Navy Midshipmen Lacrosse Beats Top 25 Program in Patriot League Opener

As victories go, this is one the Navy Midshipmen men’s lacrosse team will take.

The Midshipmen, fresh off their first loss of the season against the Penn State Nittany Lions a weekend ago, started Patriot League action off on the right foot with a 13-9 victory over the No. 20 Boston University Terriers on Saturday.

It was the third straight game against a nationally ranked opponent for the Midshipmen (4-1, 1-0 in Patriot). Before the loss to Penn State, the Midshipmen beat the Towson Tigers in a non-conference showdown at home.

Saturday’s win also kept Navy undefeated at home (4-0).

The Midshipmen got off to an impressive lead, as they were up 11-1 on the Terriers (4-1, 0-1) after the first 40 minutes of the game. The final score represented Boston U.’s furious attempt to try and rally to tie the game, which fell short.

The Terriers should have expected this. Navy’s defense shut them down in the first period of the game, which was the first time the Midshipmen shut out an opponent in the first quarter since beating Boston U last March, a span of 16 games.

Navy still had trouble putting away the Terriers, as they made it uncomfortable for the Midshipmen down the stretch. Still, the lead remained no lower than three goals in the final minutes, even as Boston U. pressed the offensive zone and pulled their goaltender.

Navy coach Joe Amplo told NavySports.com that Boston U. “completely outplayed” his team in the second half, as at one point the Terriers went on an 8-1 run and held Navy without a goal for nearly minutes. That made the Midshipmen’s hot start to the game more relevant.

Jack Flaherty led Navy with three goals and three assists for a career-high six points. He set his previous career high in the Towson game with four points. Carter Ash also had a hat trick with three goals.

Mac Haley had three points, including two goals and an assist. William Goers had two goals, Jack Ponzio had two goals while Henry Tolker had a goal and an assist.

Tolker’s game helped him move further up a couple of Navy career scoring lists. He moved into 27th on the Midshipmen’s career points leader board with 109 (86G, 23A), while also taking sole possession of 11th on all-time goals scored list with 86.

His 86 goals are the most by a Navy player since Ian Dingman finished his career second on the leader board with 125 from 2003-07.

Navy returns to Patroit League action on Saturday when it faces the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

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