Navy preview
Today's entry is the fifth of a week-long series taking a look at each of the seven Division I programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. Tune in Wednesday for a preview of Maryland, and The Sun’s lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Friday, Feb. 12. Today is Navy’s turn.
Overview: By most accounts, the Midshipmen had a pretty successful 2009, capturing their fifth Patriot League championship in six years and advancing to their sixth NCAA Tournament. But Navy lost twice to Patriot League rivals for the first time in school history and suffered a 14-5 loss to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. "We did not come back in August feeling great about everything that happened last year," coach Richie Meade said. "So we have a lot to prove. That’s kind of the way we’ve approached the season."
Reason for optimism: A program with a rich tradition in organizing suffocating defenses, the Midshipmen return their entire first attack and midfield lines from last season. Attackmen Tim Paul (18 goals, 14 assists), Brendan Connors (21, 10) and Andy Warner (13, 14) finished 1-2-3 in points, and midfielders Patrick Moran (20, 3) Joe Lennon (14, 9) and the trio of Nikk Davis (3, 5), Brian Striffler (7, 4) and Basil Daratsos (4, 3) are another year wiser. "We have some experience offensively, which I think is really going to help us," Meade said. "We’ve got some size in the midfield and some experience at attack. It should lead to some continuity and some success."
Reason for pessimism: Navy graduated its starting short-stick defensive midfielders (more on them later) and starting defenseman Andy Tormey, who led the team in groundballs (44) and caused turnovers (32) last season. Tormey was the emotional and physical anchor of a unit that surrendered just 7.6 goals a game last spring. Meade is leaning on junior Michael Hirsch (ACL surgery last April), sophomore Matt Vernam and senior long-stick midfielder Jaren Woeppel (the Patriot League’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year) to lead the way. "Losing Andy and the guys we lost was a little bit of a hit," Meade said. "But I think that the guys we are replacing them with potentially are more athletic. It’s just a matter of getting them all on the same page."
Keep an eye on: As mentioned above, the Midshipmen bid farewell to Geoff Leone and Bobby Lennon, a pair of short-stick defensive midfielders who played all four years. Leone and Lennon not only shadowed opposing midfielders, but they also had the ability to start the transition game, carrying the ball from the defensive end to the offensive zone with little problems. Seniors Joe McAuliffe, Anthony Arena and Stephen Driscoll, junior Marty Gallagher and freshmen Bucky Smith and Jordan Seivold are expected to fill the void. "I think the guys we have just have to get used to playing," Meade said. "Bobby and Geoff were out there on every opportunity when they weren’t tired. The other guys have to be comfortable playing those minutes and have to be comfortable in the clearing game. We’re kind of working through that."
What he said: On the potential of this Navy squad, Meade said, "When I look at the team, I’m always asking, ‘What’s the margin of excellence?’ In other words, what’s the distance in between where we are right now and the potential of our team. And I think that distance is pretty big right now. We’ve got a lot of room to grow. I think the potential of our team is promising, but it’s a matter of making those strides in practice – and not during the season – and winning. Winning always helps that."
