The Navy men?s lacrosse team boasts a 46-12 record since the start of the 2004 season.
But, one-third of those losses came against Georgetown, a team which always finds different ways to beat the Midshipmen. This included Saturday when the host and seventh-ranked Hoyas rallied in the second half for a 10-9 victory.
The loss represents the first of the season for fourth-ranked Navy (8-1), which lost to Georgetown (5-2) for the fourth straight time. The Mids must now regroup as it hosts No. 10 Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
“Nine goals should have been enough to win the game,” Navy coach Richie Meade said. “I don?t want to take anything away from Georgetown, but I don?t think we played our best. If we played the best game we?re capable of playing, I wouldn?t feel like I do now. I think we played hard, we hustled and gave great effort, but it wasn?t the smartest game we played all year.”
Navy actually led 5-2 at one point in the second quarter, but Georgetown scored six times in the second half, including five in the third quarter to secure thewin.
One area that cost Navy at Georgetown and could impact the Mids against Maryland is their ability to clear the ball. Navy converted on just 18 of 32 clear attempts against the Hoyas, including failing on six of nine clears in the second quarter.
“They applied a lot of pressure and see where our mistakes were and have a little more poise the next game,” Navy midfielder/face-off specialist William Wallace said.
Georgetown was just the first in four straight games against ranked opponents to end the season for Navy. Following Maryland Friday, Navy hosts No. 9 Army April 14 before playing at No. 6 Johns Hopkins the following week.
“Every game is a battle we just need to take a day off and come back on Monday, get back to work and hope for a better outcome next week against Maryland,” Navy senior midfielder Billy Looney said. “We?re excited for the chance to compete again and Maryland always provides a tough challenge for us.”
Navy notes
» Navy senior attack Ian Dingman had four goals and Billy Looney had two goals and two assists in the loss at Georgetown.
» Freshman midfielder Basil Daratsos scored for Navy with 25 seconds left in regulation pulling Navy within 10-9. The Mids then won the ensuing face-off and midfielder Terence Higgins got a shot off which Georgetown goalie Miles Kass saved to preserve the win.
» Navy sophomore attack Bruce Nechanicky left the game and did not return after suffering an injury to his left knee in the first quarter.
» Junior attack Brendan Cannon finished with three goals (all in the second half) and three assists to lead Georgetown.
