ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  A pair of goals by Army All-American midfielder Evan Plunkett in the final two-plus minutes of regulation sent the game into overtime, while a goal by the nation's second-leading goal scorer Jackson Eicher proved to be the difference as fifth-ranked Army (10-1, 5-1 Patriot League) topped the Navy men's lacrosse team (7-5, 3-3 Patriot League) in overtime 12-11 Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Four of the last seven Star Games have been decided by one goal, including three in overtime (9-8 Navy in 2018 / 9-8 OT Army in 2019 / 12-11 OT Navy in 2022 / 12-11 OT Army in 2025).

"Congratulations to Army, their players and staff," said sixth-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo. "It was a heck of a game. An epic, epic Army-Navy lacrosse game. Those guys made a few more plays down the stretch. I can't say we got tight at the end, I didn't feel it. They just made plays. They 10-manned us and they were in the right spots and we tried to make a pass and it just didn't work. Then they made a great play doubling on the sideline. It's just a heady lacrosse play in that moment when Mac Haley has the ball and we didn't have an answer for it in that moment. I'm proud of these guys. I'm really proud of our team. That was a heck of a game and a heck of an effort, it just didn't work out fo us."

The opening quarter saw two fierce defensive units lock in and allow just four total goals - two by each team. Navy got on the board first when William Goers (Fr / A / Chester, Md.) fed Paul Garza (Jr / M / Frederick, Md.) for a 12-yard shot straight up on the middle. 

Army answered with back-to-back goals five minutes apart, as Gunnar Fellows put away a goal in transition before Eicher scored his first of three goals on the day curling in from behind the cage to give the Black Knights a 2-1 advantage.

Navy, however, would answer 51 seconds later with an extra-man goal by Mac Haley (Jr / A / Shady Side, Md.) to knot the game after the opening frame.

That Haley goal sparked a 3-0 run by the Mids, as Navy scored back-to-back goals in less that a minute to take a 4-2 lead. Coming out of a timeout, Navy ran the clock down and Haley found defenseman AJ Marsh (So / Reisterstown, Md.) who crossed into the offensive box and drilled a 10-yard bouncer. Navy then tacked on a goal in transition when Sean Gallagher (Jr / LSM / Garnet Valley, Pa.) got rid of the ball just before getting mauled by two Army defensemen and Carter Ash (Sr / A / Leesburg, Va.) found the back of the net.

After nearly 15 minutes without a goal, Army scored twice in the final two minutes of the half, including a buzzer beater by Finn McCullough, whose shot went between the legs of Navy goalkeeper Dan Daly (Jr / GK / Wayne, N.J.) to catch inside of the far pipe.

Army took its first lead since 2-1 in the first quarter when the Black Knights rattled off three-consecutive goals to open the second half. Army's 7-4 lead was its largest of the day and the first of two three-goal leads in the second half. Navy, meanwhile, turned the ball over five times in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

The Mids finally got on the board when Jack Ponzio (Fr / M / Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) sent his lefty runner past Army goalkeeper Sean Byrne at the 7:50 mark. It was Navy's first shot since 5:18 in the second quarter.

The two teams traded goals to close out the third period with Army holding an 8-6 lead.

Navy had a huge fourth quarter, as it scored five of the first six goals in the frame. The Mids got a spark from reserve midfielder Liam Hurley (So / M / Williamsburg, Va.), who notched his second-career goal when he ran in from the box, Jack Flaherty (Jr / M / Massapequa, N.Y.) passed him the ball in stride and Hurley blew past his defender. Just under two minutes later, Ponzio set a perfect screen and Flaherty sent his bouncer to the far post to even the score for the fourth time. Navy pulled ahead at the 9:52 mark when Jack Nichtern (Jr / M / Massapequa, N.Y.) drew the double and found Haley alone for his second goal of the game. Navy led 9-8, taking its first lead since the 1:56 mark in the second quarter.

Army briefly interrupted the Navy run when Eicher went low to high on Daly from 15 yards out to tie the game for the fifth time.

Navy answered 34 seconds later when Hurley drew the defense to the left side of the box, leaving Henry Tolker (Sr / A / Catonsville, Md.) open in front of the crease for a three-yard shot and goal. Just over a minute later, the Mids pushed their lead to two (11-9) when Flaherty managed to score as he was falling to the turf.

Plunkett brought Army to within one when he his shot narrowly got away from Daly with 2:06 remaining in the contest. He then knotted the game for the sixth time in the contest when Gallagher lost his footing and Plunkett stuck a one-one-one shot past Daly from 3 yards out.

Both teams had solid looks early in the extra frame, as Plunkett tried the same wrap-around move that was successful late in regulation. This time, Daly made the stop. Ash, meanwhile, got off a shot with two minutes remaining in overtime, but Byrne was able to turn it aside. As time continued to tick away, it was Eicher who was able to get top side against a short-stick defensive middie for the game-winner with 58.4 seconds left.

"Army's defense is sticky, really sticky," said Amplo. "They are great at what they do at playing defense. It was tough to win matchups all day long to be honest with you. I thought our kids just hung in there and didn't lose their composure. They knew it was going to be a battle to try and get to the cage and we did. We did in the third and fourth. To score five in a quarter against those guys when the pressure is on, that says something. We just couldn't do that in the overtime period."

Eight different players accounted for Navy's 11 goals in the contest, including two by Flaherty, Haley and Ponzio. Flaherty added a pair of assists to lead the way in the points column with four.

Goers finished the game with a pair of assists and became just the 16th Navy freshman to reach the 30-point milestone and first since Haley closed out his rookie campaign with 30 points in 2023. Additionally, Goers moved into a tie for sixth alongside Ian Dingman on Navy's all-time freshman assists list with 17. It's the most assists by a Navy rookie since Dingman's 17 in 2003.

Haley and Goers, Navy's top-two scorers on the year with 31 and 30 points, have produced a point in each of Navy's 12 games this spring.

Defensively, Daly made 15 stops between the pipes after not practicing all week due to the flu. Meanwhile, the Mids held Army under its scoring average (13.60) and just the third-fewest goals it has scored this season (9 vs. Rutgers and Boston U.). 

Eicher and Plunkett led the way for Army with 3 goals apiece, while Fellows and McCullough both scored twice. Defensively, two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year AJ Pilate turned in 4 caused turnovers, as did Christian Fournier, as the Black Knights forced 12 of Navy's 25 turnovers in the contest. Byrne, meanwhile, made just six saves in the contest.

Will Coletti dominated the faceoffs, winning 17 of the 23 draws he took, while Army won 18 of the 26 in the game. Coletti also picked up a game high nine ground balls. 

Navy returns to action next Friday when it makes the short trip to Baltimore to battle Loyola (2-10, 2-4 Patriot League). CBS Sports Network will televise the contest live from Ridley Athletic Complex beginning at 7:00 pm with Jason Knapp and Evan Washburn calling the action. Additionally, 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV and 1500 AM WFED will carry the game live with Joe Miller on the call.

### Go Navy ###