Navy rebounds, snaps two-game losing streak
Navy snapped a two-game losing skid by taking care of Lehigh, 8-3, Tuesday night, and the reasons behind the victory are pretty elementary.
After committing 24 turnovers each in back-to-back losses to No. 10 Loyola and No. 3 North Carolina, the No. 12 Midshipmen coughed up the ball just 14 times against the Mountain Hawks.
"It’s not rocket science," coach Richie Meade said. "If you’re up around 20, 23 turnovers, you’re going to struggle. It doesn’t matter who you are. We’ve looked at everything that we’ve done in terms of all the games, and offensively, our lack of being impressive is well-documented. But when we’ve played offense, we’ve played OK. It’s about being in the position to be able to play offense."
Navy’s improved protection of the ball led to more and extended opportunities on offense. After the attack finished with zero goals and assists against the Tar Heels, seniors Brendan Connors and Kyle Kapron, junior Andy Warner and sophomore Ryan O’Leary combined for five goals and four assists against Lehigh.
Meade acknowledged that the unit is still developing a chemistry without senior Tim Paul, who is out for the remainder of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Loyola.
"I think it’s tough," Meade said. "We’ve always played a lot of guys, but I think they’re starting to get a feeling for how the third guy fits in now. … Some of these other guys are not as experienced. They’re starting to learn to play together."
