Jacob Jarosz  (Sr / Gambrills, Md.) and Nate Hammond (Jr / Lincoln University, Pa.) combined to win 16 of 18 draws, while the Mids' offense caught fire over the final 30 minutes to lead the Navy men's lacrosse team (3-1) to a 9-6 victory over Manhattan (1-2) Sunday afternoon at Hofstra's James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.

"The story of the game was our faceoff guys. We lose that game if they aren't as dominant as what they were," said third-year head coach Joe Amplo, whose Mids played their second game (13-6 win at Hofstra on Friday) in a three-day span for the first time since 2010. "I think we played for more confidently in the second half and our stickwork was a little sharper, but ultimately Jarosz and Hammond provided our team with the confidence they could win the draw and give us more opportunities on offense."

Amplo utilized the 1-2 punch of Jarosz and Hammond throughout the game, as Jarosz was 5-for-5 in the opening half and 9-for-9 on the day. Meanwhile, Hammond bounced back from a 2-for-4 performance over the first 30 minutes to go 5-for-5 in the second. The two joined forces to win all 9 draws in the second half, as Navy mounted its comeback.

The Mids fell behind early and despite leveling the game on five occasions, it wasn't until late in the third quarter that Navy would gain the lead. Though separated by just over seven minutes, back-to-back goals by Patrick Skalniak (M / Jr / Dallas, Texas) gave Navy its first lead of the contest at 6-5. Co-captain Nick Cole (A / Sr / Ashburn, Va.) provided the assist on both strikes, including the go-ahead goal on extra man with 2:02 to go in the third frame.

Manhattan, however, knotted the game at 6 when it scored in transition for the fourth time on the afternoon, this time on a Liam Walshe goal.

The Mids answered with just 9.2 seconds remaining in the third when Skalniak found an open Henry Tolker (A / Fr / Catonsville, Md.) at the crease, who triple-faked goalkeeper Brendan Krebs, the 2021 MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, for what would put Navy up for good.

While Navy's defense would hold the Jaspers off the scoreboard for the final 15 minutes, the Mids would get a pair of insurance goals from Tolker and Jon Jarosz (A / So / Gambrills, Md.) to secure the team's third-consecutive win.

Six different players accounted for the Mids' 9 goals, including Tolker who turned in his second hat trick of the weekend with a team-high 3 goals. Skalniak, meanwhile, finished with 2 goals and 2 assists, as he was involved in 4 of Navy's 6 second-half scores. Cole also tallied 4 points on the day, as he scored Navy's first goal and dealt out 3 assists over the final 30 minutes.

Defensively, Navy gave up just 2 settled goals, as Manhattan's final 3 goals of the game were off Navy turnovers and another goal was scored while the Mids were subbing. Navy recorded 5 caused turnovers, including 2 by All-Patriot League defender Jackson Bonitz (So / Shrewsbury, Pa.) who also scored for the Mids in transition in the second quarter. Just 13 games into his career, Bonitz has amassed 19 caused turnovers and stands 18th on the Mids' all-time leader board.

Pat Ryan (Jr / Groton, Mass.) continued his solid play in goal where he made 7 stops, including 3 on 5 shots in the fourth quarter to squelch a Manhattan comeback.

Sunday's performance marked the third-consecutive game Navy's defensive unit has held the opponent to 6 or fewer goals (5 by Mercer, 6 by Hofstra, 6 by Manhattan). It's the first time Navy has achieved that mark since holding six-straight foes to 5 or fewer goals in 2008.

Five different players scored goals for Manhattan, including Liam Walshe who finished with 3 points on 2 goals and an assist. Meanwhile, Kyle Gucwa (Jr / A), the team's leading scorer a year ago (20-7=27) as well this year (8-1=9), had a 3-point day with a goal and 2 assists. Krebs turned in 13 saves for the Jaspers.

Navy returns home to play host to High Point (1-2) on Saturday at 12:00 pm in what will mark the inaugural contest between the two programs. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Joe Miller on the call.

### Go Navy ###