Setting the Stage
• Inside the Game: Looking for its first Patriot League win of 2023, Navy (3-3, 0-1 Patriot League) will travel to snowy Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday to face the host Colgate Raiders (0-3, 0-1 Patriot League). Faceoff is set for 1:00 pm at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium. Joe Amplo owns a 21-14 record in his four years at the helm of the Navy program, while the Raiders are under the direction of Marr Karweck who is in his fifth year (11-34). Saturday's game marks the 25th meeting in a series that dates back to 1928 and Navy leads, 17-7.
• Follow the Action: The Navy-Colgate contest will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription based). Additionally, the game will be carried live on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller on the call. Radio coverage begins at 12:45 pm with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on NavySports.com(.)

Navy Quick Hits
• Mids Return to Hamilton, N.Y.: Due primarily to COVID, Navy will make its first trip to Hamilton, N.Y. since 2019. The two teams did not play one another in 2021 because of the pandemic and the conference playing a modified schedule. The last two games between the teams were played in Annapolis with the Mids winning both (16-14 in 2020 / 11-10 in 2022). Navy, who owns a 5-2 record in games played at Colgate, has won 5 of its last 6 games played at Andy Kerr Stadium (8-3 in 2008 / 10-9 OT in 2010 / 12-11 in 2012 / 7-6 in 2015 / 16-11 in 2019). Sandwiched within those games was a 10-4 loss on April 8, 2017.
• Patriot League Play Begins: Last weekend, 8 of the 9 Patriot League teams opened conference play with Loyola beating Lafayette, Boston U. defeating Colgate, Army topping Holy Cross and Lehigh besting the Mids. Bucknell played a nonconference game against Marist, but will face Boston U. on Saturday in what will be the league opener for the Bison. From top to bottom, the Patriot League was the first to open conference play, though Syracuse and North Carolina did sneak a conference game in on Feb. 25.
• Defense Remains Stout: Navy's defense, ranked 12th nationally (9.50 g/gm), allowed double digits just once in its first four games, giving up 30 goals during that timeframe. In its last two contests, however, Navy has surrendered 27 goals (14 High Point / 13 Lehigh). The Mids have been particularly strong in the first two quarters, allowing 8 goals in the first frame and 12 in the second for a total of 20 first-half goals. The second half has been a different story, however, as the opponents have scored 19 goals in the third and 18 in the fourth for a total of 37 goals in the final 30 minutes of action.
• Arline Runs the "X": Xavier Arline's (Jr / A) role on the Navy lacrosse team is comparable to that as a quarterback on the Mids' football team - the offense runs through him on both fields of play. After seeing action in just 6 games a year ago and producing 8 points (5G, 3A), Arline is Navy's leading scorer through 6 games this season where he has amassed 20 points on 8 goals and a team-best 12 assists. He stands 19th in the country and third in the Patriot League in assists per game (2.00).
• Haley Settles In, Eyes Rookie Mark: Last spring, Henry Tolker (So / A) was the team's fourth-leading scorer as a rookie with 34 points (23G, 11A) and became just the 14th freshman in program history to reach 30 points. Starting attackman Mac Haley is off to a solid start to the season and with at least 9 more games to play, he, too, has that 30-point milestone within his sights. Haley is tied for second on the team in scoring with 14 points on 9 goals and 5 assists. He has points in 5 of the 6 contests this season, including multiple points in 4 games.
• Bonitz, Snider Among Navy's All-Time Caused Turnover Leaders: Two weeks ago against High Point, All-American Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D) moved into the top 10 on Navy's all-time caused turnovers list, while Zach Snider (Sr / LSM) added his named to the top 20. With 34-career takeaways, Bonitz is tied with Jules Godino (2013-16) and Sam Jones (2011-14) for eighth. Bonitz needs 3 caused turnover to tie Michael Hirsch (2008-11) for seventh. Snider is tied with Alex Heyward (2012-15) for 17th on the list with 22 takeaways in his 4 seasons. He is just 2 away from tying former teammate Nick Franchuk (2018-21) and Hiram Carter (2015-18) for 15th. Meanwhile, second-year starter Nick LiCalzi (Jr / D) is just 2 away from joining the top 20, as he owns 17 takeaways. Snider leads the team in caused turnovers this season with 8, while Bonitz has 6 and LiCalzi owns 3.

Scouting Colgate
• In his fifth season as head coach at Colgate, Matt Karweck's Raiders stand 0-3, including 0-1 in the Patriot League. Colgate dropped an 11-10 decision at Air Force to kick off the season and lost a 10-8 game to Hobart in the Raiders' home opener. Last weekend, Boston U. got the best of Colgate in the Patriot League opener, 14-8.
• Colgate has been on the cusp of breaking out over the last handful of years. The Raiders have lost 7 games in the last two seasons by 2 or fewer goals, including 2 of the 3 this season.
• The Raider offense is averaging just 8.67 goals per game heading into the weekend, reaching double figures just once in its 3 contests. Rory Connor (So / A) leads the way with 9 points on 5 goals and 4 assists, while Jack Turner (So / A) has recorded 7 points on 5 goals and a pair of assists. Michael Minicus (A / Jr) has produced 3 goals and 3 assists.
• Standing between the pipes is two-year starter Matt Lacombe (So / GK) who owns an 11.71 goals-against average and a 47.0 save percentage.
• Long-stick midfielder Max Yates (So) has recorded a team-high 6 caused turnovers, while Will Rosenblatt (Jr / LSM) has 4. Yated stands 10th nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.00).
• Thomas Colucci (Sr) has taken the bulk of the faceoffs for the Raiders, winning 26 of 60 draws (43.3). He leads the team with 15 ground balls. Meanwhile, Brian Wilmans (Sr) has won 8 of 11 faceoffs (72.7) and has 5 ground balls.
• As a team, Colgate is ranked among the top 20 in a pair of NCAA statistical categories - ground balls per game (#19, 33.67) and opponent clear percentage (#11, 79.2).
• On the opposite end, Colgate is ranked #70 out of 72 in shot percentage (21.0), #68 in man-down defense (42.9) and #63 in scoring offense (8.67).

Navy vs. Colgate - The Series
• Navy leads the all-time series with Colgate 17-7, including a 5-2 advantage in games played in Hamilton, N.Y.
• The Mids have won 4 straight in the series (12-10 in 2018 // 16-11 in 2019 // 16-14 in 2020 // 11-10 in 2022).
• Navy has won 5 of its last 6 games played at Colgate (8-3 in 2008 // 10-9 OT in 2010 // 12-11 in 2012 // 7-6 in 2015 // 16-11 in 2019). Sandwiched within those games was a 10-4 loss on April 8, 2017.
• The two teams have met 22 times since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004. During that span, Navy has produced a 15-7 record and has outscored Colgate, 233-191.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked the first time since Navy joined the league that the two teams did not meet.
• Navy and Colgate have twice faced one another in the Patriot League Tournament and have been met with split results.  In 2007, the Mids claimed a 15-9 win over the Raiders in the championship game, before dropping the program's first Patriot League Tournament contest at the 2008 semifinals against eventual champion Colgate.
• Seven of the last 14 contests between the two programs have been decided by one goal with Navy winning 5 of the 7 (L in 2009 // W in 2009 // W in 2010 // L in 2011 // W in 2012 // W in 2015 // W in 2022).

Road Rules
• The Mids own a 231-181-4 (56.0) all-time record in true road games and a 15-13 (53.6) mark in neutral site games.
• Since the beginning of the 2004 campaign, Navy has won 57 of its 114 (50.0) true road contests.
• Navy has had a losing record on the road in 6 (2010-11-13-14-17-20) of the last 14 years. The Mids are 6-9 on the road under Joe Amplo in 4 seasons.
• Navy will play 7 games on the road this season - Feb. 11 at Hofstra (W, 13-12), Feb. 25 at High Point (L, 14-13), March 11 at Colgate, March 21 at Villanova, March 25 at Holy Cross, April 7 at Loyola and April 28 at Bucknell in the regular-season finale.
• Navy has won road games against nationally-ranked opponents in each of the last 2 seasons (not counting 2023). The Mids dealt #15 Loyola a 14-12 loss at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore on April 17, 2021 and earned a 12-11 overtime victory against #6 Army at Michie Stadium in West Point on April 23, 2022.
• The 12-11 overtime win at #6 Army marked the highest-ranked team Navy has defeated overall and on the road since defeating #3 Yale in New Haven, Conn. on May 15, 2016, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.