Army-Navy

Thanks to everyone who made the first TFBO2F chat such a success. As a thank-you, here is US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Famer Dick Long's take on Army-Navy. Long played for Navy in the 1960s and he did some CSI:-like sleuthing to get the "gouge" on Army.

Navy at Army
Noon, ESPNU

What to expect
This game will be close. Army and Navy have both lost to Cornell by 1. Early on Army lost to Syracuse by 1 and Navy two weeks ago lost to Gtown by 1. Army has one loss to Bucknell (7-4) whereas Navy beat them in OT but also with a low scoring game. These two teams are very similar but Navy's defense and face-offs give them the edge.

On Navy
Its overall balance with their close defense being the the backbone of the team. Tommy Phelan in the cage has been rock solid. Navy's midfielders are stepping up and Patrick Moran seems to be able to extend the defense with his outside shot as well as bring it from behind.

Navy needs a big game from Nick Mirabito and Tim Paul. Paul against Maryland looked more comfortable handling the ball and was a major factor in their win. He is a better finisher than creator so Army will be covering him close when off ball and will pressure him when he has the ball.

Navy should control the face-offs and that will be critical. Penalties will all be big if Navy's EMO can finish their shots. Army-Navy games are always very physical, so fouls may become a factor. Navy will use its ball controlled offense and will not be shy about attacking Army's defense. Army has a very good goalie and team captain in Adam Fullerton so Navy needs to be selective with their shots BUT make the goalie make saves.

Navy needs to jump on Army quickly and score early. If Navy can get the early momentum, win faceoffs and with their close-in defense Army will have problems. Navy's offense, especially their second midfield, will get pressured when carrying the ball. I don't believe Army has the defensemen that Maryland had but the idea may be to cut off the adjacents and pressure the man carrying the ball. It worked for Md in the 4th quarter and Navy will be prepared for it.

On Army
Army's strength is they have a good balanced overall team. Their strength lies in their offense and keeper. They are playing at home and really are tired of losing to Navy which has won 13 straight. Brooks Korvin is a force on attack which is well balanced as are their midfields. Looks as though they have struggled at face-offs but are very capable of putting points on the board.

I am guessing it will be a very tight, single digit scoring game with the Mids prevailing thru their defense.

By Christian Swezey |  April 11, 2008; 2:18 PM ET  | Category:  Insider Information , Navy
Previous: Virginia-Duke | Next: It's Gameday

The comments to this entry are closed.