Setting the Stage
• Inside the Game: Meeting for just the second time in Patriot League Tournament history, fourth-seeded Navy (8-7, 5-3 Patriot League) will play host to fifth-seeded Loyola (7-7, 4-4 Patriot League) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday evening (7:00 pm) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Joe Amplo owns a 26-18 record in his four years at the helm of the Navy program, while the Greyhounds are under the direction of Charley Toomey who is in his 18th year (175-92).
• Follow the Action: Tuesday's contest 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 6:45 pm with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on NavyStats.com(.)
• Win and Advance: The winners of the (4) Navy vs. (5) Loyola and (3) Lehigh vs. (6) Lafayette quarterfinals will advance to the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals slated to be played Friday at Boston University. Top-seeded BU will play host to the lowest remaining seed at 4:00 pm, while #2 seed Army will play the highest remaining seed at 7:00 pm. The winners of the two semifinal contests will play in the Patriot League Championship Game on Sunday at 12:00 pm. CBS Sports Network will televise both semifinals and the championship game

Tourney Talk
• This is Navy's 15th Patriot League Tournament berth since joining the league in 2004 (20 yrs / 19 yrs tourney played).
• This will be just the second time Navy has played Loyola in the Patriot League Tournament, including the second time in the last 3 years. The two met in the 2021 quarterfinals with Loyola securing a 16-9 win over the Mids. That season the Patriot League played a modified schedule and split into divisions due to the pandemic. Loyola was the #2 seed in the South, while Navy was the #3 seed.
• This is the second time Navy has been the #4 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Navy was the #4 seed in 2017 and dropped an 11-7 decision at home to #5 Holy Cross.
• The Mids have been crowned Patriot League Tournament Champions 5 times -  2004 (def. Hobart 9-8), 2005 (def. Army 15-8), 2006 (def. Army 8-5), 2007 (def. Colgate 15-9) and 2009 (def. Bucknell 9-8). They were the #1 seed for 3 of those title victories (2004, '05, '07).
• Navy owns an 11-9 record in the Patriot League Tournament, including a 0-4 mark in the quarterfinals - 2014, L 10-9 at #3 Lehigh / 2015, L 11-7 vs. #5 Holy Cross / 2021, L 16-9 at #2 in South Div. Loyola / 2022, L 14-8 at #4 Lehigh.
• Navy, who has lost 7-straight Patriot League Tournament contests, last captured a win on April 30, 2010. The second-seeded Mids defeated #3 Lafayette in the semifinals, 11-9.
• Fourth-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo is 0-2 in the Patriot League Tournament (2021, L 16-9 at Loyola / 2002, L 14-8 at Lehigh).

Navy vs. Loyola - The Series
• Loyola and Navy are meeting for the 18th time overall and the 12th since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2014.  
• Loyola owns an 11-6 series advantage, winning 11 of the last 14 meetings. Navy's 11-10 win over the Greyhounds earlier this season (4.7) marked just the third win over Loyola since 1943. The win also marked just the second win by Navy on Loyola's home field . The 14-12 victory on April 17, 2021 was the first by Navy at Loyola.
• Tuesday's contest will be the 11th game in the series played in Annapolis with the Greyhounds leading 6-4. Navy has lost  3 in a row against Loyola in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids' last win against Loyola at home was a 10-9 victory on March 19, 2016.
• This will be only the second time the two programs have met in the Patriot League Tournament, as the Greyhounds defeated Navy 16-9 in the 2021 quarterfinals in Baltimore.
• The two programs first met on May 6, 1939, with Navy posting a 14-4 victory. The Mids also took wins over Loyola in 1942 (12-8) and 1943 (8-1). However, the two teams would not meet again until the NCAA Tournament in 1993. The Greyhounds dealt the Mids a 19-8 to end their season.
• The series was rekindled in 2010 with Loyola scoring an 8-7 decision in overtime and a year later the Greyhounds earned a 9-8 come-from-behind win over the Mids in Baltimore.

Scouting Loyola
• Eighteenth-year Loyola head coach Charley Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 7-7- record this spring, including a 4-4 mark in the Patriot League.
• The Greyhounds began the season with two huge wins, roughing up top-ranked Maryland 12-7 in opener followed by a 13-8 win over Johns Hopkins. Both of those teams currently reside among the nation's top 7.
• The Hounds have Patriot League wins over Lafayette (15-11), Bucknell (14-13), Holy Cross (15-8) and Colgate (17-11). However a 10-5 loss at Army on March 25 was the first of 5 losses over Loyola's final 7 games of the regular season. In addition to Army, Loyola's league losses are against Navy (11-10), Boston U. (16-9) and Lehigh (15-9).
• Loyola is averaging 10.93 goals per game this spring which stands 7th in the Patriot League. Leading the way for the Greyhounds is Matthew Minicus (Fr / A) who owns 42 points on a team-best 30 goals and 12 assists. Minicus missed the first game against Navy, as well as the Boston U. contests. Adam Poitras (Sr / M) has turned in 38 points on 26 goals and 12 assists, while Davis Lindsey (Jr / A) has posted 32 points on 15 goals and a team-high 17 assists.
• The defense, meanwhile, is allowing 12.21 goals per game. After holding both Maryland and Johns Hopkins to single digits, 11 of Loyola's last 12 opponents have scored in double figures.
• The goalkeeper position has been fluid in recent weeks with Luke Staudt (Jr / GK) starting 12 games this spring. He owns an 11.71 goals-against average and a 52.7 save percentage. Meanwhile, Freeman Whitaker has made 2 starts and 9 game appearances. He owns a 13.91 GAA and a 44.1 save percentage.
• Matt Hughes (Gr / D) leads the team with 22 caused turnovers, while Cam Wyers (Gr / D) and Mustang Sally have 18 apiece. Payton Rezanka (Gr / SSDM) has 16.
• Eric Pacheco (Sr / FO) has taken 283 of the 371 draws for the Greyhounds. He owns a 43.8 winning percentage (124-283) and leads the team with 74 ground balls. Chris Cottone (Sr / FO) is 27 of 75 (36.0), while Sawyer Allen is 5-13 (38.5).

Program Ties
• Long-time friends Joe Amplo and Charley Toomey share the same sideline as assistant coaches for the US National Team, however, the two will coach from opposite sidelines on Tuesday evening. The two first met as opposing head coaches on April 3, 2021, when Loyola traveled to Annapolis to play the Mids. Navy and Loyola faced each other three times in 2021, splitting the regular-season contests while Loyola beat Navy in the Patriot League Tournament. This will be the sixth time the two have faced one another as opposing head coaches (Amplo vs. Loyola 2-3).
• Amplo and Toomey, along with fellow US National Team assistant coach Seth Tierney, collaborated with head coach John Danowski to raise money and help support their local community's frontline workers during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. Amplo and Toomey partnered with Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Danowski worked with the Duke University Medical Center in Durham and Tierney connected with Northwell Health on Long Island. The coaches joined forces with local restaurants to provide meals to healthcare workers, while Amplo and Toomey made Easter baskets for the employees to give to their families.
• Toomey served as the Naval Academy Prep School head coach during the 1993 season before joining the Navy coaching staff as an assistant for two years. He served under Bryan Matthews (1994) and Richie Meade (1995).

Navy Quick Hits
• Hewitt Among Program's Elite Midfielders: Last year's starting midfield trio was one for the record books, as Patrick Skalniak (28-20=48), Dane Swanson (21-17=38) and Max Hewitt (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 (4.7), he reached the 30-point milestone for a second time. Hewitt, Navy's leading scorer this spring (24-12=36), is only the 8th 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).
• Ghobriel Has Single-Season Record in Sight: With a career-high tying 19 faceoff wins last Friday against Bucknell, Anthony Ghobriel (So) became only the 6th player to reach 150 faceoff wins in program history. His 168 wins this spring are the most by a Navy player since Brady Dove won 169 draws in 2017. Meanwhile, he is only 5 wins shy of tying the program record of 173 set by Chris Pieczonka during Navy's Cinderella run to the National Championship Game in 2004. Ghobriel also broke into the top 10 in Navy's career record book and with 174 wins in 18 games, he stands 10th on the list.
• Hernandez Nears Rookie Caused Turnover Mark: AJ Hernandez (Fr / D) has recorded 12 caused turnovers this season, a mark tied (Pat Kiernan, 2011) as the 3rd most by a Navy freshman. He needs just 1 more takeaway to tie and 2 more to set the Navy record. Chris Fennell (2014) and Andrew McKenna (2018) hold the record which stands at 13. Hernandez's 12 caused turnovers this spring are the 3rd most on the team.
• Bonitz Reaches 50: With a caused turnover at Bucknell last Friday, All-American defenseman Jackson Bonitz (Jr) became only the 5th player in school history to reach 50-career takeaways. The three-year starter recorded 3 caused turnovers against Army (4.22) to move into the top 5 where he resides with 50-career takeaways. John Trainor (2014-17) is next on the list in 4th place with 52 caused turnovers. Additionally, the 3 takeaways against Army also propelled him over the 20 CT mark for the season. He is just the 7th different Navy player to reach the 20-takeaway mark in a season. He is tied for 8th on the single-season list with 22, 4 outside of the top 5.
• 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 14 of the 15 contests this season, he is the team's 3rd-leading scorer with 28 points on 16 goals and 12 assists. Haley needs just 2 points to become only the 15th freshman in Navy history to reach 30 points. He stands 10th on the freshman assists list with 12.
• Changing Lineup: An injury-riddled Navy team has used 9 different starting lineups in its 15 games this spring, including a different lineup in 7 of its last 10 contests. Max Hewitt (Jr / M) and Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D) are the only players to have started all 15 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 2 months. The Mids used the same lineup during their four-game winning streak (Holy Cross, Boston U., Loyola, Lafayette), before changing it up in each of their last 2 games.

4 Mids Earn All-Patriot League Honors
• Four members of the Navy men's lacrosse team were named to the 2023 All-Patriot League Teams announced Monday afternoon, including three first-time recipients. Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D) and Max Hewitt (Jr / M) garnered first-team recognition, while Jackson Peters (Jr / DM) and Pat Ryan (Sr / GK) were named to the second team.
• One of only two players on the roster (Jackson Bonitz) and the only offensive player to start all 15 contests this spring, Hewitt sits atop Navy's scoring leader board with 36 points on 24 goals and 12 assists. A first-time All-Patriot League selection, Hewitt is only the eighth midfielder in school history to score 30 points multiple times in a career, joining 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). His 36 points this spring are the 12th most by a midfielder in program history, while his 32 points scored a year ago are tied as the 22nd most. He is just 4 points shy of becoming only the sixth midfielder to reach the 40-point milestone.
• Hewitt has had a team-high 10 multi-point games this season, including a team-best 7 multi-goal contests to go along with a pair of multi-assist games. He has led the team in points in 6 games and goals 5 times.
• Bonitz, Peters and Ryan have each excelled at their specific craft to help create one of the top defensive units in the country. The Mids are allowing 10.33 goals per game which stands 11th in the country and second in the Patriot League. The Mids have held 7 of their 15 opponents to single digits, including 4 of their last 6 (Holy Cross 8, Boston U. 8, Lafayette 6, Bucknell 9).
• A three-year starter at close defense, Bonitz has earned All-Patriot League honors in each of his three seasons playing for the Mids. He garnered second-team honors as a rookie and last year picked up first-team recognition. He is the 14th player in program history to earn All-Patriot League honors at least 3 times and the first since Greyson Torain in 2017, '18 and '19. Additionally, he is Navy's sixth close defenseman / long-stick midfielder to be a three-time All-Patriot League selection and the first since Chris Fennell and Matt Rees in 2015, '16 and '17.
• Bonitz leads Navy with 22 caused turnovers, a mark that is tied for eighth on Navy's single-season takeaways list. He is just the seventh different Navy player to reach 20 caused turnovers in a single season. Meanwhile, last Friday at Bucknell he became only the fifth player in school history to reach 50 caused turnovers in a career. He stands fifth on the all-time list with 50, needing just two more to tie fourth-place John Trainor (2014-17).
• A former offensive middie, Peters has developed into one of Navy's top short-stick defensive midfielders in recent memory. He has served as a scoring threat for the Mids in their transition game this spring, scoring 4 goals and adding an assist. He scored twice in the Mids' 13-12 victory at Hofstra early in the year and scored his first-career goal in Navy's opener against Mount St. Mary's. Defensively, he has 5 caused turnovers and has grabbed 19 ground balls. He is a first-time All-Patriot League honoree and Navy's sixth different short stick defensive midfielder to earn recognition.
• A two-year starter for the Mids, Ryan is the sixth different Navy goalkeeper to earn all-league recognition. He is currently ranked #1 in the Patriot League with a 54.2 save percentage and #2 in goals-against average (10.14). He has recorded double-digit saves 8 times this season, including 5 times in the last 6 contests. Among his stellar performances this season was a 23-save game that helped Navy defeat Loyola in Baltimore for only the second time in program history. Ryan stands 15th on the Mids' all-time saves leader board with 303 and is 15 saves shy of tying his mark last year (158) which is the 20th-most saves in a Navy single season.