BOSTON, Mass. —  Henry Tolker's (Jr / A / Catonsville, Md.) goal at the nine-minute mark in the second quarter sparked an 8-1 run by the Navy men's lacrosse team (3-2, 1-0Patriot League), as the Mids went on to capture a 16-9 victory over Boston University (3-2, 0-1 Patriot League) in the Patriot League opener played Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field in Boston. Navy has won four of the last five games played against the Terriers, while the 16 goals mark the most by the Mids in the nine-game series (Navy leads 6-3).

"I thought the Navy team took it personal today, especially the seniors," said fifth-year head coach Joe Amplo. "If you look at the stats and the way the game was played, we had our seniors step up in meaningful spots. It was as complete of a game we have played all year. Certainly not perfect, but it's a credit to BU and how hard they played throughout. I was proud of our guys for not losing their poise and handling the comeback from BU. It was just a complete team win."

Scoring was fast and furious over the first several minutes of the game, as Xavier Arline (Sr / A / Wading River, N.Y.) kicked things off with an 8-yard goal off an assist from Max Hewitt (Sr / M / Denver, Colo.) just 48 seconds into the contest.

The two teams answered one another's goals until BU's Brenden Kelly (Jr / A) scored back-to-back goals off assists from Vince D'Alto (Gr / A) to give the Terriers their first lead of the game at 4-3 with 2:28 remaining in the opening quarter. Navy, though, would punch right back, as co-captain Jackson Peters (Sr / SSDM / Darien, Conn.) used a Navy faceoff win and turned it into a goal when he converted on a 25-yard shot from outside of the offensive box into an empty net left vacated by starting keeper Will Barnes (Jr).

The Terriers took the lead for a second and final time when Tommy Bourque (Sr / M) used a pretty spin move to get his hands free and target his shot from 5 yards out two minutes into the second period.

Navy would again answer, scoring three-consecutive goals, including a pair of extra-man strikes by Dane Swanson (Sr / M / St. Mary's City, Md.) to give the Mids a 7-5 lead. The second of the two extra-man goals Navy capitalized on while two men up at the 4:15 mark.

BU closed to within one when Louis Perfetto used a swim move to get free and score his lone goal of the day with 3:33 left in the second quarter. The Terriers nearly knotted the game up just before the break when Jake Cates (Gr / M) found Kelly all alone in front of the crease. Navy netminder Dan Daly (So / Wayne, N.J.) met the challenge and turned away the point-blank shot with 2 seconds left on the clock to lead the Mids into the locker room with a 7-6 lead.

Though the Terriers had hoped Navy would cool off in the second half, that did not happen. The Mids scored just 17 seconds into the third quarter with co-captain Jackson Bonitz (Sr / D / Shrewsbury, Pa.) picking up the loose ball and feeding Peters for his second goal of the contest. That goal triggered a 3-0 run by the Mids that was capped by a man-down goal by Henry Tolker at the 3:50 mark in the third quarter. After Navy was flagged for delay of game, Bonitz immediately intercepted the BU pass and the path down field began and ended with AJ Marsh (Fr / D / Reisterstown, Md.) feeding Tolker for the Mids' first man-down goal since Chris Fennell's goal against Holy Cross on Feb. 21, 2015.

Tommy Hovivian (Sr / A / Dallas, Texas) scored the first-two goals of the fourth quarter, including a highlight reel behind the back goal at 12:44, to give the Mids a 12-6 advantage.

After a nearly 22-minute drought, BU scored back-to-back goals a minute-and-a-half apart to close to within 4 (12-8).

Navy would not be denied, however, as the Mids scored 4 of the final 5 goals in the contest to earn the program's first win in a Patriot League opener since its 13-10 win over Bucknell on March 28, 2021. It was Navy's first win in a Patriot League opener played on the road since defeating Boston U. 10-8 on Feb. 24, 2018.

Navy, who has lost just 4 games in the Joe Amplo era (2020-present) when scoring double digits (23-4), was led by Swanson. The four-year starter came into the game without a goal (0-for-17) this season, but turned it around with his career-high 5 goals on 8 shots. Meanwhile, both Arline and Tolker contributed hat tricks with Arline also adding a pair of assists for a five-point afternoon.

There were plenty of nominees for player of the game, but one would be remiss if they did not recognize Zach Hayashi (Fr / North Potomac, Md.) and his domination at faceoff. He won 19 of the 27 draws (70.4) he took and picked up 10 ground balls - all career highs. He moved into third on Navy's freshman faceoff wins (72) and attempts (116) leader board with his 72 wins the most by a Navy rookie since Nick Barry won 134 draws in 2019.

"It's a team event, but he (Hayashi) certainly controls that team event," added Amplo. "The energy that he brings to every faceoff is honestly hard to describe. I think our team feeds off that and gives our guys confidence and belief that when he's playing that hard and he's successful, the guys rally around him. For a freshman to have that ability is truly amazing."

Navy was stout on defense not only holding the Terriers to single digits, but also holding the high-powered scoring duo of Louis Perfetto and Vince D'Alto to a combined 2 goals and 2 assists. Perfetto (1G) came into the game ranked #2 nationally in points per game (7.00), #3 in goals per game (4.25) and #14 in assists per game (2.75), while D'Alto (1G, 2A) was #13 in points per game (5.25), #26 in goals per game (3.00) and #33 in assists per game (2.25). As a team, BU came into the game ranked 23rd in scoring offense, averaging 13.50 goals per game.

There were a number of defensive players who contributed to the cause, however, Bonitz led the charge with a career-high tying 4 caused turnovers and 7 caused turnovers. Additionally, he contributed on the offensive side of the field with sixth-career goal and fourth-career assist.

Daly, as mentioned, played perhaps his strongest game in a Navy uniform matching his career high in saves with 14, including 5 in the third quarter to keep the Terriers off the scoreboard.

Six different players scored goals for the Terriers, led by Kelly's 3 goals on 6 shots. Meanwhile, Barnes made 14 saves between the pipes. Conor Calderone, who dominated the Mids at faceoff the last time the two met in Boston (19-26, 73.1), won just 7 of the 19 draws he took, while last week's Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week Matthew Fritz won just 2 of his 9 faceoffs.

The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on Lehigh (2-3, 0-0 Patriot League) at Frank Banko Field at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The game is slated for a 3:30 pm faceoff and will be streamed live on ESPN+. Additionally, WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will carry the game live with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller on the call.

### Go Navy ###