With a string of upsets and the return of Duke’s program dominating the headlines early on in this college lacrosse season, Navy quietly went about its business in winning its first two games.
Then last Friday, Navy made the rest of the country take notice in a big way as 17 players contributed a goal or assist in its 19-8 victory Saturday against then-No. 5 North Carolina. The win helped the Midshipmen go from 12th to sixth in this week’s USILA coaches poll.
The Midshipmen (3-0, 1-0 Patriot League) hope to continue that level of play today in Bethlehem, Pa., where they face conference foe Lehigh (2-2, 1-0).
Lehigh, which lost to Navy twice last season, faces the Mids this weekend after defeating Holy Cross, 9-8, in overtime in its Patriot League opener. Jeff Wiener (9 goals, 1 assist) and Stephen Marino (5, 5) each have 10 points to lead the Mountain Hawks.
“We were flying under the radar in the beginning of the season,” Navy coach Richie Meade said. “We played very well the other night. The key is now to play with the same type of consistency and pay the same attention to detail that we did against North Carolina.”
Meade said what impressed him most about the North Carolina win was the balance Navy displayed on both ends of the field. Attackmen Ian Dingman and Nick Mirabito scored three goals apiece, while goalie Colin Finnegan had 14 saves. Also, defenseman Andrew Dow held the Tar Heels? leading goal scorer, Gavin Petracca, to zero goals and four shots.
“Our offense did a very good job of moving the ball around and just finding the right guy to score,” Meade said.
Dingman said the North Carolina game was one of the best performances he has seen from Navy in his five years with the program. With that kind of continued effort, he believes the Midshipmen can get back to the Final Four this season.
“We can’t worry about different teams getting upset; we just have to worry about what we can control,” Dingman said. “When we are playing together, the only ones that can beat us are ourselves.”
NAVY NOTES
» Navy’s game against Lehigh is set to begin at 1 p.m. today at Ulrich Field in Bethlehem, Pa.
» Navy?s Colin Finnegan was named Patriot League goalie of the week for his 14-save performance against North Carolina. Navy defenseman Andrew Dow earned Patriot League defensive player of the week honors for his play in the game.
