ANNAPOLIS, Md. // Navy attackman Tyler Perreten (Jr / Crofton, Md.) scored a career-high five goals to lead the Navy men's lacrosse team (3-2 // 1-1 Patriot League) to a 16-14 victory over Colgate (0-6 // 0-2 PL) Saturday afternoon amid cool, windy conditions at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. After falling behind 6-3 early in the second quarter, Navy went on a 7-3 run to close out the half (10-9) and hold the lead for good.

"It was a great game ... a really, really good game," said first-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo. "Both teams were sharp on offense and both teams defensively struggled at times. I thought the faceoff "X" was a battle. There were some really good wars there. Their faceoff kid (Malcolm Feeney) did a great job getting to the ball, but credit to Nick Barry and our faceoff crew for hanging in there and winning back some 50-50 ground balls which helped us get more possessions which we needed because offensively they are a problem. They have some really good goal scorers. Griffin Brown can shoot the heck out of it and Mike Hawkins is very confident with the ball in his stick. I thought it was a really good game and a good win for us."

After being held to a six-goal performance a week ago at Lehigh, Navy used the week to sharpen its skills and against Colgate, the Mids' sticks caught fire particularly in the second quarter.

Colgate got on the scoreboard first when James Caddigan found a wide-open Mike Hawkins sitting on the crease for the goal at 8:36. Navy answered with back-to-back unassisted strikes by middies Ryan Maguson (So / Northport, N.Y.) and James Flannery (Fr / Garrett Park, Md.).

Colgate grabbed the lead back by the end of the quarter (3-2) with a pair of goals, including a transition goal by senior Nicky Petkevich with just 3.5 seconds left in the frame.

The Raiders pushed their lead to three (5-2), scoring two goals in the first 38 seconds of the second quarter.

Navy answered just 59 seconds later when Nick Cole (So / Ashburn, Va.) picked up a loose ball behind the cage and found Christian Daniel (Jr / Owings, Md.) stationed at the crease unguarded for the goal.

Colgate once again took a three-goal lead (6-3) when Hawkins and Caddigan connected for a second time in the game with Hawkins threading his shot past Navy keeper Ryan Kern (Middletown, Del.).

The Mids were able to quell any thoughts of another Colgate run with one of their own, scoring four straight goals - by four different players - to take a 7-6 lead. Two of Navy's four goals in the run were extra-man strikes.

The Raiders, however, would not bow down, as they scored back-to-back goals over a 28-second span to put them back up, 8-7, with five minutes to go in the opening half.

Navy scored three in a row, including a pretty catch-and-shoot goal by Sam Dracobly (Fr / Seattle, Wash.) to cap an eight-goal quarter by the Mids.

Colgate got the final score of the first half, a high-to-high burner by Griffin Brown, but Navy would take a 10-9 lead into the locker room, a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way.

The Mids outscored Colgate, 4-2, in the third to lead by three (14-11) and after trading goals to open the fourth quarter, the Raiders mounted what they hoped would be a comeback. Hawkins scored his third of the game, while Brian Minicus tossed in his second to cut Navy's lead to one (15-14) with just under four minutes to play.

A cross check by a Colgate rookie defender would prove costly late in the game when Perreten fed Patrick Skalniak (Fr / Dallas, Texas) for the extra-man goal with 1:32 remaining to give the Mids' the insurance goal and a two-goal advantage (16-14).

Perreten was one of nine players to punch in goals as the Mids leveled their conference record at 1-1 and rewarded first-year head coach Joe Amplo with his first Patriot League victory. The first-year starter, who came into the season having played in just five career games and scored only one goal, closed out the game with seven points on five goals and a pair of assists - all career highs. Remarkably, Perreten scored his five goals on five shots and turned in his second hat trick in as many games.

Cole, meanwhile, put up a career-best five-point afternoon, dishing out a career-high four assists to complement his goal. Skalniak scored three points on his first two-goal effort of his career, while Daniel recorded his fifth multiple-point game of the season with two goals and two assists.

Navy's point production was balanced among its attack and midfield, as the attack accounted for 17 points (9G, 8A) and the midfield had 11 points (7G, 4A).

Navy's offense closed out the day going 3 for 3 on extra-man with the three goals scored by three different players - Jack Sweeney, Cole, Skalniak. The Mids are a perfect 7 for 7 on man-up over their last two contests and 10 for 15 (66.7) on the year. It's the first time Navy has scored 10 extra-man goals in a season since 2016 when it was 12 for 33 and only the third time in the last nine years.

Kern, a fourth-year starter for the Mids between the pipes, turned aside 15 of the 29 shots put on goal, posting five stops in the first and fourth quarters.

Colgate was led by Griffin Brown's four goals, while Hawkins finished with three goals and two assists and Nicky Petkevich had a goal to go along with his four assists. Faceoff specialist Malcolm Feeney was sensational at the "x" where he won 23 of the 34 draws on the day.

Navy returns home next Saturday when it plays host to Johns Hopkins in what will mark 91st game in a series that dates back to 1908. Action is slated for 12:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

### Go Navy ###