Setting the Stage
• Inside the Game: Navy (5-4, 2-1 Patriot League) will face the only remaining undefeated team in Patriot League contests when it plays host to #17 Colgate (6-3, 3-0 Patriot League) Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The opening game of a men's and women's doubleheader, the men's game is slated for a 12:00 pm faceoff (3:30 pm - women vs. Bucknell). Navy is led by Joe Amplo, who owns a 31-23 record in 5 seasons at the helm of the Navy program, while Colgate's Matt Karweck has posted a 19-43 record in 6 seasons as the Raiders' head coach. The contest marks the 26th meeting in a series that dates back to 1928.
• Follow the Action: Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription based) and will also be carried live on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller on the call. Radio coverage begins at 11:45 am with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on NavyStats.com(.)

Countdown to Faceoff
10  -  Navy has lost just 5 games in the Joe Amplo era (2020-present) when scoring 10 or more goals (25-5, 83.3).
9  -  Navy has won 9-consecutive games when holding an opponent to 6-9 goals in a contests. The Mids are 5-0 this season when achieving that feat (6 - Mount St. Mary's, 7 - Holy Cross, 8 - Hofstra, 9 - Boston U & Johns Hopkins).
8  -  Navy has won at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title 8 times (2004-05-06-07-08-15-16-18) since joining the league in 2004.
7  -  Max Hewitt (Sr / M) needs just 7 points to become the 37th player and the 11th midfielder in school history to produce 100-career points (60-33=93).
6  -  Henry Tolker (Jr / A) has produced multiple goals in 6 (of 9) games this season, including each of the last 5.
5  -  Five of Navy's 2024 opponents are ranked among the USILA's top 20 - #4 Penn State (L, 13-3 / 2.24), #6 Army (4.13), #11 Johns Hopkins (W, 10-9 OT / 3.15), #17 Colgate (3.30) and #18 Boston U. (W, 16-9 / 3.2).
4  -  Navy has won 4 in a row against Colgate in games played in Annapolis (16-9 in 2016 // 12-10 in 2018 // 16-14 in 2020 // 11-10 in 2022).
3  -  In Joe Amplo's 5 seasons at Navy, the Mids have lost just 3 games when leading at the half (23-3). Navy has won 7-consecutive games when leading at the half, including 4 contests this spring.
2  -  With a team-high 17 caused turnovers, Jackson Bonitz (Sr / D) is just the 2nd player (Matt Rees 2015, 2016, 2017) in school history to rank among the program's single-season top-20 caused turnover list 3 times in a career (T8, 22 in 2023 / T11, 18 in 2022 / T13, 17 in 2024).
1  -  Zach Hayashi (Fr / FO), who is ranked #19 nationally and #3 in the Patriot League in faceoff winning percentage (115-200, 57.5), stands #1 in the Naval Academy's Class of 2027 (1,152 students) in Military Order of Merit.

Navy-Colgate Series
• Navy leads the all-time series with Colgate 17-8, including a 9-3 advantage in games played in Annapolis.
• The Mids' 4-game winning streak in the series (12-10 in 2018 // 16-11 in 2019 // 16-14 in 2020 // 11-10 in 2022) was snapped a year ago by Colgate who easily handled the Midshipmen 17-8.
• Navy has won 4 in a row against Colgate in games played in Annapolis (16-9 in 2016 // 12-10 in 2018 // 16-14 in 2020 // 11-10 in 2022). The Mids' last loss in the series on their home field was a 10-7 decision on March 22, 2014.
• The two teams have met 23 times since the Midshipmen joined the Patriot League in 2004. During that span, Navy has produced a 15-8 record and has outscored Colgate, 241-208.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked the first time since Navy joined the league 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 15 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).

Scouting Colgate
• In his 6th season as head coach at Colgate, Matt Karweck's Raiders have been nothing short of impressive. Colgate is atop the Patriot League standings with a 3-0 record with wins over Loyola (14-11), Lafayette (16-10) and Bucknell (17-4). At 6-3 overall, the Raiders also have wins over nationally-ranked Penn State (13-12), Hobart (16-11) and Albany (11-10). Their losses have been against Syracuse (18-10), Yale (21-11) and Villanova (15-9).
• Colgate has been on the cusp of breaking out over the last handful of years. The Raiders lost a combined 9 games in in 2022 and '23 by 2 or fewer goals.
• The Raider offense is averaging 13.00 goals per game heading into the weekend, ranking #17 nationally and #2 in the league. Jack Turner (Jr / A) leads the way with 31 points on a team-high 24 goals and 7 assists, while Hunter Drouin (So / M) has recorded 29 points on 22 goals and 7 assists. Rory Connor (Jr / A) has produced 14 goals and a team-best 15 assists.
• Standing between the pipes is three-year starter Matt Lacombe (Jr / GK) who owns an 12.43 goals-against average and a 53.4 save percentage. He stands #5 nationally and #2 in the league average 14.11 saves per game.
• Max Yates (Jr / LSM) has recorded 21 caused turnovers and is leading the league (#5 nationally) with 2.33 caused turnovers per game. Yates also leads the team in ground balls with 55 (#27 nationally / 6.11 GPG).
• Kyle Rummel (Fr) has taken the bulk of the faceoffs for the Raiders, winning 80 of the 180 draws (44.4) he has taken. Johnny Harzell (So) has won 28 of 78 faceoffs (35.9).

Patriot League Success
• Since joining the Patriot League in 2004, Navy has put together a 101-56 record (64.3) against conference members, which includes a 2-0 mark against Hobart who left the league following the 2004 season.  
• The Mids are 90-46 (66.2) in regular-season action and 11-10 (52.4) in the Patriot League Tournament.
• 35 of the 56 losses (62.5) have been in games played either at the opponent's field (30) or at a neutral site (5).
• Navy owns a 51-21 (70.8) Patriot League record at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, including a 45-17 (72.6) mark during the regular season.
• The Mids have produced undefeated records in regular-season conference action twice, 7-0 in 2004 and 6-0 in '07.
• Navy won 8-consecutive Patriot League Tournament games and 4-straight Patriot League Tournament titles (2004-07), before dropping the program's first tournament contest in the 2008 semifinals against eventual champion Colgate.  
• Navy has won at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title 8 times (2004-05-06-07-08-15-16-18) since joining the league in 2004.
• Additionally, the Mids have claimed the league's tournament crown 5 times (2004-05-06-07-09).

Navy Picked Fourth in PL Preseason Poll
• In a vote cast by the league's coaches and sports information directors, Navy has been picked to finish fourth in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
• Army, the defending Patriot League Champion, secured 14 of the 18 first-place votes (eligible for 16, cannot vote for your own team) and amassed 126 points to top the poll for the first time since 2011. It's only the second time (2023, Boston U.) since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2014 that the Greyhounds were not the preseason favorite.
• Boston U., who claimed the league title in 2022, earned 103 points and a first place vote to finish second in the balloting, while Loyola, who has won at least a share of the regular-season title in 7 of its 10 years as a member of the league, posted 99 points to finish third. The remaining three first-place votes were scattered among the field with Navy earning a vote and 84 points to come in fourth, while Lehigh also had a first-place vote and 82 points to take fifth. Lafayette accounted for the final first-place vote and was selected sixth with 87 points.