An unforced turnover on the first possession of the game foretold how things would unfold for Navy men’s lacrosse in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
Sophomore Zach Hayashi won the opening faceoff cleanly, carried the ball into the offensive end, then carelessly flipped it over a teammate’s head and out of bounds. That set the tone for a frustrating first quarter in which nothing went right for the Midshipmen.
Freshman midfielder Joseph Duggan scored two goals and assisted another as third-seeded Lafayette built a big early lead, rebuffed a brief rally then pulled away to beat No. 6 Navy, 9-5.
Junior goalie Joe Doherty recorded a career-high 18 saves to anchor a suffocating defensive effort by the Leopards, who held the Midshipmen scoreless in the first and fourth quarters.
Freshman attackman Nicholas Blalock and senior midfielder Liam Sargent scored two goals apiece for Lafayette (10-5), which advanced to face second-seeded Boston University (10-4, 6-2) in the semifinals at Army West Point.
Top-seeded and host Army (12-1) will meet Colgate (8-7) in the other semifinal on Thursday night.
Senior attackman Riley Sullivan, a first team All-Patriot League pick, dished off three assists as Lafayette won a Patriot League Tournament game for the first time in program history in its first ever home tournament game. Freshman midfielder Benjamin DiBattista contributed a goal and assist for the Leopards.
Junior attackman Mac Haley had a goal and two assists to pace Navy, which never led in the game. Senior attackmen Carter Ash and Henry Tolker both totaled a goal and an assist for the Mids, who put just 23 of 38 shots on cage.
That inaccuracy combined with Doherty’s strong play between the pipes resulted in Navy netting a season-low five goals.
“I wish I had an answer for why we didn’t shoot the ball well. I thought we got great looks and just couldn’t finish,” Navy coach Joe Amplo said. “I thought their goalie played really good position-wise. When you’ve got a goalie that is big and plays good position, that makes it tough.”
Sargent scored both his goals, while DiBattista and Duggan had a goal and assist apiece as Lafayette grabbed a 5-0 lead after the first quarter. Navy shooters hit the pipe five times in the opening period and four turnovers also hampered the offense.
“They were sharp offensively early, while we were a little slow defensively,” Amplo said.
Navy righted the ship in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 4-1 to cut the deficit to two at halftime. Ash totaled a goal and assist, while Haley dished off two assists as the Mids got right back into the game.
That rally continued after intermission with Haley scoring unassisted to reduce the Lafayette lead to 6-5 at the 13:41 mark of the third quarter. Remarkably, the Midshipmen would not score again, a drought totaling nearly 29 minutes to close out the contest.
“We just could not get the ball past the goalie for whatever reason,” Amplo said.
With Lafayette clinging to the one-goal lead, Blalock and Duggan scored just 35 seconds apart to make it 8-5 with 8:39 to go in the third period. Doherty and the defense clamped down from there as the Leopards continued a historic season that has seen them set a single-season program record for victories.
Junior Colin Shadowens (Severna Park High) won 7 of the 9 faceoffs he took, while classmate Dan Daly made 10 saves for Navy (8-7), which has not captured the Patriot League Tournament championship since 2009 and has not reached the final since 2010.
“It’s disappointing because this senior class has done so much for this program,” Amplo said.
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