it against Sciubba because he is 5-feet-9, and everyone thinks he will have problems getting the high shots. But like Scherr at Delaware, a similarly-sized goalie, Sciubba has no problems on most high shots. I think Navy can get inside on the Bison with inside rolls--especially with Higgins starting behind the goal--but that's only half the battle. They have to finish shots against Sciubba as well.

OVERALL
Couple things to watch: the faceoffs, and in particular the wing play; Bucknell's 10-man rides and, if Navy breaks it, the resultant either 40-yard shots or 4-on-3 breaks. If the weather is bad, that makes Bucknell's rides even more dangerous.

GreatAmerican · March 20, 2008, 7:31am

<h1>8 Navy def. #12 Bucknell, 4-3 OT</h1>

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Men's Lacrosse Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Tim Paul Leads Navy to 4-3 Win over Bucknell in OT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After being shut down nearly the entire game by a swarming Bucknell zone defense, Navy sophomore attack Tim Paul (Parkton, Md.) broke free from his defender and sank a shot over backup keeper Matt Antonelli's shoulder with 1:20 remaining in overtime to lead the eighth-ranked Navy men's lacrosse team to a 4-3 victory over the No. 12 Bison Wednesday afternoon at a soggy Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. In a battle of the Patriot League unbeatens, Navy improved to 7-1 on the year and 4-0 in conference action, while the Bison had their five-game winning streak snapped as they dropped to 5-2, including 1-1 in the Patriot League.

The win was Navy's first overtime victory at home since Feb. 20, 2003, when the Mids earned a marathon four-overtime victory (9-8) over North Carolina at Rip Miller Field. Meanwhile, it's the Mids' first overtime win at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since they claimed a 10-9 victory over arch rival Army on April 4, 1987. Three of Navy's eight games this season have gone into extra minutes, the most overtime games a Navy team has played in a single season in program history.

"We went into the game thinking Bucknell would play one way and they played completely different," said Navy head coach Richie Meade whose original statement was filled with relief in winning a game that could have gone either way. "I've never seen Bucknell play zone against us, so I take some responsibility in not having our offense as prepared as what we should have been. That said, we generated 32 shots, but just weren't in sync. We were a little too meticulous, but that's what zone does.

"We did all of the little things pretty well today," added Meade. "It was a great day for goalies as their backup keeper really came in and did a good job and Matt Coughlin played very well for us."

Tied up at two apiece with 10 minutes remaining in the contest, Navy junior midfielder Shane Durkin (Germantown, Md.) scored his fourth goal of the year and what may have been the biggest of his career, giving the Mids a 3-2 lead with 5:04 to go. With under three minutes to play, Navy's defense continued to hound the Bison, however, senior midfielder Nick Marks played the spoiler, sending a shot from nearly 15 yards out over the left shoulder of Navy reserve goalkeeper Tommy Phelan (Towson, Md.) who came into the game in relief of junior keeper Matt Coughlin (Brightwaters, N.Y.) who limped to the sideline following Bucknell's game-tying goal four minutes into the fourth quarter.

The Mids had a final opportunity to score in the closing seconds of regulation after a Bucknell turnover gave the Midshipmen the ball. Junior defensive midfielder Geoff Leone (Massapequa, N.Y.) ran nearly the distance of the field before dishing off to senior Gregory Clement (Dallas, Texas) who was nestled on the left side of the crease. Antonelli, however, came up with a big save, but the ball bounced back into play where defensive midfielder Bobby Lennon (Westminster, Md.) snatched the ball and sent what he had hoped to be the game-winning shot just high of the crossbar and the game into extra minutes.

Navy senior Mikelis Visgauss (Setauket, N.Y.) won the faceoff to start the overtime period and Navy sophomore middie Basil Daratsos (Niskayuna, N.Y.) got a solid look at the goal with just under a minute gone by. However, Antonelli made one of his game-high 11 saves to turn back Daratsos' shot, giving the Bison possession. But Bucknell, who turned the ball over 21 times in the game, failed to clear the ball as the pass sailed out of bounds to give the Midshipmen possession.

After working the ball around, Navy's leading scorer Nick Mirabito (Binghamton, N.Y.), anchored to the right of the goal, saw Paul on the far left side and lobbed the ball over the defense to Paul who drilled a low-to-high shot to give Navy the victory.

"They played zone the entire game which was something we had not seen from them in the past," said Paul. "We had a hard time being able to crack what they were running, but in overtime we were actually able to run our offense. It was a great pass from Nick across the field and I was able to find the seam. We had noticed that he (Antonelli) was dipping a little bit, so I went low to high and was able to get it past him. He (Antonelli) played a fantastic game.

"They came to fight and we came to fight," added Paul. "It was by far and away the best defense we've seen this year."

In fact, both teams' defensive units were on mark in the game in what was the lowest goal output by both Bucknell and Navy. The Mids put 17 of their 32 shots on goal, however, Antonelli and starting keeper Nick Sciubba, who was pulled at the 11:01 mark in the second quarter, combined to turn away 13 of the Mids' shots. Meanwhile, Coughlin played his most impressive game in goal for the Mids, making a career-high 10 saves before coming out of the game with 10 minutes left in regulation.

To no one's surprise, four different players scored for the Midshipmen, including three midfielders. Second-year standout Joe Lennon (Westminster) scored Navy's first goal with 27 seconds left in the first quarter to knot the game at one apiece, while Leone became the 20th different player to score for the Mids this year when he gave Navy a 2-1 advantage with 11:01 to play in the second quarter.

"This was a huge win for our program in terms of the Patriot League race," said Meade. "This again proves that the league has gotten more competitive and I think we'll be looking down the road in about four weeks and we'll realize how big of a win this was today."

"The most important thing for us now is to get rest and prepare for Colgate," said Paul. "We had just one practice and a pregame walk through to get ready for Bucknell this week and we'll have to go to Colgate with almost the same amount of time."

In fact the Midshipmen make the trek north to Hamilton, N.Y. this weekend, where they will spend Easter Sunday battling Colgate at Andy Kerr Stadium (football stadium). Sunday's game will be aired live on 1430 WNAV, as well as 1050 WFED with the Voice of Navy Men's Lacrosse Pete Medhurst calling the action beginning at 12:00 pm. Additionally, CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) will televise the Patriot League contest live with Jason Chandler and Paul Carcaterra calling the game.

GreatAmerican · March 21, 2008, 8:36pm

Defensive struggle ends on Paul's goal
Navy vs. Bucknell

By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
March 20, 2008

Looking for a vulnerability of any sort, Tim Paul got his wish.

The sophomore attackman's hard shot from 10 yards helped the No. 4 Navy men's lacrosse team solve Bucknell junior goalkeeper Matt Antonelli and edge the No. 16 Bison, 4-3, in overtime yesterday at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

Antonelli, an Archbishop Spalding graduate who replaced starter Nick Sciubba early in the second quarter, had surrendered just one goal in regulation and made 10 saves. But with 1:20 left in overtime, Paul took a pass from senior attackman Nick Mirabito and scored on a high shot.

"I just took a shot low to high," said Paul, a Loyola graduate who also had an assist. "We had seen that he was dipping when we were dropping our sticks. That was something that we thought we could exploit, and we did."

It was the Midshipmen's first overtime victory at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since a 10-9 win against Army on April 4, 1987. More important, Navy won its fifth consecutive game and improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League.

"Whenever that happens, I always feel like we could have lost the game just as easily as we won it," said coach Richie Meade, whose team has won the last 17 meetings against Patriot League opponents. "They played the same zone that Mount St. Mary's played, which shows you how well we recognized it. ... I take responsibility. We generated 32 shots. I think if we shot the ball a little bit better -- especially in the first half -- it would have been a little bit different."

In a contest that featured sloppy conditions and 40 total turnovers, goalie proved to be a key position for both Navy and the Bison (5-2, 1-1).

Sciubba, a junior who led all Division I goalkeepers in save percentage and goals-against average last season, was pulled in favor of Antonelli after junior defensive midfielder Geoff Leone scored to give the Midshipmen a 2-1 lead with 11:01 left in the second quarter.

Navy junior Matt Coughlin also left the game after sophomore attackman Austin Winter scored his second goal of the game with 10:13 left in the fourth quarter. Coughlin, who injured his right hamstring, was replaced by junior Tommy Phelan (Loyola), who was credited with his first career victory.

<a href="mailto:edward.lee@baltsun.com">edward.lee@baltsun.com</a>

GreatAmerican · March 21, 2008, 8:43pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published March 20, 2008

A red-hot goalkeeper, a confusing zone defense and heavy rain almost conspired to deal Navy a rare Patriot League loss in men's lacrosse.

Bucknell pulled a surprise by employing a unique zone defense while backup goalie Matt Antonelli came off the bench to turn in a career outing as the visitors held Navy to its lowest goal output of the season.

However, Navy keeper Matt Coughlin and his defensive unit were equally as stingy and bailed out the four-time defending Patriot League champions.

Junior attackman Tim Paul ended an intriguing defensive struggle with a goal at the 1:20 mark of overtime as eighth-ranked Navy escaped with a 4-3 victory over No. 12 Bucknell in a crucial conference showdown before 917 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Senior attackman Nick Mirabito set up the winning goal, spotting Paul open on the left wing and firing an accurate pass across the field. Paul took one step forward then launched a sidearm crank shot that rocketed over Antonelli's shoulder.

"In the overtime, we finally got a chance to run our offense. Nick made a great pass across and I was able to find the seam," Paul said. "We had noticed that (Antonelli) was dipping low whenever we dropped down with the stick so I went low to high and was able to get it past him."

Paul finished with a goal and an assist to lead Navy, which improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League. Coughlin came up big, making 10 saves before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.

"Given what people were thinking coming into the year, that Bucknell was going to be the dominant team in the league, this is a huge win," Meade said. "I think it's going to be even bigger four weeks from now. As was predicted, the league has gotten a lot more competitive."

Yesterday's contest, played in rain that was quite heavy at times, was the first of several key games between the Patriot League elite - Bucknell, Colgate, Army and Navy. The Midshipmen were the preseason pick to win the league for a fifth straight season while Colgate was picked second and Bucknell third.

Navy can send a strong message that it is still the team to beat by knocking off Colgate on Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y.

"The most important thing for us now is to get reset and prepare for Colgate," Paul said. "We had just one practice and a pre-game walk-through to get ready for Bucknell and we'll have about the same amount of (preparation) time before we go to Colgate."

Meade said he's never seen Bucknell use a zone defense and took responsibility for not having the Navy offense ready for one. The Bison mixed up the zone quite a bit, alternately pressuring out and sagging in toward the cage while positioning the short stick midfielders down low so the long poles could harass perimeter shooters.

"We went into the game thinking Bucknell would play a certain way and obviously they played differently than we expected," Meade said. "I thought we were generating shots, I just don't think we were in sync. We weren't playing like we knew exactly where to go with the ball. We were a little too meticulous in trying to get the perfect shot."

Navy scored on two of its initial four shots as Joe Lennon fired in a hard, lefty crank with 27 seconds left in the first quarter and defensive middie Geoff Leone followed with an unassisted fastbreak goal at the 11:01 mark of the second period. That prompted Bucknell head coach Frank Fedorjaka to pull starting goalie Nick Sciubba, a second team All-Patriot League selection last season.

"Nick hasn't been playing well lately and had an awful warmup. He did not make one save," Fedorjaka said. "It was obvious to me after the first quarter that he wasn't on his game. Fortunately, we have an outstanding backup."

Antonelli, an Archbishop Spalding product, was phenomenal from the moment he entered the game - stuffing a point-blank opportunity by Greg Clement on the first shot he saw. The Arnold resident proceeded to take away several other potential goals in making a career-high 11 saves, several of the spectacular variety.

"Antonelli was clearly ready to play. I told Matt afterward that was one of the best games I've ever seen from a goalkeeper," Fedorjaka said. "Matt was given a chance today and made the most of it."

Antonelli was helped by the fact a majority of Navy's 32 shots were low percentage attempts from the perimeter. The Mids were unable to get the ball inside and too often telegraphed their shots.

"They played a type of zone we had never seen before and we had a hard time cracking it. They sagged in and made us take the 12- to 15-yard shot," Paul admitted. "It was far and away the best defense we've seen all season and the backup goalie was fantastic."

It appeared Navy would eke out a win in regulation after junior midfielder Shane Durkin caught a defender napping and slipped inside the zone for an 8-yard shot that gave the home team a 3-2 lead with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.

"That's as big a goal as he's scored as a Navy lacrosse player," Meade said.

However, Bucknell responded as midfielder Nick Marks drove past a defender and unleashed a blistering left-handed shot that Navy backup goalie Tommy Phelan never really saw.

Phelan had entered the game around the 10-minute mark of the final frame after Coughlin injured himself while trying to stop a crank shot goal by Austin Winter that came while Navy was down two defenders as a result of simultaneous slashing penalties.

Coughlin said he "tweaked a hammy" and was unsure whether he'll be able to play on Sunday against Colgate. Phelan, a 5-foot-9 junior out of Loyola High in Towson, did not make a save while allowing just the one goal.

"I thought we did a very good job defensively and I thought Matt Coughlin played very well," Meade said. "I feel for Matt because he was just starting to come into his own. Tommy's been great in practice and is a very capable goalie. I'm very comfortable playing Tommy if necessary."

Ultimately, it was the Navy defense - comprised of long poles Jordy DiNola, Brendan Teague, Andy Tormey and Jaren Woeppel along with short sticks Leone and Bobby Lennon - that prevented an upset.

"We knew with the weather and the way both teams play defense that it was going to be a low-scoring game. It was the type of game when each possession was magnified and every goal was critical," DiNola said. "The offense had scored 30 goals in the previous two games. Today, the offense wasn't clicking so the defense needed to step up."

GreatAmerican · March 21, 2008, 8:44pm

Game 9: Navy at Colgate
Sunday, March 23 12:00 pm Hamilton, N.Y. Andy Kerr Stadium

Television: CBS College Sports Network - Jason Chandler (play by play), Paul Carcaterra (analyst)

Radio/Internet: 
Listen: 1430 WNAV, 1050 WFED (Pete Medhurst)
Watch: Navy All-Access on NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics
Listen: Navy All-Access on NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics

Live Stats: Live Stats on gocolgateraiders.com

Game Preview
No. 8 Navy (7-1, 3-0 Patriot League) will play its third game in nine days when it makes the trek to Hamilton, N.Y. to battle Colgate (4-3, 1-0 Patriot League) in an Easter Sunday matinee beginning at 12:00 pm ... the contest will be played at Andy Kerr Stadium which is where the Raiders play their football games.
Sunday's contest will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) with Major League Lacrosse Director of Broadcast Content Jason Chandler (play by play) and former Syracuse All-American Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action.
The Voice of Navy Lacrosse Pete Medhurst will also call the action live on 1430 WNAV, as well as 1050 WFED.
Additionally, fans can log onto NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics where they can watch a live video feed via Navy All-Access or follow the game for free via Gametracker.
Resting on the laurels of its third-ranked defense, Navy held 12th-ranked Bucknell to three goals, while sophomore attack Tim Paul punched in the game-winner with 1:20 remaining in overtime to earn a 4-3 win over the Bison Wednesday in Annapolis.
Colgate, meanwhile, had its four-game winning streak snapped last Tuesday when Duke outshot the Raiders, 58-21, en route to a 15-7 Blue Devil win.

Taking the Field in ...
10 Junior goalkeeper Matt Coughlin made a career-high 10 saves in Navy's win over Bucknell Wednesday.
9 Winning seven of the 11 draws against Bucknell, senior Mikelis Visgauss moved into ninth on Navy's career faceoff wins list with 112.
8 Senior Nick Mirabito is just eight points shy of becoming only the ninth player in program history to reach 150 points during their career.
7 Navy has scored seven or more goals in seven of its eight games this year.
6 Basil Daratsos scored a combined six goals in last year's two games against Colgate, including a career-high four in the regular-season win.
5 Navy's defense has held five of its eight opponents scoreless in the opening period, including three of its four Patriot League foes.
4 Navy's defense has given up just four extra-man goals this season on 17 attempts (.765).
3 Navy has played a program-record three overtime games in 2008, winning two of the three.
2 Since the beginning of 2004, Navy has lost just two games against unranked opponents (33-2).
1 Navy is the nation's leader in wins over the last five years with 56 ... Johns Hopkins is second with 54 wins.

Navy vs. Colgate - The Series
Navy leads the all-time series with Colgate, 7-1, including wins in each of the last two meetings.
The Mids had won five in a row before the Raiders claimed their lone win in the series (6-3) in Navy's first and only trip to Hamilton, N.Y. in 2006.
Colgate is one of only two teams (Bucknell in '05) in the Patriot League who have beaten Navy since the Mids joined the conference ... the 2006 loss to the Raiders marks Navy's last loss in conference play.
While Navy has played Colgate just once in Hamilton, N.Y., the Mids did return to later that year for the Patriot League Tournament where they defeated Lehigh (9-2) and Army (8-5) to earn their third of four Patriot League Tournament titles.
The two teams have met six times since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004 ... during that span, Navy has produced a 5-1 record and outscored Colgate, 80-42 ... Navy and Colgate have met in the Patriot League Tournament, including last year when the Mids claimed a 15-9 win over the Raiders in the championship game.
Sunday's game is only the second time the Navy-Colgate game will have been played on the Raiders' home field.
Senior Nick Mirabito has turned in 12 points on nine goals and three assists in his four appearances against Colgate, while sophomores Basil Daratsos (6-0-6) and Tim Paul (2-2-4) have also enjoyed success against the Raiders.
Colgate's Matt Lalli has produced 10 points on seven goals and three assists against the Mids, while 2007 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year owns six points (2-4) and Kevin Colleluori has tallied 6 (6-0-6, 5 in '07 regular season game).

The Last Time ...
Patriot League Tournament MVP Nick Mirabito scored four goals and added a pair of assists to lead top-seeded Navy to a 15-9 victory over No. 19 Colgate in the championship game of the Patriot League Tournament. 
Mirabito produced six goals and three assists in Navy's two tournament wins, including a career-high four-goal performance in the championship contest. 
Colgate took the early edge as Matt Lalli and E.J. Atamian scored back-to-back goals to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead.
Navy finally got on the scoreboard when Paul fed Terence Higgins at the 5:06 mark, but Colgate's Ian Murphy answered with a goal just over a minute later.
Mirabito scored the first of his four goals with 2:51 to play in the opening quarter, but once again, the Raiders responded with Brendan Hurley punching in his 28th goal of the season.
With just five seconds left, Wallin spotted Mirabito who sat on the door step and narrowed Colgate's lead to just one (4-3) heading into the second quarter.
Dingman knotted the game when he threaded a shot to the right post ... three minutes later, Navy took its first lead of the game when Daratsos fired off a shot from 10 yards out.
Navy scored the final three goals of the first half, including Rob Lenseth's first goal at 3:43 that sparked the run, to take an 8-5 lead at the intermission.
After surviving successive man-down possessions to start the third quarter, Navy gave up back-to-back even strength goals at 12:39 (Lalli) and 10:31 (Kevin Colleluori) to lead the Raiders back into the game at 8-7.
Lenseth helped Navy stretch its lead to two when he took a Paul pass and fired off a shot with 1:30 left in the quarter. Colgate got the final say of the period as Lalli made a head-up play firing off a shot from 25 yards out to score the goal with just one second remaining. 
Navy took control of the game early in the fourth quarter when Dingman and Daratsos scored goals less than two minutes apart and Paul punched a goal with 7:50 remaining to give the Mids a 12-9 lead.
Colgate scored one last time (7:09), but Navy produced the final three goals to earn the victory.

Patriot League Success
Since joining the Patriot League in 2004, Navy is 35-2 (.946) against opponents from the league, including an 8-0 mark in the Patriot League Tournament ... the Mids lost regular-season contests to Bucknell in '05 and Colgate in '06.
Navy has won 17 consecutive games against Patriot League teams ... its last loss was a 6-3 decision against Colgate on March 18, 2006, in Hamilton, N.Y.
The Mids own a 19-0 record at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against Patriot League competition since joining the conference ... the Mids are 13-0 during the regular season and 6-0 in the conference tournament.
The Mids have produced undefeated marks in conference action in two of the last five years ... 7-0 in 2004 and 6-0 in '07.
Navy has won at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title in each of its first four years as a member of the league ... additionally, the Mids have claimed the league's tournament crown all four years.
24 different Mids have garnered All-Patriot League recognition, while 13 of the 24 have earned honors multiple times.
Richie Meade was named the 2004 Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading the Mids to a flawless 7-0 mark in league competition ... he received the award a second time after guiding Navy to a 6-0 record last spring.

Meet the Mids
Navy will hold its annual "Meet the Mids" event on Saturday, March 29, following Navy's game against nationally-ranked Georgetown (5:00 pm) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. 
Members of the eighth-ranked 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 Chick-fil-A. 
In addition, Navy's 2008 lacrosse poster and an autograph card will be available, while prizes will be handed out.

Fast Facts
Navy senior attack Nick Mirabito has turned in a goal or an assist in 53 of the 54 games in which he has played during his career ... his 40-game streak was snapped against Maryland last spring and was the second-longest active streak in Div. I lax at the time ... he is currently riding a 13-game consecutive points run, including 12 straight games with an assist ... his seven-game goal-scoring streak was snapped on Wednesday when Bucknell held him without a goal.
Patrick Moran saw his six-game goal-scoring streak come to an end against Bucknell, while Gregory Clement was also held without a goal for the first time in five games.
Three players have turned in hat tricks this season ... Nick Mirabito has pitched a hat trick in two games, while junior Sean Standen recorded his first collegiate three-goal performance in Navy's win over Lehigh and sophomore Tim Paul produced his second collegiate hat trick with three markers against Holy Cross at Texas Stadium last Saturday.
Navy has held the lead at halftime in every game this season ... the Mids have lost 12 in a row when trailing at the break and 57 straight when trailing after three quarters of play.
The Mids have held seven of their eight opponents to seven or fewer goals this season ... Navy has won 19 in a row when achieving this feat.
Navy's defense has held five of its eight opponents scoreless in the opening period, including four of the last five (Bucknell scored) ... the Mids have outscored their opponents, 18-4, in the first quarter this spring, including 9-1 in league action.
Navy has put more shots on goal in the first half (99) than its opponents have shot as a whole in the first half (76, 41 on goal)
Six different players have accounted for Navy's seven game-winners this season ... ironically, the two top goal producers on the team, Nick Mirabito and Tim Paul, were without a game-winner until the two teamed up against Bucknell and Mirabito fed Paul for the game-winner in OT.
Navy's 13-goal win over Holy Cross was the largest margin of victory by a Richie Meade-led team since 2006 when the Mids defeated Holy Cross by 14 (17-3) ... meanwhile it's tied as the seventh-largest margin of victory by Meade's Mids.
Navy has played a program-record three OT games this season ... meanwhile, Bucknell is the only team in the league who has forced the Midshipmen into extra minutes since Navy joined the conference in 2004 ... the Bison upset the Mids in 2005, 8-7.
Navy turned in back-to-back double-digit victories over Lehigh (14-3) and Holy Cross (16-3) marking the first time the Mids have achieved that feat since 2000 when Navy defeated Stony Brook, 16-4, followed by a 17-2 win over rival Academy Air Force in a span of just four days.
Ranked No. 3 in the country, Navy's defense held Lehigh and Holy Cross to a combined 36 shots a week ago ... it held Lehigh without a shot in the first quarter of its game, while the Crusaders managed just two shots in the opening half of Saturday's game.

First-Timers
Twenty different players have scored goals for the Midshipmen this season, including junior defensive midfielder Geoff Leone who is the newest goal scorer after firing in a shot against Bucknell last Wednesday ... 11 of those 19 are first-time scorers and only three of the 11 are freshmen.
Scoring their first collegiate goals this season are: seniors Dan Decker and Evan Boyle, juniors Michael Beggins, Shane Durkin, Bobby Lennon and Geoff Leone, sophomores Brendan Connors and Joe Lennon and rookies Kevin Doyle, Brian Striffler and Andy Warner.

Balanced Scoring
Twenty players have scored goals for the Midshipmen this spring, while another three have posted assists, bringing the total to 23 different players having a role in Navy's scoring.
Navy is one of just three schools to have 23 or more players produce a point this spring ... Duke leads all schools with 29 players scoring, while 24 have recorded points for Virginia.
Of the 20 players who have scored goals for Navy, 12 of them have found the back of the goal at least twice.
Halfway through the season, four Mids have reached double figures in the points column ... a year ago, nine posted double digits and the previous season only seven.
Sophomore midfielder Patrick Moran is on the cusp of reaching double digits, with nine points on eight goals and an assist.
Six different players have accounted for Navy's seven game-winners this season ... senior Gregory Clement, who came into the season with just four goals in his first three seasons, is the only player on the roster with two game-winners this season.

GreatAmerican · March 23, 2008, 5:57pm

<h1>8 Navy def. Colgate, 8-3</h1>

For Immediate Release
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Mens Lacrosse Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Stingy Defense Leads Navy Mens Lacrosse to 8-3 Win over Colgate

HAMILTON, N.Y. Making 13 saves in his first collegiate start, junior keeper Tommy Phelan (Towson, Md.) anchored a Navy defense that held Colgate scoreless for nearly 54 minutes en route to earning an 8-3 victory over the Raiders on Easter Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y. Phelan, who played the final minutes of Wednesdays 4-3 overtime win over Bucknell, was inserted into the starting lineup after starting net minder Matt Coughlin (Brightwaters, N.Y.) suffered a leg injury in the fourth quarter of the Bucknell contest.

Navys starting attack accounted for five of the Mids eight goals, including a hat trick by senior Nick Mirabito (Binghamton, N.Y.), who hails from just down the road in Binghamton. Meanwhile, sophomore Tim Paul (Parkton, Md. who punched in the game-winner for the Mids against Bucknell, ended the game with a pair of goals and an assist.

Colgate scored the games first goal when senior middie Matt Lalli settled in on the right side behind the cage where he backed up Navy second-year pole Jake Brosnan (Chester, Md.) enough to get some separation between he and Phelan for the score at 9:16.

Navy countered three minutes later when Paul picked up a loose ball on a failed clearing attempt by the Raiders and went top shelf on Colgate keeper Tim Harrington from seven yards out. Pauls goal at 6:19 in the first triggered an 8-0 run by the Midshipmen that was capped off by an unassisted goal by junior defensive midfielder Geoff Leone (Massapequa, N.Y.) off a Colgate turnover with 4:42 remaining in the game.

Navy scored three goals in the second stanza, including an extra-man goal by sophomore midfielder Patrick Moran (Annapolis, Md.) who was fed by classmate Basil Daratsos (Niskayuna, N.Y.) to give the Mids a 4-1 advantage at the half.

The Mids scored the first three goals in the second half, scoring the trio of goals in 1:45. Mirabito scored two of the three, including a marker that began with sophomore long pole midfielder Zack Schroeder (Deer Park, N.Y.) who caused a Colgate turnover, quickly picked up the loose ball and scampered to the box where he found Mirabito for the goal.

With the game well in hand, Navy let down its guard a bit in the closing minute of the game, giving up a pair of goals in the final 54 seconds. Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Brandon Corp nearly had his lengthy scoring streak come to a halt, but was able to convert on a Navy turnover, sending the ball over Phelans left shoulder. After winning the ensuing draw, senior faceoff specialist Mikelis Visgauss (Setauket, N.Y.) overthrew his teammate, turning the ball back over to Colgate with under 35 seconds to go.

Lalli would end up with the ball on his knees and his back to the goal, flinging the ball over his right shoulder and finding the back of the net from just outside of the crease with 26 seconds remaining.

I felt like we were complacent at the end of the game, said Navy head coach Richie Meade. But to Colgates credit, they took advantage of us being on our heels. The biggest thing I need to stress to my team is that if you take all of the mistakes we made in the last two minutes, it will eventually come back and cost you a game. Thats what happened in the Cornell game. We cannot afford to make those mistakes against our remaining opponents and expect to win.

Though Visgauss made the mistake at the end of the game, it was his play at the faceoff x that helped spark the Mids offense. After losing the first three draws of the game, he came back to win seven of the last 12, including three of four in the third quarter.

I think the key in the second half was the faceoff, said Meade. Mikelis struggled in the first half, but I think he was able to wear down Eck. Our transition game began with him winning the draw.

Navys defense gave up 26 shots in the game, 12 of which were taken by the Raiders in the fourth quarter. Nearly all 13 of Phelans saves were made within 5-7 yards of the goal, making key stops with under a minute to go in each of the first three quarters.

I was pleased for Tommy, added Meade. Weve known that he was a good goalkeeper and he really made the most of his opportunity.

I also felt like Jordan DiNola played an outstanding game against Brandon Corp. He, along with Tommy, held him in check until the final minute when we didnt slide and he was able to get off a good shot.

In its five Patriot League games this season, Navy has surrendered just 17 goals, holding each of its last four foes to three goals.

The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when it takes a step away from Patriot League play and plays host to 10th-ranked Georgetown next Saturday. Game time is slated for 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and will be televised live by CBS College Sports Network with Jason Chandler and Paul Carcaterra calling the action. Fans can also tune in to 1430 WNAV to hear the Voice of Navy Lacrosse Pete Medhurst.

GreatAmerican · March 24, 2008, 9:56am

No. 8 Midshipmen limit Colgate to three goals
Monday, March 24, 2008
By Evan Sweeney
Contributing writer

Hamilton For the first 15 minutes, things were looking good for the Colgate men's lacrosse team. Senior midfielder Matt Lalli had drawn first blood and the Raiders' defense had managed to give up just one goal to eighth-ranked Navy.

But that opening quarter was the only one that looked good for Colgate.

With the score tied at one at the start of the second quarter, Navy went on a 7-0 scoring run, which fueled an 8-3 victory over the Raiders on Sunday at Andy Kerr Stadium.

"I just credit Navy," said Colgate head coach Jim Nagle. "They did a nice job of sticking with their game plan, whereas we didn't. I thought their goalie played real well and the shots didn't drop for us, and then we sort of fell out of what we were supposed to be doing."

After giving up the initial goal six minutes into the game, Navy kept Colgate out of the net for over 53 minutes. Lalli and junior attacker Brandon Corp managed to put two more goals on the board in the final minute of play.

The lack of offensive production was rather unusual for the Raiders, who rank 17th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 10.5 goals per game.

"Yeah, I was surprised," said Nagle. "I just think we're too good a team to be held to that many goals."

Navy's big push came in the opening minutes of the second half when it scored three goals in the first 2 minutes to take a 7-1 lead. The burst of goals dramatically changed the game's dynamics.

"I felt like the third quarter, the first five minutes, like in most games, but especially this game, if we give them the opportunity to get it to 4-2 they are going to play a little bit different," said Navy head coach Richie Meade.

The Midshipmen got nearly all of their offensive production from senior attacker Nick Mirabito and sophomore attacker Tim Paul. Mirabito netted two of his goals during the three-goal burst at the beginning of the third period, and finished with three goals and an assist. Meanwhile, Paul tied the game in the first period and then registered the go-ahead goal in the beginning of the second, finishing with two goals and an assist.

Nick Mirabito, he's had four years here . . . and it's very rare that a player is as productive and plays as well as he has played for the four years that he has been here," Meade said.

Perhaps the unsung hero for the Midshipmen was Tommy Phelan, who made his first career start in net. Phelan finished with 13 saves on 16 shots on net.

"Tommy played unbelievable," Mirabito said. "I don't want to say you don't expect it. I know all our goalies top to bottom are very good, but to come out and play like that on your first start, and to give up three goals against a good offensive team, that's something else."

Fresh off a 15-7 defeat to first-ranked Duke, Sunday's loss to Navy marks another frustration for Colgate, which has been trying to cut down on mistakes.

"We're just trying to get better," said Nagle. "It's just frustrating from the coaching standpoint, making the same mistakes. So that's really our message . . . to the guys."

GreatAmerican · March 24, 2008, 9:58am

<a href="http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=65840&cat=67360&hidecontent=yes&id=184699%5B/url%5D">http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=65840&cat=67360&hidecontent=yes&id=184699</a>

GreatAmerican · March 24, 2008, 10:01am

Quint Kessenich¹s Top 20: March 24th

Out of 57 teams that play Division I lacrosse, only two have made it to the final week of March with unbeaten records - No. 1 Virginia and Quinnipiac. The 2008 season has been defined by nail bitters, cliff hangers, one goal games and trips into extra time. Sudden victory or heartbreaking defeat has been the norm through the first half of 2008.

<ol>
<li>Virginia * The Wahoos beat Hopkins on Saturday in Charlottesville in front of a standing room only crowd of over 7,500. What caught my eye was the Cavaliers¹ speed and physical edge, particularly in the groundball battle. Check the new No. 1 team this weekend at noon taking on ACC foe Maryland on ESPN2.</li>
<li>Duke * The Blue Devils were upset by Georgetown in a game that was surprising but in no way shocking. Duke appeared flat from the opening faceoff and have been playing defense with a casual attitude at times this spring. Winning is never easy when you run into a hot goalie on the road, and Miles Kass and the Hoyas D was the first to hold Duke below 15 goals this season. They look to rebound with a midweek home game against Harvard.</li>
<li>Syracuse * Orange dusted Binghamton 16-2 and play at Hobart on Tuesday - always a must see game in central NY. Mike Leveille is averaging over four points per game.</li>
<li>Georgetown * Big movers this week with a win over a Duke team that some thought might go undefeated. The combination of goalie Miles Kass¹ 18 saves and the work of Jerry Lambe against his high school teammate Matt Danowski were defensive keys to the upset, while goals on the extra-man and a few shots stuck between Dan Loftus and the pipe helped the Hoyas come back in the second half. The key this week for the Hoyas will be shifting gears from an up-tempo battle against Duke to Navy¹s slowed-down, deliberate style on Saturday. If you¹re going to win the national title you must be able to play at both speeds. Georgetown will be favored in all 7 remaining games.</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins * A trio of overtime losses leave the Jays at .500, but I walked away Saturday more impressed with this squad than I have been all season. A one-goal OT loss at Klockner is nothing to be ashamed about, made clear by the fact that Virginia has now won five in a row at home in the series. Hopkins looks for revenge against UNC this week as it continues its swing through the ACC.</li>
<li>Maryland * Terps gave one away against UMBC last week but got it right back with a dominating win over UNC on Saturday. Jeff Reynolds, a former defensive midfielder who had ACL surgery last year, now has 11 goals for the Terps. Maryland¹s veterans finally stepped up on Fetzer Field * Dan Groot and Jeremy Seiverts played their best game of the season, but another huge ACC matchup looms with Saturday¹s ESPN2 game against Virginia.</li>
<li>North Carolina * After a hot start, the Heels have cooled of late, including a loss to Maryland at home this weekend that saw a little ill will as time wound down - should be interesting to see a rematch in the ACC or NCAA tournaments. UNC has wins over Cornell and ND but appears to be heading in the wrong direction.</li>
<li>Notre Dame * Snow postponed this weekend¹s Irish game, but they get back on the field Tuesday when they host a very solid Drexel squad in South Bend.</li>
<li>Cornell * The Big Red know how to win * but it¹s not a good sign when you¹re only beating Yale 8-7 in OT. That¹s their third one-goal win of the spring. This result only reaffirms what I¹ve been saying since February - the Ivy League is wide open this year and one goal games will be the norm. Cornell is at Franklin Field on Saturday verses Penn, looking to build upon a resume that has only one real bright spot - a miraculous win over Navy.</li>
<li>Navy * 4-3 games are not fan friendly, but they are awful nice to win, especially when they¹re against a big conference rival like Bucknell. Navy is methodical on offense * they grind you into mistakes and shorten the game with ball control. Goats now have wins over VMI, Ohio State, Mount St. Mary¹s, Lafayette, Lehigh, Colgate, Bucknell and Holy Cross * I'm withholding judgment until they face Georgetown, Maryland, Hopkins and Army.</li>
<li>Drexel * Wednesday¹s showdown with a one-loss Notre Dame team is a golden opportunity for the Dragons. You could argue that it¹s the most important game in Drexel lacrosse program history, as a win would cement them as a Top 10 team.</li>
<li>Bucknell * Bison only managed three goals against Navy, showcasing the offensive woes of a team that is averaging just eight scores a game. Wins are over Hobart, Ohio State, Mount St. Mary¹s, Fairfield and Lafayette are bookended by losses (the first was to Duke). A Tuesday game against Towson could be my upset special of the week.</li>
<li>Army * Black Knights head down to Long Island on Tuesday to play Hofstra, looking to add the Pride to vanquished foes Dartmouth, VMI, Air Force and Rutgers. Army¹s two losses were to in-state (and highly ranked) Syracuse and Cornell.</li>
<li>Princeton * The cold weather in Albany Friday might have been a factor, because the Tigers left their offense on the warm bus. This is judgment week for Princeton as it squares off against Rutgers on Tuesday and Yale on Saturday.</li>
<li>Delaware * Elaware put the D¹ back in this week as they beat Villanova 8-4, reversing a trend that saw it surrender 37 goals in its previous two games. The Blue Man Group has time to get healthy before they face CAA rivals.</li>
<li>UMBC * The Retrievers seem to like playing extra lacrosse - playing a combined five overtimes against Maryland and Ohio State in the last two weeks, improving to 4-3 on the year after a 1-3 start. I think the Retrievers are the the nations most improved team from week one and a match-up with America East rival Albany creeps closer.</li>
<li>Loyola * Greyhounds were upset by Siena last week * another example of the parity that exists between teams ranked No. 10 to No. 30 in the nation. There are no free wins, but the Siena result was a shocker. Loyola now has wins over UMass, Towson, Penn State, St John¹s and losses to Notre Dame, Siena and Duke. Hounds travel to Syracuse Saturday * that¹s a tough physical match-up for a Loyola team that relies on finesse.</li>
<li>Ohio State * Ohio State and Albany are the tough luck teams of 2008. The Buckeyes have 3 overtime defeats to UMBC, Navy and Bucknell, meaning that just three goals stand between the Buckeyes being an undefeated and probably Top 10 team.</li>
<li>Hofstra * Handled Towson 13-8 on Friday on Long Island. The win over Hopkins is a quality win that few teams outside of the Top 5 can match, but those losses to Princeton and UMass drag their ratings down.</li>
<li>Penn * A 12-10 win over Harvard in Philadelphia this weekend - coupled with one-goal losses to Denver and Drexel - make the Quakers another team to watch out of the even-steven Ivy League. Like the Buckeyes, a couple of goals would change this team into an unbeaten squad at this point.</li>
</ol>

Quint Kessenich covers lacrosse for the ESPN family of networks. Be sure to watch college lacrosse on March 29 on ESPN2 as Virginia travels to Maryland.

Quint can be reached at <a href="mailto:quint@insidelacrosse.com">quint@insidelacrosse.com</a>

GreatAmerican · March 24, 2008, 11:20am

The Fastest Blog On Two Feet
By
Christian Swezey
WashingtonPost.com

Week That Was, Part One

TFBO2F is a huge fan of mystery shows. Our best discovery thus far is that "CSI: Miami" headliner David Caruso is trying a little too hard to be taciturn Lt. Castillo from "Miami Vice." Anyway, Gil Grissom of "CSI:" has a saying: People lie, evidence doesn't.

And it is in that vein that TFBO2F will examine the previous week's action in special two-part blogs. The first part features Quote of the week, Lt. Columbo's Just One More Question of the Week, MVP of the Week and Bad Call of the Week. Part two will come tomorrow and will include analyses of the games we taped on ESPNU in Wilbon's office, even though he doesn't know that we're using his office to tape games that are on ESPNU. Included will be Maryland's 13-8 win over UNC.

Quote of the Week
"Obviously, if you're a team like Duke, the good and bad part of it is whenever anybody's got you on their schedule, they've got the game circled. And I would be lying if I said guys weren't looking forward to this game since this past summer. Throughout the past couple weeks, we've been having this in our minds."
--Georgetown senior goalkeeper Miles Kass following an 11-7 victory over No. 1 Duke. It was Georgetown's first victory over a team ranked No. 1.

Lt. Columbo's "Just One More Question" of the Week:
Is Johns Hopkins in Trouble?
It can't be a blog in Washington, DC without a lawyer involved somehow. Our lawyer happens to be a great goalie. Larry Quinn was an all-American at Johns Hopkins and also was an assistant coach there for many years. He currently practices law in Baltimore, is the radio analyst for Hopkins games and contributes to the successful radio/internet show Lacrosse Talk. He has graciously agreed to weigh in on all things lacrosse for TBFO2F from time to time.

<pre><code>I think they will be fine and will turn it around. Three overtime losses are not devastating to their playoff chances. Their schedule enables them to get right back into the top tier for the playoffs, though obviously they have to win a few.

Their wins are quality wins. I know Princeton has struggled but they should have a decent record by year end as they get more experience and some Ivy league wins. UMBC is showing that it is a good team. And Albany is better than its record so far indicates.

I think Hopkins needs to improve its clearing game. They have given teams too many second chances. [Goalie Mike] Gvozden played well on Saturday and with a few more wins he should be playing with plenty of confidence. Last year's struggles should help them through this rough patch, but the cliche about not being able to turn it on and off applies.

The Hofstra loss was a bad because Hopkins came out flat and never matched Hofstra's intensity. Syracuse was bad because they gave up a 3 goal lead. The Virginia loss was bad because it was the third in a row. If the U-Va. loss doesn't come at the end of a tough three game stretch (in terms of results) it would not be a big deal. They very nearly beat a super UVA team at home in front of a hostile crowd. Some of the things that Hopkins had struggled with showed improvement--face-offs, clearing, team D and goalie play. And I think Petro is too good a coach and the team is too talented not to continue to get better.
</code></pre>

MVP of the Week
Brendan Teague, Navy
Navy gave up six goals in more than 120 minutes of lacrosse this past week, so it doesn't take a crime lab to figure out the defense played pretty well. Teague guarded two of the top offensive players in the Patriot League--Bucknell sophomore A Austin Winter and Colgate senior MF Matt Lalli. Winter scored two goals, though one was on extra-man offense, in Navy's 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday. On Sunday, an in-game adjustment moved Teague to defend Lalli after Lalli ran over a Navy defender for the opening goal. Lalli, and Colgate, went scoreless for nearly 54 minutes in an 8-3 loss. Lalli scored again late, though Teague was not defending him then, either.

Bad Call of the Week
TFBO2F's Final Four basketball picks ran in the paper last Monday. Here's what they look like now:
Georgetown
Memphis
Notre Dame
Xavier
But really, would you trust a Navy football and college lacrosse beat writer who also knew something about college basketball?? It's like when people say that a politician or CEO is good in golf, like it's good news. To me, that means that maybe he or she is spending too much time on golf and not enough time doing their job! The same applies here--and thus, the fact that my Final Four picks were bad is actually good.

GreatAmerican · March 25, 2008, 10:48am

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Men's Lacrosse Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Navy Men's Lacrosse to Hold Meet the Mids Following Georgetown Game

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Naval Academy Athletic Association will hold its annual "Meet the Mids" event following Saturday's Navy vs. Georgetown men's lacrosse tilt, sponsored by Comcast and STX, slated for 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The 10th-ranked Navy 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 "Meet the Mids" t-shirt, compliments of Chick-fil-A. In addition, Navy's 2008 lacrosse poster and a team photo will be available along with prizes handed out throughout the autograph session.

GreatAmerican · March 26, 2008, 7:32am

Leone, Phelan and Paul earn recognition

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Men's Lacrosse Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

Lacrosse Trio Earns Special Mention for Performances Against Bucknell and Colgate

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Defensive midfielder Geoff Leone (Massapequa, N.Y.), goalkeeper Tommy Phelan (Towson, Md.) and attack Tim Paul (Parkton, Md.) have received recognition this week for their efforts in leading the Midshipmen to wins over nationally-ranked Bucknell and Colgate last week.

Leone was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week after helping anchor a Navy defense that surrendered a combined six goals in the wins over #12 Bucknell (4-3 OT) and Colgate (8-3). The stifling defense held both teams scoreless for a significant amount of time. The Bison scored at 6:19 in the first and 43 minutes later, they finally got on the scoreboard a second time. Meanwhile, after scoring the game's first goal at 9:16 in the first, Colgate was held without a goal until under a minute left in the game. The third-ranked defense came into the week allowing opposing teams to score 4.71 goals per game, but instead lowered its GAA to 4.33.

Colgate, meanwhile, had two of the most potent point producers and goal scorers in the country shut down. Kevin Colleluori, ranked 10th nationally in points per game and sixth in goals per game was held without a point, while 2007 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and '08 Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Brandon Corp was ranked 12th in points per game and seventh in goals per game and managed a garbage goal with under a minute to play in the game.

As strong as Leone was on the defensive side of the ball, he was also active on the scoring side where he produced a pair of goals in as many games. Scoring both goals via the transition game, Leone became the 20th different player to score for Navy when he punched in the Mids' second goal in their 4-3 OT win over Bucknell. It marked Leone's first collegiate goal. He followed up by scoring the Mids' eighth goal against the Raiders on Easter. To date, he owns five points on two goals and three assists.

Paul and Phelan both received honorable mention from the Patriot League for their clutch performances. Paul, Navy's second-leading scorer with 20 points on 15 goals and five assists, turned in a three-goal, two-assist effort in helping the Mids extend their winning streak to six in a row. He scored perhaps the biggest goal of his young career with 1:20 remaining in overtime to lead Navy to a 4-3 OT win over the Bison. It was his first game-winner of the season and just the second of his career. He followed up by scoring the first two goals of the game against Colgate, giving the Mids a 2-1 advantage and a lead it would not relinquish. His goal at 6:19 in the first quarter sparked an 8-0 run by Navy that spanned all four quarters.

After coming in to spell an injured Matt Coughlin (Brightwaters, N.Y.) in last Wednesday's win over Bucknell, Phelan made his first collegiate start on Easter Sunday against Colgate. Phelan, who had made just four previous appearances for 38 minutes during his career (all this season), was sensational against the Raiders. Having never made a save in his career, Phelan turned away 13 shots on goal, including six by Brandon Corp, while both shots by Colleluori were stopped by Phelan. His 13 saves are the most by a Navy goalie since Colin Finnegan made 14 stops in last spring's heart-breaker against Georgetown.

Despite being overlooked by his own conference, Phelan was named the national defensive player of the week by Paul Carcaterra, a former Syracuse All-American who is an analyst for CBS College Sports Network's (formerly CSTV) and distributes a weekly player of the week list.

The 10th-ranked Midshipmen will be back in action on Saturday when they play host to No. 4 Georgetown in a game that is sponsored by Comcast and STX. Action is set for 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Saturday's contest will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network with Jason Chandler (play by play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action. Pete Medhurst will led his voice to the broadcast on 1430 WNAV. Additionally, fans can log onto NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics where they can watch a live video feed via Navy All-Access or follow the game for free via Gametracker.

Single-game tickets for Navy home lacrosse games may be purchased by stopping by the Navy Ticket Office at Ricketts Hall, by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY, via the internet at NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics or at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on game day. Tickets prices are $8 for adults and $5 for students, while groups of 20 or more will be offered a discounted ticket with advance notice.

GreatAmerican · March 26, 2008, 10:00am

Navy coach Richie Meade said he probably won't know until later this week whether Matt Coughlin's injured right hamstring will be healed enough to allow the junior goalie to play against No. 7 Georgetown (4-2) on Saturday.

Meade called Coughlin's injury "a slight aggravation of the hamstring" and opted to keep him on the bench in the No. 3 Midshipmen's 8-3 victory over Colgate on Sunday. Junior Tommy Phelan made 13 saves in his first career start for Navy (8-1).

"It was just one of those things where I felt that a healthy Tommy Phelan gave us a better chance to win than a banged-up Matt Coughlin," Meade said.

GreatAmerican · March 27, 2008, 10:07pm

Navy Men's Lacrosse - Mids and Hoyas set to clash Saturday on CBS College Sports Network

Game 10: Navy vs. Georgetown
Saturday, March 29 5:00 pm Annapolis, Md. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Media Information
Television: CBS College Sports Network ; Jason Chandler (play by play), Paul Carcaterra (analyst)

Radio/Internet: 
Listen: 1430 WNAV (Pete Medhurst)
Watch: Navy All-Access on NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics
Listen: Navy All-Access on NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics

Live Stats: Gametracker on NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics

Game Preview
Riding a six-game winning streak 10th-ranked Navy (8-1, 5-0 Patriot League) will play host to No. 4 (tied) Georgetown (4-2, 2-0 ECAC) on Saturday ... faceoff is slated for 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis ... the game is sponsored by Comcast and STX.
Saturday's contest will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) with Major League Lacrosse Director of Broadcast Content Jason Chandler (play by play) and former Syracuse All-American Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action.
The Voice of Navy Lacrosse Pete Medhurst will also call the action live on 1430 WNAV.
Additionally, fans can log onto NavySports.com</a> - Official Athletic Site for Navy Athletics where they can watch a live video feed via Navy All-Access or follow the game for free via Gametracker.
Making his first collegiate start in goal, junior Tommy Phelan turned away a career-high 13 saves in holding Colgate scoreless for nearly 54 minutes as Navy claimed an 8-3 win over the Raiders in Hamilton, N.Y. on Easter Sunday ... senior Nick Mirabito paced the Mids with his third hat trick of the year, while Tim Paul and Patrick Moran each contributed a pair of goals.
Georgetown enters Saturday's contest on cloud 9, having beaten No. 1 and previously undefeated Duke last weekend ... eight different players scored for the Hoyas, including redshirt freshman Ricky Mirabito, younger brother of Navy's Nick Mirabito, who scored back-to-back goals at the end of the third quarter to knot the game at 6-6.

Meet the Mids
Navy will hold its annual "Meet the Mids" event following Saturday's game against the Hoyas. 
Members of the Navy 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 Chick-fil-A. 
In addition, Navy's 2008 lacrosse poster and an autograph card will be available, while prizes will be handed out.

Taking the Field in ...
10 The Mids are two wins away from turning in a program-record fifth-straight 10-win campaign under Richie Meade.
9 Navy has held the lead at halftime in all nine games (8-1) this season.
8 Senior Nick Mirabito has turned in multi-point games in eight games this season (0-1-1 vs. Bucknell).
7 Navy has scored seven or more goals in eight of its nine games this year.
6 Sophomore attack man Tim Paul has scored a goal in each of the last six games.
5 Navy has held its opponent to five or fewer goals in seven of its nine games, including each of the last six.
4 Navy's defense has given up just four extra-man goals this season on 19 attempts (.789).
3 Navy has played a program-record three overtime games in 2008, winning two of the three.
2 Only two players on Navy's roster (Nick Mirabito & Basil Daratsos) have scored goals against Georgetown.
1 Navy is the nation's leader in wins over the last five years with 57 ... Johns Hopkins, Virginia and Duke have won 54 games.

Fast Facts
Senior attack Nick Mirabito has turned in a goal or an assist in 54 of the 55 games in which he has played during his career ... his 40-game streak was snapped against Maryland last spring and was the second-longest active streak in Div. I lax at the time ... he is currently riding a 14-game consecutive points run, including 13 straight games with an assist ... his seven-game goal-scoring streak was snapped last Wednesday when Bucknell held him without a goal.
Sophomore attack Tim Paul has scored a goal in each of the last six games and has turned in multi-goal games six times this season.
Three players have turned in hat tricks this season ... Nick Mirabito has pitched a hat trick in three games (14 in his career), while junior Sean Standen recorded his first collegiate three-goal performance in Navy's win over Lehigh and sophomore Tim Paul produced his second collegiate hat trick with three markers against Holy Cross at Texas Stadium.
Navy has held the lead at halftime in every game this season ... the Mids have lost 12 in a row when trailing at the break and 57 straight when trailing after three quarters of play.
The Mids have held each of their last four opponents to three goals, including nationally-ranked Bucknell.
Navy's defense has held five of its nine opponents scoreless in the opening period, including four of the last six (Bucknell, Colgate) ... the Mids have outscored their opponents, 19-5, in the first quarter this spring, including 10-2 in league action.
Navy is the only program in the country whose extra-man (8th) and man-down (11th) units are ranked among the top 11 ... it's the second straight year Navy has put both units in the top 11.
Navy has put more shots on goal in the first period (50) than its opponent has in the entire first half (47) ... the Mids have put 190 shots on goal this season, while their opponents have taken just 204 shots (103 on goal).
Six different players have accounted for Navy's eight game-winners this season ... ironically, the two top goal producers on the team, Nick Mirabito and Tim Paul, were without a game-winner until the two teamed up against Bucknell and Mirabito fed Paul for the game-winner in OT.
Navy has played a program-record three OT games this season ... Bucknell is the only team in the league who has forced the Midshipmen into extra minutes since Navy joined the conference in 2004 ... the Bison upset the Mids in 2005, 8-7.

Navy vs. Georgetown - The Series
Saturday's contest between Navy and Georgetown marks the 19th game in a series that began in 1991 ... the Hoyas own a 12-6 series advantage ... Georgetown has won six of the last seven, including each of the last four meetings.
Georgetown owns a slim 5-4 advantage in games played in Annapolis, including three in a row ... Navy's last win on its home field was in 2001 when Navy earned an 11-4 victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
This year's game marks the 10th straight season that Georgetown will have been ranked in the top seven nationally entering its game against Navy.
In each of the last two games, the Hoyas have been forced to come from behind to claim wins ... in 2006, Georgetown bounced the Mids from the NCAA Tournament with its 9-7 win in the first round ... in last year's tilt, Georgetown was also forced to come from behind en route to a 10-9 victory.
Only two players on Navy's roster have produced points against Georgetown - Nick Mirabito (4G, 5A) and Basil Daratsos (1G, 0A).
Georgetown attack Ricky Mirabito is the younger brother of Navy senior attack Nick Mirabito ... Ricky redshirted his freshman year.

The Last Time ...
Seventh-ranked Georgetown scored six second-half goals, including five in the third quarter, to come from behind and defeat No. 4 Navy, 10-9, at Multi-Sport Field ... it was Navy's first loss of the year, snapping an eight-game winning streak.
Navy had the hot hand early as senior Billy Looney fired off a shot from eight yards, rippling the net just 33 seconds into the contest ... three minutes later Ian Dingman picked up a loose ball and poked it in for a 2-0 lead.
Rookie Scott Kocis got the Hoyas on the scoreboard when he attacked the right, but shot from his left at with 5:35 left.
Navy took the momentum into the second quarter when senior Tommy Wallin curled around the cage to give Navy a 3-1 lead.
The Hoyas closed to within one on a Craig Dowd six minutes into the second stanza.
On the ensuing face-off, Looney intercepted a GU pass and quickly threw the ball to Dingman ... Miles Kass came out of the goal to challenge Dingman, who faked and then tucked the ball in for a 4-2 lead ... the Mids pushed their lead to 5-2 with 5:15 remaining in the half when Looney found an open Nick Mirabito at the crease.
Georgetown staged a run at the end of the first half as attack Jake Samperton stuck in a pair of goals to trim the Mids' lead to just one, 5-4, at intermission.
The Hoyas evened the score just over a minute into the second half when Garrett Wilson scored on an unassisted goal ... Navy answered when Looney came running up the left side of the field, stopped and fired off a shot from his right foot to give Navy a one-goal edge, 6-5.
Cannon stepped up his game in the second half where he scored all three of his goals, including back-to-back strikes just 22 seconds apart in the third to give the Hoyas their first lead of the game with 11:27 left in the third period ... Dingman answered less than a minute later.
Georgetown back-to-back goals set up by Cannon, to take a 9-7 lead at the end of three periods.
Dingman fired in his fourth goal of the game, but Cannon attacked the crease and bullied his way in to give the Hoyas a two-goal margin with 7:41 to go.
The Mids pulled to within one as freshman Basil Daratsos scored with just 25 seconds left ... senior William Wallace won the draw and fed junior Terence Higgins, who had a great look at the goal, but Kass came up with a big save to preserve the win.

Remembering Scott Boyle
The winner of Saturday's game will be presented with a trophy in memory of longtime official Scott Boyle who tragically collapsed and passed away while officiating the Navy-Georgetown game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on April 2, 2005 ... Boyle was a tremendous ambassador of the game of lacrosse who was involved at every level of the game, whether it was little league, the collegiate level, the pros or even the World Games ... he was well thought of throughout the lacrosse community.
Scott's widow, Becky, and children, Kelly and Scott, will be our guests and present the winner of Saturday's game a trophy in Scott's memory.

GreatAmerican · March 28, 2008, 8:41pm

March 27, 2008
Ryan Travers

The biggest question following No. 5 Georgetown's upset of then-No. 1 Duke last Saturday is whether the Hoyas will have a letdown as they prepare for another top 10 opponent. The Hoyas (4-2) have focused on moving past Saturday's win and preparing for Navy.

It may not be a popular position on campus, but head coach Dave Urick has even taken inspiration from Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, whose Wildcats upset Georgetown's second seeded basketball team in the second round of the NCAA tournament last week.

"[McKillop] talked about three things: getting better, playing hard, and having fun," Urick said. "That's something we stressed this week. We got to put Duke in the rearview mirror. It was something we savored, but this is a very good Navy team, a very highly-ranked Navy team."

No. 9 Navy (8-1) enters with a six game winning streak and their lone loss this season was an overtime defeat at then-No. 6 Cornell. The Midshipmen have stifled their opponents with characteristically strong defense, but have not played the same caliber of competition up to this point in the season as the Hoyas have. This game will be a huge test for the Midshipmen as they move into the most difficult portion of their season.

Last season the two squads played an exciting, back-and-forth 10-9 game in Washington, D.C. with the Hoyas coming away with the win. The last three meetings between these two teams have been decided by a combined five goals so it is a good bet that the fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Field should be in for a tight, action-packed game on Saturday.

Breakdown Attack

Nick Mirabito (Larry French)
Georgetown's attack looked impressive in last week's victory over Duke, accounting for eight of the Hoyas' 11 goals. The Georgetown attack revolves around this week's ECAC offensive player of the week Brendan Cannon, who has 24 points (12g, 12a) this season. Cannon was superb against Duke with two goals and three assists in the contest. Cannon's goal scoring is important for the Hoyas, but his passing is what makes their offense run.

"What I was most impressed with, with Brendan, he made better decisions. He didn't force it, and he played within himself," Urick said of the senior's performance Saturday.

Cannon runs the offense, but Georgetown's leading goal scorer Andrew Baird (13 goals) complements him with his physical play near the crease. Baird has been playing great lately with six goals in his last two games. Rick Mriabito (6g, 3a), who was named pre-season ECAC rookie of the year, has come alive with five points in his last two games.

Navy is led by Nick Mirabito, brother of Georgetown's Ricky, who is easily the most important player for the Midshipmen and one of the best players in the nation, with 34 points (16g, 18a) this season. Mirabito's second-hand man is Tim Paul who is just as much of a goal scoring threat with 15 goals this season. Gregory Clement does not take many shots for the Midshipmen - he has only taken 18 - but he makes them count, converting eight of them (44.4%) into goals.

Advantage: Georgetown. Nick Mirabito may be the most explosive player on the field, but Georgetown's inside-out combo of Cannon and Baird can really cause problems for defenses.

Midfield

Georgetown's midfield is led by Andrew Brancaccio (9g, 1a) who has great range on his shot as he showed with his EMO goal last Saturday. Dan D'Agnes (4g, 2a), Jake Samperton (2g, 2g), and Todd Cochran (4g, 1a) also give the Hoyas some offense from the unit. Navy has seen consistent production from its midfield all season long. Patrick Moran (10g, 1a) and John Lennon (8g, 3a) lead the unit with 11 points. Sean Stenden (six goals), Geoff Leone (2g, 3a), and Shane Durkin (4 goals) all help chip in for the Midshipmen.

"We felt we needed to play a lot of guys, and some guys who haven't played a whole lot in the past have played well this year and given us some goals," Navy head coach Richie Meade said.

Advantage: Navy. Georgetown's midfield has shown promise lately, but the Midshipmen are deep and have provided consistent production all season.

Defense

Barney Ehrmann (James Schaffer)
Navy has been excellent on defense and have not allowed any opponent to score in double digits, holding the opposition to an average of 4.28 goals per game. In fact, the Midshipmen have not given up more than 12 goals in a game since a 14-13 defeat at the hands of Syracuse in the 2004 NCAA title game. The defense is led by Jordan DiNola who has 24 groundballs this season. Brendan Teague (17gb) and Andy Tormey (31gb) are also key elements to the Navy defense. The biggest question will be whether goalkeeper Matt Coughlin, who injured his leg in the fourth quarter of a victory over Bucknell, can play. Meade said that Coughlin will be a game-time decision, and if he cannot play Tommy Phelan will take over in between the pipes. Phelan was fantastic last Saturday in his first collegiate start, holding Colgate to three goals while recording 13 saves.

Georgetown's defense is strong and has played great lately led by Jerry Lambe. The senior is one of the best one-on-one defenders in the nation and he showed that when he held Duke's Matt Danowski to two goals last week. Chris Nixon (17gb), Barney Ehrman (23gb), Chris Taylor (14gb) and Craig Stevenson are all big for the Hoyas defense. In between the pipes, Miles Kass (8.59gaa, 61.8%) has been excellent for Georgetown this season. Last week against Duke, the senior recorded 18 saves in the victory.

"We lean on our defense quite a bit, and he is the anchor of that defense and he has come up awfully strong for us," Urick said about Kass.

Advantage: Georgetown. If Coughlin can play it is a push, but with his injury still being evaluated the advantage goes to Georgetown. Kass is experienced in goal and has a strong line in front of him, whereas Phelan will be making only his second career start against the experienced and explosive Georgetown attack.

Face-offs

Georgetown has been inconsistent all season at the face-off X, but may have found a solution to their face-off woes in Dan Vinson. After facing-off by committee for most of the season Vinson took 14 of 19 face-offs for the Hoyas against Duke. The senior walk-on was a solid 7-14 from the X against the Blue Devils.

"He's earned the opportunity to take his share [of face-offs] and until, and if, he starts to come up short then he is going to be a guy that we are going to look pretty hard there," Urick said.

Navy has a steady hand at the X in Mikelis Visgauss, who is 64-103 (62.1%) this season. Visgauss has taken all but 54 face-offs for the Midshipmen.

Advantage: Navy. Vinson was good in Georgetown's last contest, but still has not proven that he can be reliable at the X, while Visgauss has been consistent all season for Navy.

X-Factor
A Scheduling Crossroads

Saturday's game will feature two teams at very different points in their respective schedules. It will be Georgetown's third contest against a top 10 team in their last four games, and will conclude the brunt of the Hoyas' non-conference schedule, which included Maryland, Syracuse, Delaware and Duke. After this game, the Hoyas begin ECAC play where they will likely be favored in every game. Navy on the other hand is just beginning the brutal second half of their schedule. Georgetown is the first game in four game stretch for the Midshipmen that includes No. 6 John's Hopkins, rival No. 13 Army, and No. 4 Maryland to close out their regular season. A win would be huge for the Hoyas as it would make them 3-2 against top 10 opponents this season as they begin a relatively soft ECAC schedule. For the Midshipmen a win would give them much needed momentum as they enter the difficult homestretch of their schedule.

GreatAmerican · March 28, 2008, 8:47pm

By
Christian Swezey
Fastest Blog On 2 Feet
<a href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/lacrosse/%5B/url%5D">http://blog.washingtonpost.com/lacrosse/</a>

Dick Long was a member of the Navy team that won the national title in 1967. As coach at DeMatha, he retired in 2005 having won seven consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference titles. He was inducted into the Potomac Chapter of US Lacrosse's Hall of Fame last month. Several DeMatha players later played for Navy, as did Long's son, Spike, who was a three-year starting attackman in the mid-1990s. Dick Long attends most Navy games and has agreed to give us his thoughts on all things Navy this spring.

<pre><code>The game will hinge on time of possession. Navy needs a tight, low-scoring game. Both goalies are coming off big wins and stellar performances. Difference being one was knocking off the #1 team in country.

Gtown is always a meat and potatoes-type team. That is, they are big, strong and physical and will come right at you. Not much fluff, just basic, hard-nosed lacrosse. Their close defense is super and Coach Urick always seems to have a pole who is aggressive and can generate fast break offense. I'm betting they will press out on Navy so as to take them out of their controlled offense. Gtown is so athletic they will create offense.

Navy's strength is in their team defense. They are smart, athletic and hardly ever beat themseleves. Problem will be how much defense they have to play. If Gtown controls the faceoffs and generates offense thru takeaways, then the Mids will be in for a long day.

Navy's offense has no real "creators" but relies on all 6 guys to spin the ball to get an advantage. They are balanced and very good at getting inside goals but weak on getting hard outside shots. Bucknell used a zone defense against Navy and they had a problem hitting the three pointers. Navy won that game, 4-3.

Navy will need to keep the ball as long as possible, even to the point of getting stall warnings so as to wear Gtown down and get an advantage. Gtown EMO has been exceptional and I believe this is because of Brancaccio. He is such a threat to score, given time and space that he needs lots of attention. He has a rocket and is accurate. Goalies won't see his shot and defenses if they string out to over play him, expose their inside which is what happened to Duke. Navy may want to cut him off and play 4 against 5.

Don't ever count the Mids out. Playing in front of the home crowd will make a difference. Having the ball is what will really be the decider.
</code></pre>

GreatAmerican · March 28, 2008, 8:48pm

PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN (Binghamton, N.Y.) MARCH 27, 2008

Big lacrosse matchup pits Mirabito brothers

Forks grads part of showdown between Navy, Georgetown

By Brian Moritz, Press & Sun-Bulletin

Typically, Nick and Ricky Mirabito talk every day. But this week, as Nick and the Naval Academy prepare to play Ricky and Georgetown University in a matchup of nationally ranked lacrosse programs on Saturday, the two haven't spoken once. "I think it's more a joke between the two of us," Nick Mirabito said. "We kind of said 'I'm not talking to you until after the game.' Everyone else makes a bigger deal of it than it really is."

This is the first time the Mirabito brothers have played against each other in a competitive environment. They played together one high school season at Chenango Forks, when Nick was a senior and Ricky a freshman.

Now, the Mirabito brothers are both having stellar seasons for two of the
best Division I programs in the country.

Nick, a senior, is Navy's leading scorer with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points. He recorded three goals and one assists for the in a recent victory. He's also been listed on Insidelacrosse.com as among 10 players to watch as potential National Player of the Year candidate.

The Midshipmen (8-1) are ranked No. 10 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association rankings.

"We had a tough loss to Cornell in overtime at the beginning of the year, but we're doing pretty well," Nick said. "Me, I'm doing OK. I wish we had that one win, but otherwise we're doing real well."

Ricky, a sophomore, is the fifth leading scorer for No. 4-ranked Georgetown with six goals and three assists (15 points). He scored two goals and had one assist on Saturday as the Hoyas upset No. 1-ranked Duke, 11-7. Mirabito was named the ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week for that performance.

All of his points this season have come in the last three games.

"I'm really proud of him," Nick said of Ricky. "Seeing that he scored his first goal in the Delaware game, and that he had three in that game, that's really something else. Every week ever since they started playing, I check the write-ups. To see him get on the board and do well there, it's a pretty good feeling."

GreatAmerican · March 28, 2008, 8:51pm

The Game of the Week:
...Georgetown at Navy

Saturday, March 29, 5:00 PM, Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis, MD

This game will be televised on CBS College Sports, DirecTV Channel 610

<ol>
<li>Georgetown (#3) at Navy (#10)--(Saturday, March 29, 5:00 PM, Annapolis, MD)--TV GAME--When Navy's squad ran onto the Field at M&T Bank Stadium in the 2004 NCAA Championship game behind the American flag, the (pre-season ranked) #18 team brought the huge crowd to its feet. But who were they? At 6-7 the year before, there were barely any recognizable players on the squad. Graham Gill never played for a high school lacrosse team--but was a scoring leader. Attacker Ben Bailey, the terrific outside shooter, was from Memphis. William Wallace, starting face-off man, learned to play lacrosse in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. And one of Navy's attackers was from Idaho. That game set a record of sorts: Navy was the only team to reach it without a single first, second, or third team pre-season All-American player. Navy fields a team of largely unknowns, but plays, every year, teams like Hopkins, Maryland, and Georgetown. How does this team manage to win at all?</li>
</ol>

First, Navy draws from a student body where everyone is in excellent physical shape--and they all run. Second, Navy carries a lot of midfielders--sometimes as many as 25 players at that position. Third, Navy has a tradition of excellent defense--even though some of the team's best defenders, historically, never played high school lacrosse. Finally, Navy never quits. If the Mids can stifle the opponent's attack with good defense, the Navy offense is capable of showing its opportunism. That's why Navy can compete at the highest levels of lacrosse, and, with the possible exception of Army, is the only team of this ilk that can do so.

This weekend, the Mids will play in one of the most important games in Navy history.

Here's the set up for this game that most fans may have overlooked: Navy and Army each lost to Cornell by a single goal. Then Army lost to #2 Syracuse by a single goal. The Swami warned everyone that underrated Bucknell would be a very dangerous team this season. The Bison took Navy to overtime in Annapolis before losing, and held the Mids to a mere four goals in the process. The summary: All three of these Patriot League teams are basically evenly matched. And, since the Patriot League decides its automatic-qualifer for the NCAA playoffs via a tournament of its four teams with the best records, Bucknell, Army and Navy will probably meet in the PL Tournament--a tournament which any one of them could win. With Georgetown being the only team that has beaten Duke, a victory over the Hoyas offers the Mids a chance to punch their playoff ticket this weekend. Yes--this is one of the most important games of the season.

If Navy does not beat Georgetown it's no surety that a win over either Maryland or Hopkins would offer the same benefit. This is a one time opportunity for the Mids.

The Mids are almost always huge underdogs in this series, which only extends back to 1997. In that short period, Navy has only won three of eleven games (in 2006 the teams played twice). Significantly, Navy has only lost one game to Georgetown when the Mids have scored in double figures. Georgetown is averaging 13.75 goals per game in its wins, but only seven per game in its losses. The vaunted Navy close defense and D-middies are, surely, the keys to this game. This is an unknown and underrated group that never gets any mention. Navy is full of players who were never recruited by any other team and rarely get a chance to bask in the sunlight of glory. Saturday night that will all change.

One never knows about Navy. Last week in Hamilton, NY, the Midshipmen used 18 midfielders and a back-up goalie to hold the Colgate Red Raiders to 53 consecutive scoreless minutes en route to an 8-3 win. The stalwart Mid defense gave up a goal at 9:16 of the first quarter, and then pitched a shutout--until the last minute of the contest, that is--when Navy suddenly seem to lose its poise. Colgate then promptly took advantage of the situation and scored twice in the last 54 seconds. Has any team ever been victimized by goals scored in the last seconds of a quarter more than Navy? But, even with that lapse, at 4.33 goals against per game, the Midshipmen now lead Division I in terms of fewest goals given up per game.

Georgetown brings a powerful offense to Annapolis. Navy has not beaten Georgetown since the year Navy went to the Championship in 2004. Some of those games have been messy affairs for the Mids. While it seems that this game is often played in horrible weather (last year was an exception), the forecast for this weekend in Annapolis is calling for clear and sunny skies all day Saturday, with a 50° temperature at game time (the game starts at 5:00 PM).

If you live in the Baltimore-Washington area and you do not attend this game, you will be missing one of the pivotal contests of the 2008 season.

Be there this weekend--Navy's stadium has huge parking and is just a short hop off US 50.

The Swami likes Navy in a huge upset. But the Mids had better leave the funky offense in the locker room and bring the real one to the game.

This is an extremely rare game that goes over the top--a six barn-burner.

GreatAmerican · March 29, 2008, 9:43am

Siblings become rivals for today's Navy-Georgetown matchup

By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
March 29, 2008

Brotherly love apparently has its limits.

In a typical week, Nick Mirabito, a senior attackman for the Navy men's lacrosse team, and Ricky Mirabito, a sophomore attackman for Georgetown, will call each other two or three times to discuss lacrosse, classes and family.

But in the week leading up to today's 5 p.m. showdown between the No. 3 Midshipmen and the No. 7 Hoyas at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, the brothers from Binghamton, N.Y., have talked just once.

That's it.

"I talked with him Monday just to decide who's going to give tickets to who for the game," Ricky said, alluding to the planned attendance of his parents and other family members. "Other than that, no communication."

Today's meeting between the Mirabito brothers is just part of a larger highly anticipated clash between Navy (8-1) and Georgetown (4-2). The Midshipmen have won six games in a row, but the Hoyas - who have won the past four meetings between the teams - are riding the momentum of knocking off then-No. 1 Duke, 11-7, a week ago.

This will be the first time that Nick, 22, and Ricky Mirabito, 20, will play as opponents. Through youth leagues and Chenango Forks High School, the brothers have always been on the same side.

"It's tough because you want your brother to do well, and you want him to succeed," Nick said. "But when he's playing us, you don't want him to do too well where they beat us. It's just mixed emotions."

Added Ricky: "Being the younger brother, I always looked up to him watching him play. I always enjoyed playing with him, but honestly, it'll be really different seeing him playing on the opposing team."

Despite being separated by almost three years, the brothers have always been close.

When Nick took up lacrosse, basketball and football at Chenango Forks, so did Ricky. Both were point guards in basketball and although Ricky experimented with defense and midfield, he eventually migrated to attack like his older brother.

But as brothers do, Nick and Ricky butted heads in basketball, in Wiffle ball, in pingpong. Nick recalled his mother, Norma Jean, taking away the video game controllers because the brothers could not finish a game without ending it with shouts or fists.

"Most of the time, that was my fault," Ricky admitted. "If I was winning, I was talking trash to him or if I was losing, I was getting mad. So at some point, she'd come down and take everything away."

While Nick opted to attend Navy, his younger brother chose Georgetown over Navy and Cornell. While Ricky said he chose to go with the Hoyas because of academics, he also acknowledged not being excited about the obligations of attending a military academy.

Because the Mirabito brothers both play attack, they will not tangle with each other on the field today. But the emotion of the moment could be difficult for their parents, who plan to sit at midfield with specially crafted jerseys with Nick's number on the front and Ricky's number on the back.

"It's tough enough when you're going just to watch one of them play, and it's your son out there performing," said Richard Mirabito, a fuel company vice president.

"I'm just hoping that they play well, they don't make too many mistakes, and the best team that plays the best wins. That's all you can really hope for.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them."

Both Nick and Ricky said they will shake hands and hug each other after the game. But until then, the silence will continue.

"Any other day of the year, I'm his biggest fan, but for this week, not so much," Nick said.

Added Ricky: "I just want to win. He can do whatever he wants as long as we win."

<a href="mailto:edward.lee@baltsun.com">edward.lee@baltsun.com</a>

GreatAmerican · March 29, 2008, 1:48pm

By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published March 29, 2008

Critics have questioned Navy's 8-1 record (and No. 10 national ranking) because it's come against a relatively weak schedule.

Television analyst and Inside Lacrosse contributing writer Quint Kessenich has been particularly vocal, consistently claiming the Midshipmen are overrated because most of their wins have come over Division I weaklings such as Virginia Military Institute, Mount St. Mary's, Lafayette and Holy Cross.

Such talk has annoyed the Midshipmen, who feel wins over quality opponents such as Ohio State, Bucknell and Colgate have been ignored. Navy's lone loss came at the hands of sixth-ranked Cornell by an 8-7 count in overtime.

Navy can prove the college lacrosse world wrong this evening when its hosts fourth-ranked Georgetown in Annapolis. The Hoyas are coming off a shocking upset of previously top-ranked and undefeated Duke.

"People can question our schedule all they want. I feel we've played some very good teams, played a bunch of very competitive games and played pretty well so far," Navy head coach Richie Meade said. "All that aside, this game is going to be our toughest test to date. Georgetown is an upper-level team that has a good chance to go to the Final Four. We will need to play better than we've played all season in order to win."

Georgetown has played more top-tier competition this season but suffered losses to Maryland and Syracuse in two of its initial three games. Those two schools are currently ranked fourth and second, respectively, by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

The Hoyas held the nation's highest-scoring offense nearly eight goals below its average in the 11-7 upset of the Blue Devils last Saturday. Senior goalkeeper Miles Kass was outstanding with 18 saves and got great support from a defense led by All-American Jerry Lambe. Craig Stevenson (6-foot-4, 255 pounds) and Chris Nixon team with Lambe to form a big, physical close unit while sophomore Barney Ehrmann (6-5, 210) has emerged as one of the nation's top long stick midfielders.

"Georgetown is always tough defensively. They've got a bunch of big, strong guys that block out the sun," Meade said. "I'm sure they're going to extend and put pressure on us, try to make it difficult for us to handle the ball and run our settled offense."

Navy has relied on a balanced offense so far with five different players having scored between eight and 15 goals. Senior attackman Nick Mirabito has been the catalyst with 16 goals and 18 assists while sophomore attackman Tim Paul and sophomore midfielder Patrick Moran contributing 15 and 10 goals, respectively.

While Georgetown has a reputation as a strong defensive team, it is allowing nine goals per game. That is due in part to a fast-paced style and in part to playing high-powered opponents such as Maryland and Syracuse. However, head coach Dave Urick said the Hoyas have given opponents extra possessions with subpar play in the faceoff (41 percent) and clearing game (72 percent). Navy, by contrast, is winning 57 percent of faceoffs and succeeding on 79 percent of clears.

Navy's defense ranks among the nation's best with captain Jordy DiNola teaming with fellow senior Brendan Teague (St. Mary's) to lead a close unit that allows just 4.28 goals per game. Meade said junior goalie Tommy Phelan will likely make his second career start since classmate Matt Couglin was limited in practice this week.

Coughlin, who started the initial eight games and was solid, suffered a hamstring injury versus Bucknell. Phelan went the whole way against Colgate and was outstanding with a career-high 13 saves.

"Georgetown is a great shooting team so our goalkeeper will have to play well," Meade said. "Against Colgate, Tommy saved everything he should and took some (goals) away. He'll need a similar effort on Saturday."

DiNola will likely cover senior All-American Brendan Cannon, who leads Georgetown in scoring with 12 goals and 12 assists. Teague figures to defend senior Andrew Baird, an inside finisher who leads the Hoyas with 13 goals. Long stick midfielder Jaren Woeppel will have his hands full trying to contain Andrew Brancaccio, who has used his cannon crank shot to fire in nine goals.

Both coaches feel this game will be won in the midfield, where Georgetown has some elite talent and Navy boasts quality depth. Dan D'Agnes, Todd Cochran and Max Seligmann are other key middies for the Hoyas.

"They have a tremendous amount of athletic ability in the midfield," Meade said.

Moran, Joe Lennon (11 points) and Basil Daratsos have combined to form a dangerous first midfield while the second line of Sean Standen (six goals), Shane Durkin (four goals) and Michael Beggins (three goals) has been equally potent for the Mids. Meade plans to run the third midfield and a slew of defensive middies in an effort to wear down the Hoyas.

Georgetown has won six of the last seven meetings with Navy, often prevailing in a defensive struggle that went down to the wire. Three of the last five games between the schools have been decided by two goals or less.

"If we played this game on paper, we probably would not win. The formula for beating Georgetown is simple. We've got to play great defense and we can't turn the ball over and give them unsettled situations," Meade said. "I feel it will be important to start fast, draw first blood and gain some momentum."

Meanwhile, Urick is concerned about Georgetown playing with the same energy and emotion it displayed against Duke. The Hoyas have played five of their six games at home with the only road trip resulting in a loss.

"We need to put the Duke win behind us, keep things in perspective and get re-focused for an outstanding Navy team," Urick said. "We need to learn how to win in a big-time atmosphere and hostile environment on the road."

BOYLE TROPHY: Today's winner will be presented with a trophy in memory of longtime official Scott Boyle, who collapsed and passed away while officiating the Navy-Georgetown game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on April 2, 2005. Boyle's widow, Becky, and children, Kelly and Scott, will present the trophy following the game.

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