4/26/2002 - Men's Lacrosse
14th-Ranked Navy Lacrosse Set To Close Out Season At Army

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The 14th-ranked Navy lacrosse team will look to knock off Star Game rival Army for the fifth-consecutive season when the two teams face-off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.

Last Saturday in front of a record crowd of 15,271 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, the Mids (7-5) dropped a heartbreaking 9-8 decision to now top-ranked Johns Hopkins. After the Blue Jays opened the scoring on their first possession of the game, Navy controlled play throughout the first-two periods, taking a 4-2 lead into the locker room at halftime. Hopkins, though, went on a 5-1 run in the third period to take a 7-5 lead.

Dan Eddy (Tully, N.Y.) and team captain Eddie McKinnon (Davidsonville, Md.) scored back-to-back goals to open the fourth period to knot the game at 7-7 before JHU's Bobby Benson gave his team a one-goal lead with nine minutes remaining. Navy once again tied the score when Greg Conklin (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored with 7:30 to go in the contest. However, JHU's Adam Doneger scored the game-winning marker with 5:52 showing on the clock. McKinnon had two goals on the afternoon, while Conklin added a pair. Dan Neverosky (Blue Bell, Pa.) dished out assists on both Eddy's and McKinnon's fourth-period tallies, while All-America candidate Jon Higdon (Edgewater, Md.) turned aside seven Hopkins shots.

Army enters Saturday's game with a 6-5 record, and is still in contention for the Patriot League's (3-1 record) automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Black Knights fell to Navy's ECAC rival, UMBC, by a 15-9 count last Saturday in Baltimore. Army, who boasts a 6-1 record at home this spring, is led offensively by Tim Pearson. He has tallied 17 goals and 29 assists for a squad-leading 46 points. Running mate Jeff Bryan has notched 23 goals and 13 assists, and sports a .354 shot percentage. Dominik Nogic has started all-but-one game in the Black Knights cage, and has a 12.09 goals-against average and .492 save percentage to go with his 5-5 record.

Last year at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the Mids ran their series record to 47-26-3 all-time by handing the Black Knights a 10-4 defeat. After taking a 2-1 lead into the second period, Navy scored four-straight goals and held a 7-3 lead at halftime. Graduated senior Adam Borcz netted four goals for the Midshipmen, while McKinnon tacked on three markers. Dave Pittard (Skaneateles, N.Y.) handed out two assists in his first-ever Star Game, while Bucky Morris (Alexandria, Va.) scored his second-career goal. Higdon made 12 saves in net for the Mids.

NOTE: Due to construction in and around Michie Stadium as well as limited parking in the area of the stadium, the Army Athletic Association has established a free shuttle bus service for all fans attending Saturday's lacrosse match. Spectators are strongly encouraged to enter the U.S. Military Academy through Thayer Gate and park at Buffalo Soldier Field. A shuttle bus will be provided, carrying fans to a drop-off point at Herbert Hall on the West Point campus. From there, Michie Stadium is a short walk up the ensuing hill.