WORCESTER, Mass. —  Paul Garza (Jr / M / Frederick, Md.) and Mac Haley (Jr / A / Shady Side, Md.) combined to score 7 of Navy's 9 goals to lead the Navy men's lacrosse team (6-3, 2-1 Patriot League) to a 9-8 overtime victory over Holy Cross (3-7, 1-3 Patriot League) Saturday afternoon at Kuzniewski Field in Worcester, Mass. The Mids, who trailed by as many as 4 goals in the opening half, saw Haley take over the game in the second half where he played a role in each of their final 5 goals of the game, including scoring the game-winner with 1:33 remaining in the extra frame.

"We just played 3 games in 8 days. We had 16 healthy offensive players today and played 14 of them at some point during the game," said sixth-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo. "I'm not a coach who likes to make excuses, but the reality is we are going through a stretch where we have a number of players injured and some who have been going through some illness. We looked a little sluggish, dare I say tired. 

"I told the team at the half to stay the course and not panic. I said that it was Paul's party out there, but someone needed to step up and join him. I thought Mac (Haley) did just that in the second half. He let the game come to him and didn't press too much. Overall, I was proud of the way our team figured out a way to win against a very motivated, hungry Holy Cross team."

Holy Cross took the lead less than 2 minutes into the contest, as Henry Sheehan found John Mitchell who was left unguarded at the crease.

Navy, however, would answer just over a minute later, as William Goers (Fr / A / Chester, Md.) drew the slide and found Garza on the left elbow for the 8-yard strike to level the game.

Then, an unsettled goal by Bo Webster in transition at the 6:51 mark in the first quarter sparked a 4-0 run by the Crusaders and gave Holy Cross a 5-1 advantage with 6:21 remaining in the second frame.

Garza, who sat out Tuesday's contest against Le Moyne with an illness and practiced sparingly during the week, put the team on his back and scored three-consecutive goals for the Mids, including a spectacular goal where he sped past Holy Cross' Owen Larson and fired his shot over the shoulder of goalkeeper JR Long with just 9.8 seconds remaining in the opening half.

Navy picked up right where it left off and Haley took over the scoring detail, punching in a pair of goals in the first 3 minutes of the third quarter to cap a 5-0 run going back to the first half and give them their first lead at 6-5.

After 15-plus minutes without a goal, Holy Cross evened the game at 6-all when Jon-Luke Duley attempted to bull his way past Navy co-captain Jack Norton (Sr / SSDM / Vienna, Va.). Instead the bump created enough space for Duley to get his hands free and score the goal. Two minutes later, the Crusaders took the lead once again when Sam McDonald used a William Russler pick to get free of All-Patriot League defender AJ Marsh (So / Reisterstown, Md.) and punch in the foal for the 7-6 lead with 4:10 to go in the third quarter.

Navy won the ensuing faceoff and tied the game when Haley found Henry Tolker (Sr / A / Catonsville, Md.) stationed at the crease for his 88th-career goal. Tolker now stands alone in 10th on the Mids' all-time career goals scored leader board, 3 behind ninth-place Mike Hannan (1976-79).

The Crusaders took their fourth lead of the game when Will Messineo got a step on his defender and targeted his 8-yard shot with 6:49 remaining in regulation.

Navy took advantage of an errant clearing pass by Holy Cross when Calahan McPherson was unable to corral the pass and senior Carter Ash (Sr / A / Leesburg, Va.) picked up the loose ball on Navy's offensive end of the field. He and Haley passed the ball back and forth before Ash ultimately scored the game-tying goal with 4:03 to go.

Both teams had multiple opportunities in the final minutes, but neither was able to capitalize and the game entered the extra frame.

Haley had a fantastic opportunity net the game-winner, but Long made a sensational save. However, Haley was hit on the shot by a Holy Cross defender who was then flagged for an illegal body check. To complicate matters for the Crusaders, head coach J.L. Reppert was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and Holy Cross was forced to play two men down.

Navy needed just 21 seconds to work the ball around and Goers found Haley for the game-winner, as he charged his way around the right side of the crease.

Haley led the way with 5 points on 3 goals and a pair of assists, while Garza totaled a career-high 4 goals on the afternoon.

"Paul (Garza) has shown us what he's capable of in spurts during his first few years," said Amplo. "He's been battling an injury and this past week he was out with an illness. He fought through and gutted it out when we needed him most."

Navy, who put 29 of its 43 shots on goal in the contest, got a huge boost in the game by the return of faceoff specialist Colin Shadowens (Jr / Severna Park, Md.), who missed the last 3-plus games due to a concussion suffered on the opening draw of the Boston U. game on March 1. The third-year standout played his best game in a Navy uniform, winning 16 of the 20 draws (80.0) and picked up a career high 8 ground balls.

"I was really proud of Colin and our entire faceoff unit," added Amplo. "The faceoff guys did the best they could while Zach and Colin have been out, but along the way they helped steady the ship and prepared Colin for today. It was a longtime coming for Colin who has been hampered by injury throughout his career. I thought he put us on his back today."

Defensively, Dan Daly (Jr / Wayne, N.J.) finished the game with 10 saves, while Marsh and Jacob Darrow (Sr / D / Millersville, Md.) recorded a combined 5 caused turnovers.

Six different players accounted for Holy Cross' 8 goals on the day, including Messineo and Duley who scored two apiece. Long, meanwhile, was spectacular between the pipes where he finished with a career-high 20 saves.

Navy returns to Patriot League action next Saturday when it travels to Hamilton, N.Y. to battle Colgate at 2:00 pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, while Joe Miller will have the call on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV..

### Go Navy ###