Setting the Stage
• Inside the Game: Meeting for the 6th time in Patriot League Tournament history, 3rd-seeded Navy (9-6, 5-3 Patriot League) will battle 2nd-seeded Lehigh (8-6, 6-2 Patriot League) in the semifinals on Friday evening at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. The second of 2 semifinal contests, the Navy-Lehigh game will begin at either 7:00 pm or 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Army-Boston U. game which is set for a 4:00 pm start. Joe Amplo owns a 35-25 record in his 5 years at the helm of the Navy program, while the Mountain Hawks are under the direction of first-year head coach Will Scudder. Friday's game marks the 47th overall meeting in a series that dates back to 1910. Navy holds a 32-14 series advantage over Lehigh.
• Follow the Action: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan and Evan Washburn) will televise both Patriot League Semifinal contests. Additionally, Navy's game will be carried live on 1430 AM WNAV with Pete Medhurst on the call. Radio coverage begins at 6:45 pm with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on Navysports.com(.)

Countdown to Faceoff
10  -  Navy has lost just 6 games in the Joe Amplo era (2020-present) when scoring 10 or more goals (29-6, 82.9).
9  -  Navy has 9 players who have reached double-digit points this season. Last year, Navy had 10 players produce double figures in the points column. Prior to these last 2 seasons, the last time Navy had 9 players finish the season with 10 or more points was 2007 when 9 players posted double figures.
8  -  Lehigh has won 8-consecutive games against the Midshipmen which includes 2 Patriot League Tournament games (4.27.18 / 5.3.22).
7  -  Navy's defense has held the opposition to 9 or fewer goals 7 times this spring, including 4 of the 8 Patriot League games (6 - Mount St. Mary's, 8 - Hofstra, 9 - Boston U., 9 - Johns Hopkins, 7 - Holy Cross, 9 - Colgate, 9 - Lafayette).
6  -  Xavier Arline (Sr / A) has been the Mids' top point-producer in 6 of its 15 contests this spring. Navy won 5 of those 6 games.
5  -  Navy is the 5th-oldest (117th year) and 5th-winningest (838-389-14) program in NCAA Div. I men's lacrosse history.
4  -  With his 2 goals and an assist against Loyola on Tuesday, Max Hewitt (Sr / M) reached the 30-point milestone for the third time in his career. He is one of just 4 midfielders in program to achieve 30 points three times in their careers - Max Hewitt (2022-23-24), Greyson Torain (2017-18-19), Jamie Slough (1992-93-94) and Mike Chanenchuk (1977-78-79).
3  -  In Joe Amplo's 5 seasons at Navy, the Mids have lost just 3 games when leading at the half (26-3). Navy has won 10-consecutive games when leading at the half, including 7 contests this spring.
2  -  Co-captain Jackson Bonitz (Sr / D) is one of only 2 players in program history (Brady Dove, 2014-15-16-17) to earn All-Patriot League honors all four years.
1  -  Zach Hayashi (Fr / FO), who was named the 2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and holds Navy's single season records for faceoff wins (203) and grounds balls (101), stands #1 in the Naval Academy's Class of 2027 (1,152 students) in Military Order of Merit.

Tourney Talk
• This is Navy's 16th Patriot League Tournament berth since joining the league in 2004 (21 yrs / 20 yrs tourney played).
• Navy owns a 12-10 record in the Patriot League Tournament, including a 6-4 mark in the semifinals - 2004 (W), 2005 (W), 2006 (W), 2007 (W), 2008 (L), 2009 (W), 2010 (W), 2015 (L), 2016 (L), 2018 (L).
• Navy's win over Loyola on Tuesday marked its first Patriot League Tournament win since  April 30, 2010. The second-seeded Mids defeated #3 Lafayette in the semifinals, 11-9. That victory also marked the Mids' last semifinal win.
• Fifth-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo is 1-3 in the Patriot League Tournament (2021, L 16-9 at Loyola / 2022, L 14-8 at Lehigh / 2023, L 12-7 vs. Loyola / 2024, W 12-10 vs. Loyola).
• This is will be the 5th meeting between Navy and Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament - 2005 (W 10-6), 2006 (W 9-2), 2014 (L 10-6), 2018 (L 10-9), 2022 (L 14-8).
• This is the 2nd time Navy has been the #3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament not counting 2021 when the schools played a modified schedule and split into divisions. Navy was the #3 seed in 2009 when the Mids beat #2 Colgate in triple overtime (9-8) in the semifinals before taking down top-seeded Bucknell 9-8 in the championship game.
• 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-Lehigh Series
• Two of the oldest programs in the sport's history, Navy (117th year) and Lehigh (135th year) will meet for the 47th time in a series that began in 1910. It's the 7th-most games Navy has played against an opponent and the 2nd most against a team in the Patriot League.
• The Mids own a 32-14 advantage in the series. Navy was 19-1 against the Mountain Hawks before it joined the Patriot League in 2004 and 13-13 since (11-10 in the regular season, 2-3 in the league tournament).
• Navy won the first 3 contests in the series before suffering its first loss, a 4-3 decision in 1913. The Mids then won 25 in a row (1914-2010) before Lehigh dealt Navy a 14-10 loss in Bethlehem in 2011. That win sparked a 5-game winning streak by the Mountain Hawks over the Mids. Navy snapped that 5-game skid in 2015 when it outscored Lehigh 4-2 in the final quarter to earn a 13-12 win at home.
• Heading into Friday's Patriot League Semifinals, the Mountain Hawks have won 8 in a row against the Mids dating back to 2018. Navy's last win in the series was a 10-7 victory on March 24, 2018.
• This will be the 6th meeting between the two programs in the Patriot League Tournament (2005, Navy 10-6 / 2006, Navy 9-2 / 2014 Lehigh 10-6 / 2018 Lehigh 10-9 OT / 2022 Lehigh 14-8).
• Navy has failed to score in double figures against Lehigh in 6 of its last 8 contests (Navy has scored 10 goals in each of the last 2 games). Among Navy's 14 losses in the series, Navy has failed to score double figures in 11 of those games.

Scouting Lehigh
• Will Scudder is in his first year as the head coach at Lehigh after Kevin Cassese, who led the Mountain Hawks since 2008, announced his departure over the summer. Scudder, however, is no stranger to the program. He is a 2011 graduate of Lehigh where he played 51 games over his career and garnered Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition as a junior. Scudder joined Lehigh's coaching staff in 2014 and had served as associate head coach for the 5 years leading up to him being named the head coach.
• Lehigh, who was projected to finish 5th in the league, enters the Patriot League Semifinals with a 9-6 mark which includes a 6-2 record in the Patriot League and the #2 seed in the tournament. The Mountain Hawks are riding a 4-game winning streak, earning wins over Holy Cross (9-7), Colgate (9-7), Boston U. (13-12) and Lafayette (13-12).
• Leading the way for the Mountain Hawks is First-Team All-Patriot League selection Scott Cole (Sr / A) who has 42 points on 35 goals and 7 assists. Andrew Kelly (So / A) and Quinn Armstrong (So / A) have also been reliable point producers with Kelly posting 34 points (21G, 13A), while Armystrong has 33 points (26G, 7A).
• First-Team All-Patriot League defenseman Richard Checo (So) leads the Patriot League in caused turnovers per game (2.36) and is second on the team in ground balls (3.50).
• Standing between the pipes is second-year starter Nick Pecora (Sr / GK) who owns an 11.04 goals-against average and a 52.0 save percentage.
• Second-Team All-Patriot League faceoff specialist Sean Dow (Jr) has stepped up to the challenge of replacing one of the best faceoff men to play the sport in Mike Sisselberger. Dow has won 167 of the 293 draws (57.0) he has taken and is ranked 3rd in the league and 24th nationally. He also leads the team in ground balls (6.50).