Game Day Storylines
• Scene Setter: One of the most storied rivalries in college athletics will be on display this Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (3:30 pm) when Army and Navy battle one another in the 100th meeting. The Mids, who enter the contest 5-5 overall and 3-3 in Patriot League action, are led by eighth-year head coach
Rick Sowell, while the 8-3 Black Knights are under the direction of head coach Joe Alberici. The Army-Navy women's game kicks off the doubleheader at 1:00 pm.
• Follow the Action: Saturday's contest will be televised live by CBS Sports Network with Dave Ryan and Evan Washburn calling the action. Additionally, Pete Medhurst and
Joe Miller will provide the call on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV. The game will NOT be streamed online due to television coverage, however live stats will be available at NavyStats.com.
• Commemorative Logo / Throwback Uniform: Navy lacrosse will commemorate the 100th meeting against archrival Army by wearing a throwback uniform on Saturday. Under Armour brought back the 90s-inspired porthole mesh jersey with the word Navy across the chest while the sleeves are outfitted with blue and gold stripes. Sewn on the jersey is a specially-created logo that features elements from both service academy logos, including the Navy anchor and the Army shield and sword, as well as the facade of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium where the contest will be played. Navy will wear a white helmet for the first time since the 2013 Army-Navy game with decals featuring the charging goat. The Mids will also wear white gloves with "Beat Army" embroidered, as well as white cleats.
• The Streak Is On: Senior midfielder
Ryan Wade owns the nation's 11th-longest point-scoring streak with a goal or an assist in each of the last 34 contests. He has produced 95 points (33G, 62A) during the streak that dates back to the Feb. 25, 2017 contest against Boston University. Wade has also dealt out assists in each of the last 31 games.
• Dynamic Duo: Seniors
Greyson Torain (80-45=125) and
Ryan Wade (38-70=108) are the 34th and 35th Navy players, respectively, to reach 100 career points, while they are the ninth and 10th midfielders to achieve the feat in the program's 112-year history. Torain and Wade are just the fifth set of classmates in school history to reach 100 points, joining Brendan Schneck and Mike Hannan in 1978, Michael Herger and Brian Keith in 1990, Ian Dingman and Billy Looney in 2007 and Sam Jones and Tucker Hull in 2014.
• Patriot League Tournament Race: With three weeks remaining in the regular season, two teams - Loyola (5-0) and Lehigh (5-1) - have clinched playoff berths for the six-team Patriot League Tournament set to begin on Tuesday, April 30 with two quarterfinal games involving the #3 through #6 teams. Navy (3-3) needs one win or one loss by Colgate AND Bucknell to clinch a playoff bid.
• Shot Clock = Goals APlenty: With the addition of the shot clock, it appears scoring averages are skyrocketing nationwide. Navy is averaging double digits in the scoring column (10.80) for the first time since closing out the 2007 season averaging 11.00 goals. Same is true on the other side, however, as the Mids' defense is giving up double figures (11.80) for the first time since 2013 (10.23).
• Kern Approaching Top 10: Third-year starting goalkeeper
Ryan Kern needs nine saves to reach the top 10 on Navy's all-time saves list. He heads into the Army-Navy game with 371 saves. Kelly Award winner Matt Russell currently occupies the #10 spot with 380 saves from 2003-06. Kern has amassed 122 saves through 10 games this season. He made 121 stops as a freshman and 123 saves a year ago.
Scouting the Black Knights
• Fourteenth-year Army head coach Joe Alberici has directed the Black Knights to an 8-3 record, including a 4-2 mark in Patriot League play. Army opened the season with a pair of wins over nationally-ranked teams (Massachusetts, Rutgers). The Black Knights had won four straight games, including three against Patriot League foes Holy Cross, Colgate and Bucknell, before dropping a 15-13 decision to Boston U.
• What has become a staple under Alberici, Army's defense is among the nation's best, allowing just 8.91 goals per game which stands fourth in the country and tops in the Patriot League.
• Senior AJ Barretto orchestrates the defense from between the pipes where he stands sixth in save percentage (57.7), fourth in goals-against average (8.89) and 28th in saves per game (11.91). All-American defenseman Johnny Surdick, meanwhile, stands fourth nationally in caused turnovers per game, forcing 2.55.
• Four Army players have topped 25 points this season, including rookie attackman Brendan Nichtern who leads the team with 49 points on 22 goals and a team-high 27 assists. He is 19th nationally in points per game (4.45) and 10th in assists per game (2.45).
• Miles Silva has 28 points, all goals, while Nate Jones has 26 points on 17 goals and 9 assists AND Matt Manown has 26 points on 14 goals and 12 assists.
• Army's only weak link this season has been its faceoff game where the Black Knights have won just 35.0 percent (91-260) of their draws this year. Ethan Barangan (49-110) and Evan Condon (33-117) have taken the majority of the faceoffs this season.
Army Vs. Navy - The Series
• Saturday's contest marks the 100th contest between Army and Navy on the lacrosse field, meeting for the 87th consecutive year. It's the longest continuous lacrosse series between Navy and another team.
• Navy owns a 61-35-3 series advantage and has won 18 of the last 27 contests in the series.
• The Mids also own a 56-32-3 advantage in Star Games, winning 15 of the last 21 including each of the last four.
• The Mids lead the series in Annapolis, 30-17-1, including wins in each of the last two Star Games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (2015, '17). Army, however, won Patriot League Tournament semifinal games against the Mids in Annapolis in 2015 and '16. Â
• Army and Navy have met twice in a season on seven previous occasions. In 1978 and '81, the two also met in the NCAA Tournament. The two have met in the Patriot League Tournament in 2005, '06, '07, '10, '15 and '16.
• Navy has scored eight or more goals in 25 of the last 32 contests against Army. However, the Mids have scored double figures just four times in the last 14 games. Navy has held Army to single digits in 13 of the 21 games since joining the league in 2004.
Breaking Down the Rivalry
All-Time Army-Navy Record:Â Navy Leads, 1078-820-43 (56.6)
2018-19 Overall Record vs. Army: 13-14 (48.1)
2018-19 Star Game Record vs. Army:Â 11-9 (55.0)
• Saturday's Army-Navy men's and women's lacrosse games are two of four remaining Star competitions for the 2018-19 season and two of three slated for Saturday. In addition to the men's and women's lacrosse doubleheader, Army is playing host the men's tennis Star Match at 1:00 pm. Meanwhile, Navy will play host to the Army-Navy baseball series on April 20 and April 21.
• Navy needs one win to assure a tie and two to secure the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA and win the Star Series for the 21st time in the last 23 years.
Navy, Army Among Winningest Programs
• One of seven Div. I lacrosse programs that has produced 700+ wins, Navy became just the fourth to reach 800 when it defeated UMBC on Feb. 15. Â
• With 803 wins, Navy is the fourth-winningest team in D-I men's lacrosse history behind Johns Hopkins (989), Syracuse (909) and Maryland (831).
• Navy will play three of the other six teams in that 700-plus win club during the regular season (all at home) - Feb. 23 vs. Maryland (L, 14-9), Saturday vs. Army, April 20 vs. Syracuse.
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