Setting the Stage
• Inside the Game: Riding a three-game winning streak with back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked programs, Navy (6-6, 3-2 Patriot League) will play host to Lafayette (5-7, 2-4 Patriot League) Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The second game of a men's and women's doubleheader, faceoff is slated for 3:30 pm or 60 minutes after the conclusion of the women's contest (12:00 pm vs. Holy Cross). Joe Amplo owns a 24-17 record in his four years at the helm of the Navy program, while the Leopards are under the direction of Pat Myers who is in his fifth year (13-46). Saturday's contest, presented by First Command, marks the 24th meeting in a series that dates back to 1926. The Mids hold a 21-2 series advantage over Lafayette.
• Follow the Action: The Navy-Lafayette game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription based) and will also be carried live on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV and 1500 AM WFED with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller on the call. Radio coverage begins at 3:15 pm with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on NavyStats.com(.)

Navy Quick Hits
• Tourney Talk: With three weeks remaining in the Patriot League regular season, the field remains wide open for the six-team Patriot League Tournament slated to begin May 2 with the quarterfinals. Army, at 6-0, is the only team who has secured a spot in the tournament to date. Boston U. and Lehigh are tied at 4-1, Navy and Loyola are tied at 3-2, Lafayette is 2-4, Bucknell and Colgate are 1-4, while Holy Cross is 0-6.
• Hewitt Among Program's Elite Midfielders: Last year's starting midfield trio was one for the record books, as Patrick Skalniak (Sr / 28-20=48), Dane Swanson (Jr / 21-17=38) and Max Hewitt (Jr / 20-12=32) all finished the season with at least 30 points. It marked the first time in program history that 3 midfielders reached the 30-point milestone in the same season. Hewitt once again etched his name in the record books when, behind his 4-point (3G, 1A) effort at Loyola last Friday, he reached the 30-point milestone for a second time. He is only the eighth midfielder in school history to score 30 points multiple times in a career - Max Hewitt (2022-23), Greyson Torain (2017-18-19), Ryan Wade (2018-19), Graham Gill (2004-05), Jamie Slough (1992-93-94), Brian Keith (1989-90), Glen Miles (1984-86) and Mike Chanenchuk (1977-78-79).
• Tolker, Ryan Garner League and National Recognition: Following standout performances that led Navy to an 11-10 road victory over 13th-ranked Loyola last Friday, Henry Tolker (So / A) and Pat Ryan (Sr) were named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Week. Tolker, who is the 18th different Navy player to earn offensive player-of-the-week honors since the Mids joined the Patriot League in 2004 and the first this season, paced the Mids with a career-high 6 goals on 9 shots in their win. The 6 goals are the most by a Navy player since Dave Little scored a program-record 9 goals on 9 shots against Lehigh on March 25, 2017. Tolker not only scored the Mids' first 4 goals of the game, he played a huge role in their 6-2 run in the third quarter that allowed Navy to take the lead for good.  // Ryan, meanwhile, played a monumental role in Navy earning just its second win over the Greyhounds in Baltimore thanks to a career-high 23 saves. The 23 stops are the most by a Navy goalkeeper since Mickey Jarboe made 25 stops in an 8-6 victory over ninth-ranked North Carolina on March 6, 1999. It also marked the first time a Navy goalie has made 20 saves in a game since the Mids' 2016 NCAA Quarterfinals contest against Brown where John Connors turned 21 shots aside. Additionally, Ryan was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) National Team of the Week which recognizes the 10 best individual performances from the previous week by players around the country.
• Haley Approaches Freshman Top-10 Lists: Mac Haley (Fr / A) is on the verge of joining the ranks of some of the best rookies in program history. A starter in all 12 contests this season, he is tied as the team's second-leading scorer with 23 points on 14 goals and 9 assists. Haley needs 7 points to become only the 15th freshman in Navy history to reach 30 points. Meanwhile, he is 9 goals shy of reaching the top 10 in goals by a freshman and 2 assists shy of joining that list, as well.
• Changing Lineup: An injury-riddled Navy team has used 7 different starting lineups in its 12 games this spring, including a different lineup in 6 of its last 8 contests. Mac Haley (Fr / A), Max Hewitt (Jr / M) and Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D) are the only players to have started all 12 games for the Mids this season. Navy swapped starting keepers (Pat Ryan, Dan Daly) and attackmen (Henry Tolker, Jon Jarosz) in the first two games before settling into its original lineup for games against Hofstra, Manhattan and High Point. Navy suffered its first major injury of the season against High Point and has seen injuries mount over the last month.
• Postgame Autograph Session: Navy will hold its annual Meet the Mids event following Saturday's contest against Lafayette. Members of the Navy lacrosse team will be available for autographs under the Superintendent's Tent located in the Southwest corner of the stadium, with the first 250 kids in line for the postgame autograph session receiving a Navy lacrosse "Meet the Mids" t-shirt, compliments of Annapolis area Chick-fil-A.

Scouting Lafayette
• Fifth-year Lafayette head coach Patrick Myers has guided the Leopards to a 5-7 record, including a 2-4 mark in the Patriot League this season. The 5 wins are the most by the Leopards in a single season since closing out 2010 with an 8-6 record and a Patriot League Tournament berth.
• Lafayette owns wins over Sacred Heart (15-8), Binghamton (10-4), Hampton (18-9), Colgate (10-9 OT) and Holy Cross (17-11). Five of its 7 losses have come against teams either currently ranked or were at one point ranked this season - Penn State (21-11), Delaware (14-5), Drexel (16-14), Army (17-9), Boston U. (12-10), Loyola (15-11) and Lehigh (15-9).
• Lafayette is averaging 11.58 goals per game, the fourth most in the league. Peter Lehman (Jr / A) leads the way with 32 points on a team-high 25 goals and 7 assists, Charlie Cunniffe (Jr / A) has also tallied 32 points on 15 goals and a team-best 17 assists. Meanwhile Kalman Kraham (Jr / A) has produced 29 points on 19 goals and 10 assists.
• The Leopards are allowing 12.58 goals per game, the eighth most in the conference. Rookie Joe Doherty has had a fine season between the pipes where he has started all 12 contests and owns an 12.63 goals-against average and a 46.7 save percentage. He is averaging 10.67 saves per game which rank 39th nationally and fifth in the league.
• Lafayette's man-down squad has been a strength, ranking 13th nationally and #2 in the Patriot League. The Leopards have surrendered just 7 goals on 25 opportunities (72.0).
• The faceoff game has been by committee this spring for the Leopards with 3 players taking significant draws. Aidan Kelly (Jr) has played in 9 games and has won 64 of the 148 draws (43.2) he has taken. James Turco (Sr) has seen action in 7 games and has won 44 of the 83 faceoffs (53.0) he has attempted. Evan Prince (So), meanwhile, has won 34 of the 71 draws (47.9) he has stepped up to take.
• The Leopards have also done a good job of taking care of the ball, committing just 15.25 turnovers per game which stands 19th nationally and #2 in the league.

Program Ties
• Lafayette head coach Patrick Myers and Navy's Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D) joined forces over the summer to help lead the U.S. Under-21 Men's Lacrosse National Team to a gold medal at the 2022 U21 World Lacrosse Championship in Limerick, Ireland (Aug. 10-20).
• Myers served as an assistant coach for the U.S. U21 Men's National Team under head coach and brother Nick Myers (Ohio State), while Bonitz became the first Navy player selected to the final roster for the Under 21 Team since it was established in 1988.
• Team USA swept through pool play, outscoring their foes 54-12. The U.S. defeated Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals and Haudenosaunee in the semifinals before meeting the Canadians in the championship. The United States won its ninth Under 21 world title with a 12-10 win over Canada and improved to an incredible 54-2 all-time.
• Bonitz anchored a defensive unit that held 6 of its 7 opponents to 5 or fewer goals. Additionally, he scored a pair of goals - vs. Australia and Haudenosaunee.

Navy vs. Lafayette - The Series
• Saturday's contest marks the 24th meeting between the two programs, and the 20th since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004. Navy leads the series 21-2.
• Navy and Lafayette first met in 1926 with the Mids earning a 23-0 win. The two teams battled one another three times between 1929-31 before the series went on pause. The two programs would not meet again until the Mids joined the Patriot League.
• The Mids won 10 straight against the Leopards before dropping the program's game to Lafayette on March 12, 2010 in Easton. Navy won seven in a row before falling a second time, again in Easton, by a 9-8 count in 2017. Since that loss, Navy has won 4 in a row.
• Navy has scored double digits in 18 of the 23 games, while the Mids have held Lafayette to single digits 20 times.
• In the 23-game history, the Mids have outscored the Leopards, 290-122.

Sale of the Century X Set for April 22
• The Naval Academy Athletic Association will conduct Sale of the Century X next Saturday, April 22 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  
• The sale will run from 2:00-8:00 pm in conjunction with the Army-Navy men's lacrosse game slated for 7:00 pm.  A game ticket will be required to enter the stadium starting at 5:30 pm and there will be a $10 charge to park.
• The NAAA will be selling training shoes, cleats, helmets, game jerseys, game balls, shorts, t-shirts, hats, travel bags and a wide variety of other team apparel.  
• Cash and credit cards will be accepted and there will be a $5 convenience fee for all sales.

Hewitt Reaches 30, Eyes 40
• Behind his 4-point (3G, 1A) effort at Loyola last Friday, Max Hewitt (Jr / 21-9=30) reached the 30-point milestone for a second time in as many years.
• Hewitt is only the eighth midfielder in school history to score 30 points multiple times in a career - Max Hewitt (2022-23), Greyson Torain (2017-18-19), Ryan Wade (2018-19), Graham Gill (2004-05), Jamie Slough (1992-93-94), Brian Keith (1989-90), Glen Miles (1984-86) and Mike Chanenchuk (1977-78-79).
• Hewitt's 32 points from a year ago are tied as the 21st most by a midfielder in school history, while his 30 points this spring are tied as the 28th most.
• There have been only 5 different Navy midfielders to score 40 points in a season - 53, Brian Keith (1989) / 53, Glen Miles (1986) / 48, Patrick Skalniak (2022) / 48, Ryan Wade (2019) / 44, Bob DeSimone (1975) - a list he hopes to add his name to.

Navy's 30-Point Club
• Navy finished the 2022 season with 5 players reaching the 30-point milestone - Patrick Skalniak (Sr / M / 48 pts), Nick Cole (--- / A / 38), Dane Swanson (Jr / M / 38), Henry Tolker (So / A / 34) and Max Hewitt (Jr / M / 43). It marked the first time in program history that a Navy team has achieved that feat.
• There have been 23 seasons Navy has had 3 or more players reach the 30-point mark, while on just 10 occasions there have been 4 players reach 30 points by season's end.
• 2022 also marked the first time Navy has had 3 midfielders score 30 points in a single season. On just two prior occasions had a pair of midfielders reached 30 points and that was done in back-to-back seasons (2018, '19) by Greyson Torain and Ryan Wade.
• Navy has 3 players approaching the 30-point mark - Henry Tolker (So / A / 23), Mac Haley (Fr / A / 23) and Xavier Arline (Jr / A / 23) - while Max Hewitt (Jr / M / 30) hit the 30-point mark last Friday at Loyola.

3 Players with 30 or More Points
1971-74-75-77-78-79-86-88-89-90-92-94-95-2001-04-05-06-07-10-11-16-18-19-22

4 Players with 30 or More Points
1978 - Buzzell 78 / Schneck 78 / Hannan 52 / Chanenchuk 31
1979 - Buzzell 85 / Hannan 43 / S. Abernethy 37 / Chanenchuk 37
1986 - Miles 53 / Hanzsche 37 / Basile 37 / B. Wehman 35
1989 - Keith 53 / Basile 50 / Herger 43 / Nealon 35
1994 - R. Bailey 40 / Bertrand 36 / Long 35 / Slough 31
2001 - McKinnon 34 / Ad. Borcz 33 / Cataffo 32 / Pittard 31
2004 - I. Dingman 62 / Bossi 50 / Birsner 40 / Gill 34
2005 - Birsner 42 / Horn 37 / Gill 35 / Mirabito 33
2018 - Ray 33 / Torain 33 / Wade 33 / Daniel 31
2022 - Skalniak 48 / N. Cole 38 / Swanson 38 / Tolker 34 / Hewitt 32

5 Players with 30 or More Points
2022 - Skalniak 48 / N. Cole 38 / Swanson 38 / Tolker 34 / Hewitt 32