A determined comeback fell short as Navy men’s lacrosse lost the Star game to archrival Army. The Mids rallied from a five-goal deficit to tie the score early in the fourth quarter, but could not sustain the momentum.
Sophomore midfielder Evan Plunkett scored three goals and dished off two assists as 12th-ranked Army finished the game strong to beat Navy, 13-8, at Michie Stadium.
Sophomore attackman Gunnar Fellows also had a hat trick for Army (9-2, 4-2 Patriot League), which has won two straight in the series. Senior attackman Reese Burek totaled a goal and three assists for the Black Knights, who snapped a three-game losing streak to the Mids on their home field.
Sophomore goalie Sean Byrne was superb between the pipes for Army, amassing 19 saves.
“I thought it was a great game. Army just made more plays,” Navy coach Joe Amplo said. “We committed some mental errors that gave Army more possessions and that proved costly.”
Senior attackman Jon Jarosz scored four goals to lead Navy (7-5, 4-2), which had a three-game winning streak halted. Senior midfielder Max Hewitt scored two goals for the Mids, who were outscored 6-1 over the final 10 minutes of the game.
After Navy tied the game at 7 midway through the fourth quarter, Army’s Will Coletti won the ensuing faceoff and Army quickly responded to retake the lead, 8-7, with 9:47 left in the game. Midfielder Ryan Sposito made a terrific cross-crease feed to attackman Paul Johnson on the back side for a goal from the doorstep that put the Black Knights ahead to stay.
“They scored the go-ahead goal with literally a second left on the shot clock,” Amplo bemoaned. “We played great defense for the entire possession then give up a goal just as the horn sounded. That was a backbreaker.”
Navy appeared to tie the score just over a minute later when Jarosz scored on a diving shot. It was ruled a goal on the field, but replay review showed that Jarosz stepped in the crease.
The Mids still got an extra man opportunity because defender John Sullivan cross-checked Jarosz in the back. However, Tolker’s quick shot attempt from the right side was knocked down and Navy turned the ball over without even running a play.
“That was a big moment in the game,” Amplo acknowledged. “That was an important possession on which we did not capitalize.”
Army scored five straight goals to go up 12-7 with just over four minutes left.
“Give Army credit. They made more plays down the stretch when the game was hanging in the balance,” Amplo said.
Coletti scored directly off the draw to give Army a 7-2 lead at the 7:14 mark of the second quarter. However, the Midshipmen responded in resounding fashion, scoring four goals in the final five minutes of the second quarter to get within one at halftime. Freshman Zach Hayashi sparked the rally by repeatedly winning faceoffs to give Navy possession.
Hewitt started the comeback with a crank shot off an assist from junior attackman Henry Tolker with 4:52 remaining before intermission. Hayashi won the ensuing faceoff and just 47 seconds later, Jarosz scored on a drive from behind the net.
Hayashi won another draw and drew a penalty on Coletti, giving Navy an extra man opportunity. The Mids ran a crisp play with sophomore midfielder Mac Haley feeding inside to a cutting Carter Ash, who stuck a short sidearm shot into the top corner.
Navy cleared the ball into its own end of the field with just under a minute left and called timeout to set up a play. Offensive coordinator Dave Cottle elected to put the ball in the stick of Jarosz operating behind the cage.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Severn School product powered his way past goal-line extended before being pushed back. He backed up a couple steps then re-dodged and got off an overhand shot that beat Byrne off-side hip and suddenly it was 7-6 with just six seconds left in the first half.
Neither team scored in the third quarter as both defenses were outstanding and the two goalies were impenetrable. Navy dominated possession and got off 14 shots, but Byrne was locked in and made nine saves.
“That third quarter was Army-Navy to a T. Just tough and gritty lacrosse,” Amplo said. “Neither team deserved to give up a goal because the defense on both sides was so tough and aggressive.”
The Midshipmen finally broke through early in the fourth quarter as Hewitt made a tremendous move to beat a double team and score from in front of the crease. Hewitt rolled back between the two defenders and dipped his stick to avoid a check then fired a 5-yard lefty shot past Byrne to even the score at 7 at the 11:09 mark.
Loyola Maryland at Navy
Friday, 7 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1430 AM
