Jordan DiNola was far from an unknown commodity when he arrived at the Naval Academy almost four years ago.
DiNola first arrived in Annapolis as a teenager to watch older brothers Dustin, and later Seth, compete on the Midshipmen?s lacrosse team.But despite spending countless hours at the Academy, Jordan DiNola acknowledged he wasn?t sure he wanted to follow in his brothers? footsteps.
But that all changed his senior year of high school, when the allure of serving his country and playing with Seth for a season trumped anything Duke or Notre Dame offered.
“I always kept an open mind, but in the end I felt Navy was the best fit and would provide me the best opportunities in life,” DiNola said. “I come from a patriotic family, but I?m not sure I would have looked at Navy if my brothers had not gone there first.”
It turns out the native of Ballston Lake, N.Y., made the right choice, and when the season?s over, he?s expected to throw his cap into the air at the graduation ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium just as Dustin did in 2003 and Seth two years later.
But before beginning his career in the armed services, the senior has another mission: anchor one of the game?s stingiest defenses, one that gave up an average of just 6.6 goals per game ? third-lowest in the country. The two-time Honorable Mention All-American who had 19 ground balls last season, will begin his task today at noon against Virginia Military Institute at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
And just like in previous seasons, the Midshipmen?s success will hinge on their defense. The Midshipmen, the reigning Patriot League champions, went 11-4 last season after losing to North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We always rely on our defense,” Navy coach Richie Meade said. “Even when we were young two years ago on defense, we leaned on our defense. It?s how we play.”
Still, Meade said the Midshipmen made some crucial defensive mistakes last season. Navy lost three games by one goal, including against Maryland and eventual-champion Johns Hopkins. But Meade is confident the return of DiNola should enable Navy to reduce its miscues this spring. It is imperative the Midshipmen play great defensively since it graduated two of their top three scorers from last season, including attacker Ian Dingman (33 goals, 9 assists) and midfielder Billy Looney (20, 14).
“Jordan was a highly recruited kid and we were lucky to get him,” Meade said. “He?s as good as any defender in the country.”
So all he has to do it prove it. DiNola said he?s completely focused against VMI, which went 2-12 last season. It?s the first step toward the ultimate goal ofgetting back to the championship game for the first time since 2004, when Seth was on the squad that lost to Syracuse at M&T Bank Stadium.
“A lot of what we do starts on defense,” DiNola said. “It?s the foundation of our team. We?ve always got to have young guys step up, whether it?s on offense or defense, because you can?t keep the same guys together forever in college.”
