Army-Navy Lacrosse Presented by USAA is Set

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army-Navy Lacrosse presented by USAA is upon us and will take place on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Michie Stadium on CBS Sports Network.

Not that the matchup needed anymore hype, but the Black Knights can stay in the hunt for the regular season title with a win, while the Mids can clinch the top spot in the tournament with a victory. The game will also be lived on the Armed Forces Network worldwide.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • CBS Sports Network/Armed Forces Network
RADIO • WBNR/WLNA
VIDEO • None
AUDIO • Knight Vision
LIVE STATISTICS • sidearmstats.com/army/mlax
GAME NOTES • Army Notes
TWITTER • ArmyWP_MLax

THE OPENING FACEOFF
The Army West Point men's lacrosse team looks to stay in the hunt to host the Patriot League Championship Weekend as the Black Knights welcome Navy on Saturday. Army-Navy Lacrosse, presented by USAA, is set for a 12 p.m. faceoff and will be live on CBS Sports Network. Both teams sit atop the league standings heading into the clash with the winner earning the inside track to the top seed in the tournament. The Mids are riding a six-game winning streak after a 16-9 win over Colgate last weekend and jumped up to ninth in the nation in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike National Poll. Army got back into both polls at No. 20.

LAST TIME OUT
Army stormed out to a 9-0 lead in the first half and never looked back in a 15-4 win over Boston University on the road last Saturday. With the win, the Black Knights claimed a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Rookie Nate Jones recorded a career-high five goals, while Cole Johnson recorded four points on two goals and two assists. Overall the Black Knights had nine different goal scorers. Luke Poulos chipped in with two goals, while Connor Cook added two points on a goal and an assist. AJ Barretto stopped eight shots in 55 minutes of action, while Matt Isnardi tallied his first career goal and stopped seven in the final minutes.

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
This game doesn't need a big introduction. It is Army-Navy and it has postseason implications for both teams. Navy can clinch the top seed with a win, while Army can stay in the hunt heading into next week's matchup with Loyola. Saturday's game features two of the nation's best in defense. Navy ranks fourth in scoring defense, while Army sits in fifth. The teams also feature two of the best defensemen in the nation in Austin Schultz of the Black Knights and Chris Fennell of the Mids. The pair might not have huge numbers, but are always battling against the opponent's best player.

WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Army is back on the road next weekend for a Friday night clash at No. 12/13 Loyola on CBS Sports Network. The game is set for a 7 p.m. faceoff at Ridley Athletic Complex. The Greyhounds are keeping pace with Army and Navy for a bye in the Patriot League Tournament with a 5-1 record heading into this weekend. Loyola's lone loss in league play was against Navy on March 19. The Greyhounds host Boston University on Saturday.

TOURNAMENT SEEDING UP FOR GRABS
The Black Knights can get one step closer to hosting the Patriot League Tournament with a win on Saturday. Army needs wins in its final two games to wrap up the top seed. Navy can clinch the top seed in the tournament with a win over Army. Loyola is also in the mix, but is on its off week from Patriot League competition, waiting for the Black Knights next week.

MILESTONE ALERT
Head coach Joe Alberici is a win away from 100 in his career. He is 99-79 in 12 seasons as a head coach and 91-73 overall with the Black Knights. He has two 10-win seasons under his belt in his career at Army, including last year's 10-7 mark. He has at least eight victories in his last four seasons.

BACK IN THE RANKINGS
The Black Knights were voted back into the national polls this week after being out for a week. Army is No. 20 in both the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association National Poll. Army was joined by fellow Patriot League schools Navy and Loyola in the Cascade/Maverik poll. The Mids are at the 10th spot, while Loyola comes in at No. 13. Navy remained at No. 9 in the USILA/Nike poll, while Loyola came in at No. 12 this week.

ARMY EARNS FOUR HONORS
The Black Knights became the first team this season to take home four weekly honors out of the five that are awarded. Nate Jones was named Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week by the Patriot League, while Austin Schultz collected Defensive Player of the Week honors. AJ Barretto was voted the league's Goalie of the Week after eight saves against the Terriers.

MR. JONES
Nate Jones enters Saturday's game with 29 goals, which is the highest total for a rookie since Garrett Thul '14 had 41 as a rookie during Army's run to the 2010 Patriot League title. He had a season high five goals against Boston University and has tallied at least a hat trick in six of the 11 games played this season.

JOHNSON ON A ROLL
Cole Johnson has enjoyed his best offensive stretch of his career with 41 points in his last seven games, including seven points at Colgate on March 26. He is currently riding a 31-game point streak, which is the 12th longest stretch in the country. He has 30 goals and 24 assists for 54 points and leads the Black Knights in all three categories. Johnson's 54 points are a career high for a single season. He eclipsed his mark of 53 in 2015 after four points against the Terriers.

SETTLING IN
Goalie AJ Barretto has appeared in all 11 games and has started nine in his first season in the cage for the Black Knights. He has made double-digit saves in three games this season, including a season high 12 against Bucknell on April 2. He ranks seventh in the nation in goals against average at 6.79 and sixth in save percentage at .568.

SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
Navy enters Saturday's game ranked in the top 10 in both national polls. The Mids are 8-2 on the season and have a 6-1 mark in conference play. They are currently on a six-game winning streak and have won four of those games by five or more goals. Both losses this season for Navy have come in double overtime against Johns Hopkins and Boston University. Navy averages 10.90 goals per game, while allowing 6.7 per contest.

Patrick Keena leads the way for the Mids with 40 points on 17 goals and 23 assists. He is Navy's biggest duel threat as his 23 helpers are by far the most on the team. Jack Ray has enjoyed a great season with 28 points on 20 goals and eight assists, while Casey Rees leads the team with 21 goals. Brady Dove comes into the weekend with a .633 faceoff winning percentage with 112 wins in 177 attempts.

In net, John Connors has started all 10 games for the Mids and has a 6.60 goals against average to lead the Patriot League. He has 80 saves on the year and a.544 save percentage in over 600 minutes of play.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 96th all-time meeting between Army and Navy dating back to the first meeting in 1924. The Black Knights have won seven of the last eight matchups, including the last four at Michie Stadium. The two teams split the series last year with Navy winning in the regular season and Army taking home the rematch in the Patriot League Semifinals.

Army-Navy Lacrosse Presented by USAA is Set

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Players Mentioned

AJ Barretto

Connor Cook

Matt Isnardi

Cole Johnson

Nate Jones

Luke Poulos

Austin Schultz

Army West Point Athletics