The New England Patriots are spending this week preparing for a visit from the Ravens Sunday, but that didn't stop Patriots coach Bill Belichick from talking a little lacrosse during a conference call with media members who cover the Ravens on Wednesday.

Belichick, who grew up in Annapolis and graduated from Annapolis High School, spent at least five minutes of his 15-minute conference call discussing lacrosse.

Regarding his relationship with Johns Hopkins and coach Dave Pietramala, Belichick said, "It’s a strong one. Coach Pietramala has been a good friend. Certainly enjoy talking to him and exchanging ideas about coaching and preparation and things like that and stats and players. I know the sports are different and all, but coaching is still coaching to a large degree and handling your team, there’s a lot of carryover even though the sports are different. He’s given me the opportunity to be around his teams, on the practice field, at games, and in meetings and in preparation. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve taken a lot of things that he’s done and incorporated them into some of the things that we do – more in terms of coaching and preparation style and that type of thing. He’s come up to visit us here a few times in training camp and at games, and I have a great exchange of ideas with him, and he’s been a huge help. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s done and what he’s done with that great program, which I’ve always admired – even though I grew up at the Naval Academy and bleed blue and gold. But being that close to Hopkins and the program that they run there from when he was a player until now as a coach, I just have tremendous respect for him and the entire Johns Hopkins lacrosse program. It’s first class and they do things the right way. It’s been a great opportunity for me to watch them up close and see how they do some of the things they do so well."

Continue reading "Bill Belichick talks lacrosse" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Navy
        

Here is the third installment of a preseason and premature poll for the 2010 season, publishing the teams ranked from Nos. 10 to 6. Thursday will be the last entry, featuring the teams ranked from Nos. 5 to 1.

Unless there are confirmed reports about certain players planning to use fifth years of eligibility, this space will assume that seniors in 2009 will not be back next season. Unannounced fifth-year seniors and potential transfers will affect the rankings that come out next February, but here are the teams that I think will fall between Nos. 10 and 6.

Continue reading "Review & preview: Premature 2010 poll Part 3" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland, Navy, Review & preview
        

In addition to scheduling a regular-season contest against Towson for the first time since April 12, 1997, the Midshipmen agreed to renew a series with Loyola. The two programs have not played against each other since a playoff game on May 15, 1993 and a regular-season contest on April 3, 1943.

The Greyhounds will replace Navy’s game against Ohio State in the middle of February, and Midshipmen coach Richie Meade joked that it only took him 10 years to figure out that a trip to Baltimore is more economically feasible and less physically taxing than visiting Columbus, Ohio.

"Loyola is right down the block," he said. "It made a lot of sense. I think we’re a good game for them, and they’re certainly a good game for us. I think the games will draw great crowds, and I think there will be a lot of local interest. They will be big games. We play in some big games, but we need to play in more big games. I think that helps you."

Posted by Edward Lee at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Loyola, Navy
        

Here’s the fifth installment of a new series that checks in with the seven Division I programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Today, we take a spin with Navy.

Continue reading "Review & preview: Navy" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Navy, Review & preview
        

The All-American teams for Division I have been released and the area’s lone representative on the first team is Johns Hopkins senior defenseman Michael Evans. Evans is joined by fellow defensemen Ken Clausen of Virginia (his second selection) and Matt Moyer of Cornell.

Cornell midfielder Max Seibald makes his third consecutive appearance on the first team, joining a group that includes Matt Abbott of Syracuse, Shamel Bratton of Virginia and Mark Kovler of Princeton.

The attackmen are Billy Bitter of North Carolina, Brandon Corp of Colgate, Ned Crotty of Duke, Danny Glading of Virginia and Kenny Nims of Syracuse. The goalie is Jordan Burke of Brown.

Continue reading "Division I All-American teams announced" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

I just got off the phone with Towson coach Tony Seaman, who informed me that he and Navy coach Richie Meade have agreed to resume a short-lived series that probably should have gotten a longer run -- especially for area fans.

The Midshipmen last faced the Tigers on April 12, 1997 (a 14-6 victory for the Tigers), and Navy leads the series, 5-3.

There is, however, a price for Towson. The game against Navy will fall between contests against Maryland and Virginia, which makes for a tough stretch leading up to Colonial Athletic Association play.

"So we’ve got Maryland on Saturday, Navy on Tuesday night, and Virginia on Saturday," Seaman said in what sounded like an am-I-crazy-or-what chuckle. "I’ve been wanting to play Navy since I’ve been here, and I think it’s a game we should have, and they thought it was a great opportunity, too. ... I just thought that’s a game we should play -- even though it’s suicide."

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Navy, Towson
        

While helping me on a couple of features to advance the Maryland-Syracuse and Johns Hopkins-Virginia matchups in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon was generous enough to review the first-round games and look ahead to this weekend.

Continue reading "ESPN's Mark Dixon chimes in on NCAA tournament" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

The Midshipmen return to Tobacco Road after upending North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. Here are three things that could help Navy make a triumphant trip against the Blue Devils on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Continue reading "Navy at Duke: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy, Three things to watch
        

Check in Friday for "Three things to watch" on all four games involving area teams. Until then, here’s a Q&A with ESPN analyst and 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Matt Ward on the omission of Loyola, easiest and toughest paths to the Final Four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Matt Ward on the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

CBS College Sports analyst and former Syracuse All-American midfielder Paul Carcaterra helped me out with a feature in Thursday’s paper on Navy junior attackman Tim Paul, who is expected to play in the Midshipmen’s first-round NCAA tournament game against No. 3 seed Duke despite a sprained left ankle. He also took the time to discuss Loyola’s absence, easiest and toughest paths to the Final Four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "CBS College Sports' Paul Carcaterra evaluates the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

There’s a general theme in the first-round pairings involving the area teams, and it involves reunions.

When UMBC visits No. 6 seed North Carolina Saturday, Retrievers coach Don Zimmerman returns to the program for which he served as an assistant coach between 1979-83. Zimmerman was thought to be the leading candidate for the head coaching vacancy created when the Tar Heels fired coach John Haus last May, but he removed his name from consideration and signed a six-year extension to stay at UMBC.

In addition to Zimmerman, senior midfielder Peet Poillon reunites with Joe Breschi, the new North Carolina coach who mentored Poillon when the pair competed for Ohio State. When Breschi was hired away by the Tar Heels, Poillon requested a transfer and landed with the Retrievers.

"Peet’s been with us for a year, and he’s had a great year for us," Zimmerman said of Poillon, who leads the team in assists (19) and points (44). "Whenever you go back and compete against a former coach of yours, I’m sure it’s a little special."

Continue reading "First-round matchups involve reunion theme" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins All-American goalkeeper Quint Kessenich has become the face and voice most associated with lacrosse games on television. While helping me on an article about Johns Hopkins’ midfield duo of Michael Kimmel and Brian Christopher, Kessenich answered my questions about Loyola’s omission from the NCAA tournament, a dark-horse candidate for the final four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Quint Kessenich reviews the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon was kind enough to talk to me about some topics I am working on, and the conversation naturally turned to the NCAA tournament’s 16-team field. The following is a Q&A with Dixon that touches on Loyola’s absence, the easiest and toughest paths to the final four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Dixon on NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

The Midshipmen are embroiled in Exams Week, but they passed what might have been their toughest test by beating No. 15 Colgate (9-5) and No. 14 Bucknell (9-7) to capture the Patriot League tournament championship – the fifth one in the last six seasons.

No. 11 Navy (11-4) became the first school to qualify for the NCAA tournament, which means the Midshipmen won’t have to sweat out Selection Sunday in six days.

"We went through that last year, and that’s not something we were anxious to repeat," coach Richie Meade said. "The circumstances that led us to getting into last year’s tournament were pretty unique. I’m not sure that all those things would have happened again. I’m not sure we would have been selected, but I’m not a prognosticator. So I don’t try to attempt to figure out what’s going to happen or what should happen. I just deal with what’s happening. We were in a position to control our destiny, and our kids did a real good job of doing that."

The Midshipmen had plenty of players step up during the tournament. In Friday’s 9-8 triple-overtime win against the Red Raiders, junior midfielder Joe Lennon (Loyola) scored four times – including the game-tying and game-winning goals – junior faceoff specialist Robby Battle won 13 of 20 faceoffs, and freshman defenseman Matt Vernam limited Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Brandon Corp to a single goal.

In Sunday’s 9-8 victory over the Bison, junior attackman Brendan Connors scored three times and assisted on another goal, junior long-stick midfielders Zack Schroeder and Jaren Woeppel shut out Patriot League Freshman of the Year Charlie Streep, and senior defenseman Andy Tormey surrendered just one goal to attackman Joe Mele.

Continue reading "Navy punches ticket to NCAA tournament" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy
        

During halftime of the Syracuse-Massachusetts contest Saturday, former Syracuse All-America midfielder and current CBS college sports analyst Paul Carcaterra offered his take on the projected 16-team field for the NCAA tournament.

That field underwent some changes Monday after Navy beat Bucknell for the Patriot League tournament crown and automatic qualifier. During an extensive conversation that I have broken up into two posts, Carcaterra thinks Bucknell is out and a local school is the most immediate beneficiary.

"I think that opens the door for Maryland as that last at-large bid," Carcaterra said. "I don’t think there are too many of those other bubble teams. I don’t think you can say with a straight face that Georgetown has a shot because Loyola beat them head to head. There aren’t too many others that are on the fence."

Continue reading "Paul Carcaterra's take on the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

The Midshipmen put a Patriot League-high seven players on the All-Conference first and second teams earlier this week.

Senior defenseman Andy Tormey, senior defensive midfielder Geoff Leone and junior midfielder Patrick Moran (Severn) were named to the first team. Leone and Moran earned their second consecutive appearances on the first team, while Tormey made his debut.

Junior attackman Tim Paul (Loyola), junior midfielder Joe Lennon (Loyola), junior faceoff specialist Frankie Coppola and junior defenseman Jaren Woeppel were placed on the second team. Paul and Woeppel are two-time second-team honorees, while Lennon and Coppola are making their first appearance.

Continue reading "Awards rundown for Navy and Loyola" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Loyola, Navy
        

A victory Saturday for either the No. 11 Midshipmen or the No. 10 Blue Jays could go a long way in polishing their resumes for a NCAA tournament bid. Here are a few developments that could determine the outcome.

Continue reading "Navy at Johns Hopkins: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Navy, Three things to watch
        

The Tewaaraton Foundation, which awards the Tewaaraton Trophy to the country’s best lacrosse player, has announced the finalists, and only two with Baltimore-area connections are among the pool of 21.

UMBC’s Jeremy Blevins is one of four goalkeepers, joining Brown’s Jordan Burke, Massachusetts’ Doc Schneider and Notre Dame’s Scott Rodgers. Loyola’s Shane Koppens is one of 10 attackmen, joining Virginia’s Garrett Billings and Danny Glading, Bryant’s Zack Greer, Colgate’s Brandon Corp, Duke’s Ned Crotty, Hofstra’s Jay Card, North Carolina’s Billy Bitter, Princeton’s Jack McBride and Syracuse’s Kenny Nims.

The midfielders are Cornell’s John Glynn and Max Seibald, Syracuse’s Matt Abbott and Dan Hardy, Princeton’s Mark Kovler and Virginia’s Shamel Bratton. The only defenseman on the list is Virginia’s Mike Timms.

In other news, UMBC swept America East honors as Peet Poillon and Justin Radebaugh were named the league’s Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Poillon scored four goals in the No. 7 Retrievers’ 15-7 win against No. 17 Albany on Saturday. The four goals tied a career and season high, which the senior midfielder has notched three times this year. Radebaugh, a freshman faceoff specialist, recorded season highs with 16 faceoff wins (out of 24) and 10 groundballs. He also posted his first career point, an assist.

Navy’s Tommy Phelan earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week accolades for the second consecutive week after making 16 saves in the No. 11 Midshipmen’s 8-4 victory over Army. The senior produced his third straight game of at least 15 saves.

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Loyola, Navy, UMBC
        

Much of the post-game attention centered on senior goalkeeper Tommy Phelan, senior defenseman Andy Tormey and the rest of the No. 12 Midshipmen defense. But the end of Saturday’s press conference revealed that Navy had considered dressing junior attackman Tim Paul, the team’s leading scorer who sat out due to a sprained left ankle.

"He’s doing a lot better than I certainly thought he was going to do," coach Richie Meade said. "We thought about dressing him. He can walk around, but if we dressed him, he’d probably try to be Tim Paul and might get hurt again."

Despite missing the game against Army, Paul still leads the Midshipmen in assists (13) and points (30). At times, it appeared that the offense looked slightly out of sync trying to find its rhythm against the Black Knights, and the unit took just 25 shots.

Meade said Paul’s ankle is responding well to treatment, but he emphasized that he will not rush Paul back – even if that means playing without Paul against No. 11 Johns Hopkins, which owns a 35-game winning streak on Navy.

"I would love for Tommy to be 100 percent and be able to play, but he’s got to practice, and he’s got to be 100 percent," Meade said. "We’ve got enough guys that can play and fulfill that role. What I don’t want is I don’t want Timmy to feel llike he has to get back and play at 75 percent and have a setback. So we’re going to be very conservative with it and do the best we can."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Army vs. Navy" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Navy, Postscript
        

All the talking is almost over, and these two rivals can let their play speak for them Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader at the Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Here are a few things I’ll be interested in observing.

Continue reading "Army vs. Navy: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy, Three things to watch
        

Seniors Andy Tormey and Tommy Phelan were singled out by the Patriot League as the defensive player and goalkeeper of the week, respectively.

Tormey shut down his opponent for the second straight contest. After blanking Georgetown’s Ryan Shuler, he shut out Maryland’s Grant Catalino in the Midshipmen’s 10-4 upset of the then-No. 9 Terps. Tormey ended Catalino’s 22-game point-scoring streak, which was the nation’s 10th-longest active streak.

Phelan made 16 saves, which were the most by a Navy goalie since Seth DiNola stopped 21 shots against Penn State in 2003. In two starts against Maryland and Georgetown, Phelan has made 31 saves and owns a .721 save percentage.

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy
        

Just talked with Andy Bilello, director of business development for Inside Lacrosse which is running the Smartlink Day of Rivals event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore this Saturday.

As of today, the event pitting Army (5-6) against No. 12 Navy (8-3) at 11:30 a.m. and No. 11 Johns Hopkins (4-4) against No. 15 Maryland (6-4) at about 2 p.m. has sold more than 14,000 in advance ticket sales. Bilello said increased attendance could depend on the weather.

"I think normally these are two games that get 10,000 people or more on their own," Bilello said. "So to say we're going to get up to 20,000 sounds reasonable. But in the end, a lot will really depend on someone getting up Saturday morning and looking out the window."

Inside Lacrosse is hoping to ride the wave of momentum created at last Saturday's Big City Classic at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey. A regular-season record crowd of 22,308 for a lacrosse-only event descended on Giants Stadium to watch No. 1 Virginia edge No. 10 North Carolina, No. 4 Princeton upend No. 5 and reigning national champion Syracuse, and No. 6 Hofstra blast by Delaware.

Continue reading "Day of Rivals update" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy
        

The No. 15 Midshipmen dodged a bullet after x-rays and a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed that junior attackman Tim Paul, the team's leading scorer, suffered a sprained left ankle in Friday night's 10-4 victory over No. 9 Maryland.

"It turned out not to be as serious as we originally had thought," Navy coach Richie Meade said earlier Monday. "He'll go through therapy, and he'll start practicing as soon as he comes through that. He could play Saturday [against Army] or it might not respond. We don't really know."

Asked if Paul was a game-time decision, Meade replied affirmatively before adding, "If he's ready, he's going to play."

Paul suffered the injury just 2 minutes, 51 seconds into the third quarter when he planted his left foot while trying to spin away from Terps sophomore defenseman Max Schmidt and quickly crumpled to the turf behind the net. Paul grabbed his left knee, which led those of us in the press box at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to speculate that he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament.

Continue reading "Navy's Tim Paul diagnosed with sprained ankle" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy
        

At 5 feet 11 and 187 pounds and only a sophomore, Tom Mansfield isn’t as experienced as senior Andy Tormey nor as physically imposing as 6-2, 209-pound Matt Vernam.

But Mansfield is quick, and that was more than enough for the Midshipmen to insert him into the starting lineup after sophomore Michael Hirsch was lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Mansfield shadowed Ryan Young, and although the Terps sophomore attackman scored twice, he also committed four turnovers.

"It wasn’t always pretty at times," Mansfield said of his performance. "But with guys like [goalie] Tommy Phelan and Andy and Matt, I don’t need to be a superstar out there. I just need to fit in within our defense and play my role."

Mansfield got burned early in Friday’s game, getting turned around by Young behind the net a couple times in the first quarter. But as the contest continued, Mansfield settled in and grew more comfortable with his assignment – which wasn’t made fully apparent until after Hirsch’s injury Wednesday.

"I think the thing that Navy lacrosse prides itself on is that everyone is always prepared," Mansfield said. "Even if they’re the third guy to go in, everyone’s reading that scouting report, and even if they don’t have a chance to go in, they’re going to be ready when the time comes. Coach kind of reinforced that in us when Mike went down, and we’ll always have guys step up."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Maryland at Navy" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland, Navy, Postscript
        

Both teams are playing on a short week on Friday, but the adrenaline will be flowing with an expected crowd approaching five figures. Here are some details I will be interested in observing from the press box at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

1) The Midshipmen's defense isn’t strikingly huge or fast, but the unit is one of the stingiest in the nation, surrendering an average of seven goals per game – which is tied for fourth-best in Division I. Senior Andy Tormey shut out Georgetown’s Ryan Shuler, freshman Matt Vernam limited Ricky Mirabito to just one goal, and short-stick defensive midfielders Geoff Leone and Bobby Lennon are considered two of the best at their position. "They have a tremendous system that they coach and the players understand," Terps coach Dave Cottle said. "We’ve got to do the things that make us successful. It just so happens that our opponent is Navy." But Navy coach Richie Meade said the objective is to keep the scoring to a minimum. "For us to win, it’s going to be 8-7, 9-7, 6-5," he said. "If it gets up to the 10s, 12s and 13s, they’ve got an awful lot of firepower, two very good goalies and a very good defense. I’m not sure that’s a game we’re going to win. But we’re going to look to run on them and they’re going to look to run on us, and a lot of it comes down to them handling the ball and us being able to slide at the right time and cover up the inside and get some turnovers, which we’ve been able to do."

2) Many people knew Tim Paul and Patrick Moran would power the Midshipmen's offense, but Brendan Connors has been a pleasant surprise. The junior attackman has already achieved career highs in goals (14), assists (six) and points (20) and turned in his first career hat trick against Georgetown last Saturday. But the Navy offense will meet a Maryland defense that likes to switch from zone defense to man-to-man and could start either Jason Carter or Brian Phipps in the net. "We need our attack to play well in order to compete against a team like Maryland," Meade said. "Our key is good shot selection and good shot placement."

3) Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey pointed out teams that have been extended to multiple overtimes and lost don’t fare well the next week. In 2002, Navy lost to North Carolina in six overtimes and dropped the next game to Massachusetts. In 1988, Cornell lost to Massachusetts in five overtimes and was nipped by Yale in overtime the next week. But Cottle said he isn’t worried about a possible letdown. "Practice started at 2:30 on Monday, and the team was out 15 minutes early ready to start," he said. "They understand we’ve got a challenge in front of us. We’re playing a good team, a well-coached team. It’s going to be a battle, and they have done everything we’ve asked to focus in on Navy. They haven’t spent one minute on looking back at our last game."

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland, Navy, Three things to watch
        

Navy senior defenseman Andy Tormey is one of 10 Division I players selected as a finalist for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

Tormey joins a finalist pool that includes Notre Dame's Ryan Hoff (Dulaney) and North Carolina's Grant Zimmerman (Gilman), Syracuse's Matt Abbott, Brown's Jordan Burke, Hofstra's Michael Colleluori, Colgate's Brandon Corp, Ohio State's Joel Delgarno, Virginia's Danny Glading, and Cornell's Max Seibald.

"To be one of the finalists for such a prestigious award as the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Tormey, who will be commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy and will serve as a Surface Warfare Officer. "I am honored to be considered with these nine individuals, all of whom are more than deserving of this achievement. With the many prominent institutions being represented, I am proud to represent the United States Naval Academy."

The Lowe's Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award recognizes student-athletes who use their standing in athletics to make a positive impact on their communities. Fan balloting, available at www.seniorclassaward.com and ending May 7, will be combined with votes from coaches and media. Fans can also vote via text messaging.

To vote for Tormey, text LAX9 to 839863. To vote for Hoff, text LAX7 to 839863. To vote for Zimmerman, text LAX10 to 839863. 

The winner will be announced during the festivities of Final Four weekend between May 23-25 in Foxborough, Mass.

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy
        

Both Loyola and Navy are staying the course and going with the goalies who started in their respective cages last Saturday.

Senior Alex Peaty will start for the No. 19 Greyhounds in Saturday’s game against Rutgers. Even though he was tagged with the 14-13 loss to No. 2 Syracuse, Peaty made 10 saves, seven of which came in the second half and allowed Loyola to enjoy a four-goal lead early in the fourth quarter.

"Coming away from that second half against Syracuse, I thought that Alex made some very good saves that allowed us to stay in the game," Greyhounds coach Charley Toomey said. "That was the decision. He didn’t do anything in that game that would warrant going back to [sophomore] Jake [Hagelin]. We’re going to give him the start against Rutgers."

The No. 15 Midshipmen will give senior Tommy Phelan his second consecutive start after he made 15 saves in a 10-8 victory over Georgetown. Phelan, who will try to contain No. 9 Maryland’s offense, impressed Navy coach Richie Meade with his performance and exuberance.

"He just came in and gave us a lift and did a great job," Meade said. "He stopped the ball. I thought he was very vocal in terms of helping the guy on the ball and communication-wise. He played very well."

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Loyola, Navy
        

Two teams that have not fully met preseason expectations, the No. 17 Midshipmen and unranked Hoyas, tangle Saturday. A few things to keep an eye on:

1) No one in Annapolis is using the P-word (aka "panic"), but there is a sense of urgency about winning Saturday’s contest. Navy is 6-3 with all three losses coming by just one goal. But the Midshipmen have two losses in the Patriot League and own a victory over just one top-20 opponent (No. 18 Ohio State). Still, coach Richie Meade and his players aren’t stressing. "One of the things I’ve told our guys is block out the noise," he said. "The only thing that’s important is what we’re saying to each other and what we do internally because that’s reality. Everything else is just a guess."

2) The strength of Georgetown’s team is an aggressive, stout defense that likes to hound opponents into causing turnovers. The Hoyas forced No. 11 Harvard into 18 turnovers and permitted just 28 shots in Georgetown’s 9-8 overtime upset on Wednesday. "That’s the game we have to expect," Meade said. "We may not be able to run our offense. They may pressure us to the point where we throw a pass away or we get a 20-second count on a clear. We’ve got to be able to deal with those situations and play well. The other side of it is anytime you pressure somebody, you’re going to take the risk that they can handle the pressure and create offensive opportunities. So groundballs become extremely important in a game like this."

3) Even after knocking off the Crimson, Georgetown is just 3-4. Of even more concern is that the Hoyas are 0-2 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, which awards the league champion an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament. But Meade isn’t buying into a woe-is-me scenario. "It’s still Georgetown, OK?" he said. "They’ve had some struggles, they’ve lost some games they certainly expected to win, but they held Syracuse to eight goals and they beat Maryland. So they’re still the team that people projected earlier in the year to go to the Final Four. We can’t rely on them playing poorly. We have to rely on us being able to play a very good game against a team that has the ability to physically overwhelm you."

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Navy, Three things to watch
        

Richie Meade didn’t mince words when describing the Midshipmen’s defensive effort last Saturday. Today, the Navy coach tried to dilute the harshness of his initial analysis.

After Navy’s 14-9 victory over Lafayette, Meade dissected the defensive performance, telling the school’s Web site, "This was probably the worst defensive game I’ve seen us play in the last four years. I have to give Lafayette credit because [coach] Terry Mangan has done an outstanding job of recruiting some good young talent. But for us to give up nine goals is unacceptable against any opponent. We need to get some things fixed. Offensively we are improving, but today we definitely took a step backwards on the defense."

Earlier today during the team’s bus ride back from last night’s 10-8 win against Lehigh, Meade explained his comments.

"I think I was probably a little bit too critical," he said. "It’s always different after you watch the film, but we’re making a few mistakes that are very correctable. They’re all just little things. We’re working through that. I thought we played better last night than we did against Lafayette. I think we kind of took advantage and made some very big plays, but it’s a continuing process. We’re no different than a lot of teams. We may be talking about it a little bit more publicly, but I think everybody’s in a situation right now where they’re trying to win games and get better, and we’re accomplishing both of those things right now."

The Midshipmen are tied with North Carolina as the seventh-stingiest defense in the country, surrendering just 6.71 goals per contest and limiting opponents to 24.4 shots per game. But Navy has allowed seven goals with less than 40 seconds remaining in a quarter, including five under three seconds on the clock.

For that reason, Meade is careful about giving statistics much weight.

"The thing that is sometimes misleading about statistics is what actually happens on the field," he said. "… Our concern is not how many goals we’re giving up, but the types of goals we’re giving up and where they’re being given up from. That’s something that maybe we look at a little bit differently than some other teams. Defensively, it may look good on paper that we’re giving up 6-point-whatever-it-is, but where those goals are coming from is something that we’re trying to correct. We’re just constantly trying to get better."

On another note, freshman goalkeeper R.J. Wickham was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Becoming the first Midshipmen goalie to earn such accolades, Wickham is 3-1 and owns a 6.75 goals-against average and .534 save percentage.

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Categories: Navy
        

R.J. Wickham's appearances in No. 17 Navy's last two contests are not temporary. Coach Richie Meade confirmed today that the freshman goalkeeper will continue to start between the pipes.

Senior Matt Coughlin started the first three games of this season and the first nine contests of 2008. Senior Tommy Phelan (Loyola) started the final seven of last year, playing a huge role in the school's advance to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.

But Meade elected to go with Wickham, making him the first freshman goalie to start since two-time Kelly Award winner Mickey Jarboe did it in 1997.

"R.J.'s a plebe here, but he was at [Naval Academy] Prep School for a year, so he's actually a red-shirted freshman," Meade said. "It was very, very difficult to make the decision to go with a different guy besides Matt Coughlin. I felt not just after the Carolina game, but with a couple of the other games, maybe we just needed to get a little bit more out of that position. It's never easy to do this. But at the end of the day, you do it at other positions."

Meade pointed out that Coughlin and Phelan could overtake Wickham for the starting role if the situation arises. But so far, Meade likes what he sees in the 5-foot-10, 176-pound Wickham.

"He's very quick," Meade said. "He's got very quick hands. He's on most shots. He sees them pretty well. He's good in the clearing game. ... That was an area of concern, to tell you the truth. But he's fast, and he's got speed. He's also kind of a fiery guy. All of those things are attributes that he's good at now and will continue to get better on."

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Categories: Navy
        

Navy senior Geoff Leone was recognized by the Patriot League as the Defensive Player of the Week late yesterday. The short-stick defensive midfielder quarterbacks a man-down unit that has shut out Midshipmen opponents on all six extra-man opportunities this season. Last year's unit surrendered just nine goals in 35 man-down situations.

Salisbury senior Kylor Berkman was named Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Week. The two-time National Midfielder of the Year and reigning Division III Player of the Year recorded four goals and three assists in the No. 1 Sea Gulls' 18-6 rout of No. 6 Lynchburg. Berkman leads Salisbury in goals (eight), assists (eight) and points (16).

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Categories: Navy, Salisbury
        

One of the factors in No. 10 Navy’s 8-6 win against No. 15 Ohio State yesterday was the Buckeyes’ inability to protect the ball. Ohio State committed 24 turnovers, and at the forefront of the Midshipmen’s attack was senior defenseman Andy Tormey.

Tormey led Navy with four caused turnovers, and all of those came against Buckeyes senior attackman Joel Dalgarno, an honorable mention All American last season.

Dalgarno recorded a hat trick and an assist, but he did commit five turnovers. Midshipmen coach Richie Meade said the coaches felt that the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Tormey would pose match-up problems for the 5-11, 175-pound Dalgarno.

"We said, ‘Get up on this guy’s left hand and force him underneath.’ I think Andy did that almost all of the time when he was on him," Meade said. "And then I think Andy was very physical with him – which we wanted – without fouling him. So today he played a great game against – from what I was reading – one of the best players in the country. So I thought Andy did a nice job with him. We were prepared to play two guys on Dalgarno, but as the game unfolded, we didn’t really need to do that."

Other notes:

*One note of concern for Navy has been the team’s propensity for surrendering goals with just seconds left in quarters. Ohio State junior attackman Mario Ventiquattro scored his first goal yesterday with three seconds left in the second quarter and his second tally with one second left in the third period. VMI junior attackman Jacob Weimer scored a goal with 39 seconds left in the second quarter of last Saturday’s 13-5 loss to the Midshipmen.

"That’s just mental focus," Navy senior goalie Matt Coughlin said. "That’s something we need to work on. We just can’t assume that with three seconds on the clock, the quarter’s over. Every second counts. That’s something we’ve got to work on. That’s kind of a weakness right now for us."

For his part, Buckeyes coach Nick Myers was pleased with the late scores, but he also pointed out that the Midshipmen scored the first two goals of the third quarter and won the opening face-off of the fourth. "We kept just trying to claw and stay in it," he said. "End of the quarter, going into the fourth quarter at the face-off ‘X,’ I think it ended 50-50, but it seemed like when we needed the big draw, they were coming up with it and answering our momentum."

*Speaking of Coughlin, he appeared shaky in the early stages of yesterday’s game, giving up some low goals that he would have stopped last season prior to aggravating a right hamstring injury that forced him to miss much of the latter half of last year.

But Coughlin also shined, stopping, among others, Ventiquattro and senior attackman Doug Ruhnke on point-blank attempts.

Asked whether he has returned to the form of last season, Coughlin said, "Hard to say. It was a long year last year. A little disappointing for me personally. But I feel like as a team, we had a good year. I try not to think about last year too much and focus on right now."

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Categories: Navy, Postscript
        

Arguably the most significant local game of the weekend, a pair of 1-0 teams in No. 15 Ohio State and No. 10 Navy clash at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis tomorrow. I talked with both Midshipmen coach Richie Meade and Buckeyes coach Nick Myers and discerned three factors from my conversation with both men.

1) Faceoffs will be key. Navy won just nine of 21 faceoffs in last Saturday's 13-5 win against VMI. Ohio State was just slightly better with a 12-of-25 success rate in Saturday's 21-1 victory over Detroit Mercy. Meade wasn't quite ready to panic about the play of faceoff specialists Frankie Coppola and Logan West, who combined to go 2-of-11 because Mikelis Visgauss struggled in last season's opener against the Keydets before finishing 13th in the country with a .575 win percentage. But Meade is well aware that success at the "X" could go a long way to getting the Midshipmen the "W." "If you have the ball more than the other team, you’re probably going to win," Meade said. "That comes down to getting groundballs, winning faceoffs, and clearing the ball. That’s kind of the key for us."

2) Navy is eager to test Buckeyes junior goalie Brandon Freeman, who is beginning his first year as a full-time starter in the net. Freeman beat out Syracuse transfer Peter Coluccini, who started for the Orange in 2007. Myers said he has been impressed with Freeman's quick hands and outlet passes. Meade said Freeman might have an advantage. "He’s a little bit of an unknown, but he’s the starting goalie at Ohio State," Meade said. "I’d like nothing better than to score nine goals on him in the first two minutes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. It doesn’t really matter who the goalie is. We’re not going to change what we do. ... Playing against a good goalie, you’ve got to take good shots. That’s our focus."

3) Ohio State wants to prove its mettle. Many preseason prognosticators jumped ship when the Buckeyes graduated a talented senior class that included midfielder Kevin Buchanan and goalie Stefan Schroder, bid farewell to head coach Joe Breschi, who left for North Carolina, and watched midfielder Peet Poillon transfer to UMBC. But if Ohio State is taking heed of those slights, Myers isn't letting on. "I think we’re just concerned with playing Buckeyes lacrosse," he said. " ... We try to preach the things that we feel are important to this team and us getting better every day. I think the rankings and stuff on the Internet, you’ve got to be careful when you listen to that too much. I think you’ve really got to focus on each other and working hard every day to improve."

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Categories: Navy, Three things to watch
        

Don't get Navy coach Richie Meade wrong. He's plenty pleased that the No. 10 Midshipmen are 1-0 courtesy of a 13-5 victory over VMI on Saturday rather than being 0-1. But he took umbrage with a line of thought that Navy should have won by a greater margin and that the score should not have been tied at five at halftime.

"There’s a little bit of thing that we should come out and do everything right and beat VMI, 10 million to nothing," Meade said earlier today. "The problem is, nobody told VMI that. They got a couple of goals, they shot the ball in early, and they had us behind. … We had to face what we face. I’ll leave it up to everybody else to decide if we’re good or not good. [The critics] seem to be good at that. But I thought our guys did a pretty good job of responding to it."

Several factors contributed to the Midshipmen's dominating second half in which they outscored VMI 8-0. Navy forced the Keydets into nine turnovers in the third quarter, which the Midshipmen converted into a 14-2 advantage in shots and a 5-0 output in goals. Navy converted on all four of its extra-man opportunities, and a decision to replace a long-pole with a short-stick on face-offs helped the Midshipmen win six of nine face-offs. Finally, an attack that graduated the likes of Nick Mirabito and Greg Clement accounted for 10 goals and three assists.

"We think we can get a lot better," Meade said. "Our attack has a pretty good feel for each other. We moved the ball pretty well; we just didn’t finish. We’d be a pass short or a shot short. We’ve just got to keep working on that."

Navy's next chance is Saturday when No. 15 Ohio State visits Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at noon.

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Categories: Navy