Setting the Stage
• Opening Draw: Navy (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) returns home to play host to VMI (0-2, 0-0 NEC) on Tuesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Faceoff is slated for 6:00 pm. Navy is led by Joe Amplo, who has put together a 44-34 record in his 7 seasons at the helm of the Mids' program, while VMI's Taylor Mendoza is in his 1st season as VMI's head coach. Tuesday's contest marks the 9th meeting (Navy leads 8-0) between the two programs and the 1st since 2015.
• Follow the Action: The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription based) and will also be carried live on 1430 AM WNAV with Joe Miller on the call. Radio coverage begins at 5:45 pm with the Navy Lacrosse Pregame Show. Live stats will also be available on NavySports.com(.)  
• Tickets / Parking: Single-game tickets for home Navy men's lacrosse games may be purchased by stopping by the Navy Ticket Office at Ricketts Hall, by calling or texting 1-800-US4-NAVY, via the internet at www.navysports.com or at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on game day. Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and kids, while groups of 20 or more will be offered a discounted $5 ticket (in advance only, contact grouptickets@usna.edu). Additionally, Navy is offering a season ticket package which includes all seven home regular-season men's games for $50 and a reserved seat. There is a $10.50 charge (credit card only) to park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for all home games.

Countdown to Faceoff
10    Navy has scored 10 or more goals in all 8 previous meetings against VMI, while the Mids' defense has never allowed the Keydets to reach double digits.
9    This will be the 9th time Navy and VMI have met and the 9th time the two have played in Annapolis.
8    There are just 3 Div. I programs Navy has faced at least 8 times and has an undefeated record against - Dartmouth (Navy leads 14-0), Stony Brook (Navy leads 8-0) and VMI (Navy leads 8-0).
7    Navy is averaging 37.0 ground balls per game this season which is the nation's 7th-best mark.
6    Mac Haley (Sr / A) needs 6 assists to become just the 20th player in school history and the 1st since Ryan Wade (77  /2016-19) to reach 50 assists in a career. 
5    Navy is the 5th-oldest (119th year) and 5th-winningest (848-398-14) program in NCAA Div. I men's lacrosse history.
4    Mac Haley (Sr / A) needs just 4 points to become the 39th player in program history to reach 100 points for his career.
3    AJ Marsh (Jr / D) stands 3rd on Navy's all-time points scored by a Navy pole (D/LSM) leader board with 14 (7G, 7A). He is chasing 2nd-place Pat Kiernan (17 / 2011-14) and record holder Matt Rees (19 / 2014-17).
2    During the Joe Amplo era, Navy has lost just 2 games when holding its opponent to single digits. The Mids are 30-2 when achieving that feat since 2020. 
1    2026 Patriot League Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year Zach Hayashi (Jr) is ranked #1 in the country in faceoff winning percentage. He has won 18 of his 23 draws (78.3), sharing time with Colin Shadowens (Sr).

Scouting VMI
• Under the direction of 1st-year head coach Taylor Mendoza, VMI is off to a 0-2 start with losses to High Point (19-11) and Mercer (16-12). Mendoza arrived in Lexington after spending the last 5 years as the assistant head coach / defensive coordinator at Washington & Lee.
• The Keydets have been picked to finish fifth in the NEC preseason poll after closing out 2025 with a 10-4 record, the most wins since 1988 (11)
• The Keydets are being outscored 22-11 in the opening half, digging themselves a hole they have not been able to climb out of to date.
• Dayton Bagwell (Jr), who was the team's 3rd-leading scorer last spring (41-7=48), is off to a fantastic start for VMI, scoring 9 points on a team-high 7 goals and 2 assists. His 7 goals have been scored on 13 shots. Meanwhile, both Jack Duncan-Bloom (Jr / M) and Ty Yonas (Jr / A-M) have scored 4 goals through a pair of games. Yonas played in 9 games last spring before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. Austin English was 2nd on the team in scoring a year ago (38-13=51) and has put together 4 points on 3 goals and an assist this season.
• Adam Norris, a reserve last season, is the man between the pipes, allowing 35 goals in the first 2 contests while turning aside 21 shots. He owns a 17.50 goals-against average and a 37.5 save percentage.
• Jack Rogers (Sr) has taken all but 1 of the draws this season, winning 39 of the 65 faceoffs (60.0), while leading the team with 17 ground balls.

Navy-VMI Series
• Tuesday's contest between Navy and VMI marks the 9th game in the series and the 1st meeting since 2015.
• The two programs met every year from 2008 to 2015. The Mids won the inaugural meeting 10-2 on Feb. 9, 2008.
• Navy has won all 8 contests, including the 2015 game in which the Mids won by a series-best 14-goal margin (21-7).
• This will be the 1st time Navy's Joe Amplo has played VMI as a head coach (Navy or Marquette), while this will also mark the 1st time Taylor Mendoza has faced the Mids.
• Navy has scored double-digit goals against the Keydets in all 8 previous meetings, while VMI has never reached double figures against the Mids.

Marsh Named to Tewaaraton Award Watch List
• All-American defenseman  AJ Marsh (So) was named to the 2026 Tewaaraton Award Men's Watch List presented by Stifel it was announced on Feb. 10 by the Tewaaraton Foundation. This is the 2nd-consecutive year Marsh has been named to the watch list. 
• Marsh, who garnered Honorable Mention All-America honors by the USILA, USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse last spring, is a two-time All-Patriot League selection earning second-team honors as a freshman and first-team recognition a year ago. After spending his rookie year as a long-stick defensive middie, he flourished last season in his role down low on a Navy defense that held its opponents to 10.60 goals per game. He was named to the USILA National Team of the Week following his performance against Lafayette where he held First-Team All-Patriot League attackman Riley Sullivan, who was the nation's #2 point producer (6.67) and #1 assist distributor (3.89) at the time, to just ONE point (G) in the contest. Active on the ball, Marsh, along led (tied) the team with 14 caused turnovers.
• In addition to his defensive efforts, he's one of the most dynamic players in the country in the transition game. Marsh recorded 9 points on 5 goals and 4 assists last spring. In 3 seasons, he has recorded 14-career points (7G, 7A), the 3rd-most points by a Navy pole, while his 5 goals are tied as the 4th most.
• Marsh has also been named the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and a 2026 Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. 
• Marsh is among 6 players to represent the Patriot League on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, joining Army's Sean Byrne and Evan Plunkett, Boston U.'s Timothy Shannehan, Colgate's Hunter Drouin and Lehigh's Richard Checo. 
• Recognized as the most prized award in college lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award Foundation will announce additions to the Watch List on March 5 and March 26. The field will be narrowed to 25 nominees on April 16 and the 5 finalists will be announced in early May and invited to the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C. set for May 28.