Army Tops Navy in Controversial Finish
by Gary Lambrecht | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
BALTIMORE - Even though it has happened so
infrequently while he has coached the men’s lacrosse team at
Navy, any loss to Army hits Richie Meade hard and deep and sticks
with him endlessly.
Yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium, Meade and his Midshipmen picked
up a collective case of heartburn, while absorbing a 7-6 loss they
won’t forget, especially the painful sequence that unfolded
in the closing seconds.
With 37 seconds left, Navy sophomore midfielder Nikk Davis
appeared to tie the contest at 7-7. He beat Army long-stick
midfielder Matt Hurley on the left wing, dashed to the goal, and
scored as he was pushed into the crease by Hurley, who also sent
Davis crashing into the left post.
But wait. As Davis and Army goalie Tom Palesky were sprawled out
in the cage, the officials had their own, unpredictable take. They
flagged Hurley for an illegal push and waved off the goal, since
Davis was in the crease. And after Palesky deflected Evan
Sullivan’s extra-man shot with 10 seconds left, the Mids were
left to sort through the confusion.
The whole weird ending to the 88th Army-Navy meeting left Meade
mystified. It was tough enough watching Navy shoot a paltry
6-for-38 while controlling the faceoff circle (10-for-16) and the
ground ball battle for a change. It was tough enough watching
senior midfielder leading scorer Patrick Moran shoot 0-for-11,
including only two shots on cage. It was tough enough to watch the
Mids whiff on four of five, extra-man chances.
It was tough enough watching Navy position itself to beat its
archrival and Patriot League competitor, after Army attackmen
Jeremy Boltus and Garrett Thul had combined for five goals and
seven points and had sparked a four-goal, second-quarter outburst
that gave Army a 5-3 halftime lead.
But, as Meade digests his second loss to Army in 16 games dating
to 1998 - and his second loss in the last three meetings between
the service academies - he will be replaying the game-tying goal
that wasn’t.
“I didn’t get an explanation, so I don’t have an
explanation. When I looked at the replay, I felt the goal was
good,” Meade said. “The [ball] was in the goal before
Nikk landed in the crease. Once I saw the flag, and the ball went
in…usually when you see that flag, it’s a goal,
because [the scorer] was pushed into the crease. We lost to Army,
so it doesn’t matter what the explanation is.”
Davis, who wound up leading Navy with two goals, was at a loss to
explain how he didn’t end up with at least a hat trick. After
barreling into Palesky and the cage, Davis was certain the contest
was tied.
“I didn’t realize it wasn’t tied until they
announced it over the speakers,” Davis said.
For Navy (5-7, 4-2 in Patriot League), the loss marked a missed
opportunity to earn the top seed and host the conference tournament
in two weeks. Army (6-5, 4-0) can earn the top seed by beating
Lafayette on Tuesday.
Army ultimately won this game because its top scorers performed
the way they should in a game of this magnitude. Boltus, the junior
who came into the contest with a team-high 40 points, scored three
goals, including a five-yarder that gave the Black Knights a 7-6
edge with 4:29 left, following Navy goals by Joe Lennon and Davis.
Thul, the slick freshman who leads Army in goals, scored twice.
Each had an assist.
Boltus and Thul each scored during a pivotal second quarter,
during which Army shot 4-for-9 and took a 5-3 halftime lead.
