Navy at Towson: Halftime thoughts
On a night when Towson is seeking its first victory, the host Tigers lead No. 17 Navy, 6-5, at halftime.
Junior attackman Tim Stratton already has a hat trick in the first half, and the third goal involved a little trickery as he and senior midfielder Brock Armour engaged in a ball fake behind the net. As Midshipmen sophomore goalkeeper R.J. Wickham followed Armour to the left wing, Stratton -- who had the ball -- curled around the right post and dumped the ball into the open net.
Senior midfielder Christian Pastirik has a pretty goal of his own when he accepted a pass from freshman attackman Matt Hughes, and as he was running out of real estate while running to the right side of the crease, whipped a shot behind his head into the top left corner of the cage.
Towson, which hasn't trailed in the first half, broke a 3-3 tie with three consecutive goals. But Navy answered with two goals, including a tally from senior defenseman Jake Brosnan with 17 seconds left in the second quarter.
Other notes:
*The Midshipmen have been powered by senior attackman Brendan Connors, who has registered two goals and one assist. Sophomore attackman Ryan O'Leary has added a goal and an assist.
*Tigers junior goalie Travis Love has continued his strong play in his first career start. He's made seven saves, including three from point-blank range.
*One statistic that will likely give Navy coach Richie Meade a headache is that the Midshipmen have committed six turnovers to Towson's one.
*Tigers senior midfielder Will Harrington scored the game's first goal, but has been relatively quieted by senior long-stick midfielder Zack Schroeder. Schroeder is playing for senior Jaren Woeppel, the Patriot League preseason Defensive Player of the Year who has been bothered by a sore hamstring.
Categories: Halftime thoughts, Navy, Towson
