ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  Mother nature has not been kind to outdoor sports in 2026 and men's lacrosse has been no exception. After having to cancel its opener a week ago against High Point due to extreme cold, expected sub-zero wind chills tomorrow forced Navy's game against Iona to be bumped up a day. Despite the frigid temperatures outside, Navy (1-0, 0-0 Patriot League) looked red hot on the field as the Mids used an 11-0 run between the second the third quarters to seize control of the game en route to a 17-7 victory over Iona (0-2) Friday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. 

The Mids have won 22 of their last 25 season openers, including six of their seven under head coach Joe Amplo. Friday afternoon's win marked the program's 100th season-opening win in what is Navy's 119th season.

"We've just been waiting for this. To go out on the field and play a great Iona team, it was so much fun," said junior faceoff specialist Zach Hayashi. "To start off the last season for the seniors and just go out there and play with and for them, it was really special."

"I was proud of our guys for settling in," said Navy head coach Joe Amplo. "I thought our aggressiveness in the middle of the field really allowed us to separate and that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to use our athleticism and go after them in the ride and on defense. It turned out pretty well.

"Congrats to Iona, I mean they drove down this morning, played on Monday and for them to come down here and start the way they did, terrific," added Amplo. "I think Chad is doing a great job building that program the right way. They have a bunch of young kids who have stuck together. I don't think anybody transferred out of that place after a year which in this day and age says something about he and his staff and the institution supporting those guys. They are going to be pretty good and they are probably going to compete in their league and I was really happy to compete against those guys.

Navy jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with Daniel Kolin (Fr / M / Manhasset, N.Y.) and Josh Nagy (So / SSDM / Westminster, Md.) scoring goals just over a minute into the contest. It marked the first-career goals for both players.

Iona responded with a pair of its own by Jimmy Kennedy (R-So / A) and Franco Caputo (Fr / M) to tie things up at 2-2 with 9:06 to go in the first quarter. 

Navy rattled off three in a row, including back-to-back scores by co-captain Mac Haley (Sr / A / Shady Side, Md.) to give the Mids a three-goal cushion with just over six minutes to play in the quarter.

The Mids, however, could not shake loose from the Gaels, as Luke Neary (R-Fr / M) trimmed the lead to two before Carson Turissini (Fr / M) beat the clock, scoring with 12.7 seconds left in the quarter to cut the deficit to just one (5-4) by the end of the quarter.

By the time the Gaels scored again, nearly 40 minutes had elapsed and Navy had used an 11-0 run to open up a 16-4 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Navy outscored Iona 6-0 in the second quarter with Alec Gregorek (So / A / Wading River, N.Y.) scored three of his career-high four goals in the period. Navy added four more in the third with Aydan DiRocco (So / A / Haverford, Pa.) scoring two of his career-high three goals in the frame. Matt Byrnes (Jr / A / Wantagh, N.Y.) capped off the Navy run on a goal at 11:05 in the fourth quarter off an assist from Andrew Ross (Sr / M / Morris Plains, N.J.).

Iona went on to scored three of the final four goals of the contest, but it would be too little, too late.

Ten different players accounted for the Mids' 17 goals, including four who recorded their first-collegiate goals. In total, 16 players closed out the contest with at least one point.

Gregorek went on to lead Navy with four goals on five shots, while DiRocco notched his first-career hat trick with three goals on four shots. 

"It took him (Gregorek) a little while last year and I know he was frustrated. I give him a lot of credit for how hard he worked through the end of the fall and winter to put his body in position to do the things he can do. He's a natural goal scorer, he always has been. When it's really important to him, and I know it is, he's going to be one of the great ones here. I truly believe that. I couldn't be more proud of him to start his third-class year like this. Hopefully it gives him confidence moving forward."

Haley, who has scored at least one point in each of the last 16 contests, finished with three points on two goals and an assist, while local product Nick Golini (Jr / M / Annapolis, Md.), who has faced numerous injuries since his arrival in the summer of 2023, turned in three points on a goal and two assists.

Navy's offense got a huge boost from its faceoff game with four players combining to win 25 of the 27 draws in the contest. Patriot League Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year Zach Hayashi (Jr / North Potomac, Md.) and Colin Shadowens (Sr / Severna Park, Md.) both went 9 for 10, while Luke Cascadden (Fr / Garden City, N.Y.) was 4 for 4 and Joey Bucci (Jr / West Chester, Pa.) was 3 for 3.

Defensively, Navy played four goalkeepers who combined for six saves, including three by co-captain and starter Dan Daly (Sr / Wayne, N.J.) who played just under 42 minutes and Ethan Train (Fr / Sharon, Mass) who turned away three shots in 10 minutes of action in his collegiate debut.

The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when they make the short trip north to play at #15 Towson (0-0). Faceoff is slated for 12:00 pm at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The game will be streamed on Monumental Sports Network, as well as FloCollege(.) There will be no radio coverage of this contest.

### Go Navy ###