Army Set for Patriot League Semifinals at Navy

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's lacrosse team heads to Navy for the Patriot League Semifinals on Friday afternoon to face the Mids at 4:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

The Black Knights take on the Mids in the first game of two at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. The second semifinal features second-seeded Loyola and third-seeded Bucknell. The winner of each game plays in the title game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • CBS Sports Network
RADIO • 1260 WBNR/1420 WLNA
VIDEO • None
LIVE STATISTICS • NavySports.com
GAME NOTES • Army Notes
TWITTER • ArmyWP_MLax

THE OPENING FACEOFF
It's time for round two between Army and Navy. For the second-straight season, the two rivals will be facing off in the Patriot League Semifinals and taking on each other twice in a season again. The two academies are coming off an overtime classic at Michie Stadium on April 16 and are ready for another matchup on Friday. The Black Knights looked impressive against Lehigh on Tuesday night, while Navy is 1-1 since the overtime game with a loss to Maryland and a victory against Sacred Heart. The Mids lead the all-time series in the Patriot League Tournament with a 3-2 advantage, but the Black Knights have won the last two meetings in the postseason.

LAST TIME OUT
The fourth-seeded Black Knights went 4-for-6 on man-up situations and cruised to a 13-6 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League Quarterfinals to advance to semifinals. Army had nine different goal scorers in the game. Connor Cook, Nate Jones, Jimbo Moore and Luke Poulos had two goals apiece in the win. Cook and Jones each added assists for three-point game; while Cole Johnson tallied five points on a goal and four assists. Dan Grabher was incredible at the faceoff, winning 12-of-13 draws with nine ground balls.

THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES
Once again, this game doesn't need a big introduction. It is Army-Navy and it is win or go home. Friday's game features two of the nation's best in defense. Navy ranks first in the nation, allowing only 6.77 goals per game, including allowing on one goal on two occasions. The Black Knights aren't far behind at No. 6 on the list. Anchoring the defense are two of best goalies in the conference in John Connors and AJ Barretto. Connors was a All-Patriot League First Team selection and Barretto was tabbed on the second team.

WHAT'S UP NEXT?
The Patriot League Championship is next up for the winners of the semifinals and it will take place on Sunday at Navy on CBS Sports Network at 1 p.m.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
The Black Knights enter the semifinals as the only team in Patriot League history to make the round of four in all 12 seasons of the tournament. That milestone includes the last three seasons after the League expanded to nine teams and added more parity with Loyola and Boston University.

MAN-UP OFFENSE
The man-up offense for the Black Knights has caught fire over the last three games with eight goals on 11 chances for a 72.7 percentage conversion rate. Army had three goals against the Mids in the first meeting and scored a season-high four goals with the extra man Tuesday night against Lehigh. Overall, the Black Knights are at a 44.2 percent clip with 23 goals on 52 opportunities.

TOP SCHOLAR
Army's top defenseman was rewarded for his work in the classroom by the Patriot League. Austin Schultz was voted as the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The senior from Lancaster, Pa., has a cumulative grade point average of 3.62 as an economics major at West Point. He was joined by Jimbo Moore and Sam Finney, both first time honorees on the Patriot League All-Academic Team.

ALBERICI WINS NO. 100
Head coach Joe Alberici earned career win No. 100 on Tuesday night against Lehigh in the quarterfinals. He is 100-81 overall in his 12 seasons as a head lacrosse coach, dating back to his first job at SUNY Oneonta. At Army, Alberici has reached double digit wins twice and is looking for a third time on Friday. He has a 92-75 overall record while coaching the Black Knights.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Army West Point is 7-10 in Patriot League Tournament games since the playoff format was established in 2004. Having qualified for 12-straight Patriot League Tournaments, the Black Knights own the league's longest active streak for playoff appearances. The Black Knights made their first appearance in the quarterfinals last season against the Greyhounds. Army was the first team to make the championship game as a sixth seed.

MR. JONES
Nate Jones enters Saturday's game with a team-high 35 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 on April 9 and has tallied at least a hat trick in seven of the 14 games played this season, including three against Navy on April 16.

DYNAMIC DUO
Jones and Ted Glesener have been a Army's go-to pair for man-up situations this season. Glesener has been the target recently with four goals with the extra man in his last three games. Both Jones and Glesener are atop the Patriot League with six man-up goals apiece.

JOHNSON ON A ROLL
Cole Johnson has enjoyed his best offensive stretch of his career with 54 points in his last 10 games, including seven points at Colgate on March 26. He is currently riding a 33-game point streak, which is the 12th longest stretch in the country. He has 32 goals and 35 assists for 67 points and leads the Black Knights in all three categories. Johnson's 67 points are a career high for a single season. He eclipsed his mark of 53 in 2015 after four points against the Terriers.

HISTORIC SEASON
The 67 points Johnson has this year is tied for fifth on the single season list. He is now even with Jeremy Boltus '13, who reached 67 points in 2010. Johnson passed former teammate John Glesener '15 a week ago with his 62nd point against Loyola. Tom Cafaro '71 owns the record with 85 points in 1971 and Johnson can be alone in second place with three or more points. Johnson's 35 helpers is in a tie for eighth place in single-season assists with Tom Sheckells '65. Sheckells had 35 assists during the 1965 season.

SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
Navy enters Saturday's game ranked in the top 10 in both national polls. The Mids are 10-3 on the season and finished the conference season with a 7-1 mark and earned the top seed in the tournament. They enter the semifinals with a 1-1 record since the game at West Point with a loss to Maryland on the road and a 7-1 victory over Sacred Heart last Friday night. The Mids led the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 6.77 goals per game.

Patrick Keena is the playmaker for Navy with 48 points on the year with 21 goals and 27 assists. He had five points on three goals and two assists in the previous meeting with Army. Jack Ray continues to be solid with 33 points on 23 goals and 10 assists, while Casey Rees leads the team in goals with 24. Rees has a team-high five goals with the extra man. All three had hat tricks in the game on April 16 at Michie Stadium. Brady Dove will battle with Alex Daly and Dan Grabher at the faceoff and he is at a .620 winning percentage this year with 76 ground ballls. Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Chris Fennell anchors the defense with 31 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers.

Patriot League Goalie of the Year John Connors has started all 13 games for the Mids and has a 6.68 goals against average to lead the Patriot League and a .562 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 97th all-time meeting between Army and Navy dating back to the first meeting in 1924. The Black Knights have won seven of the last nine matchups after Navy's win on April 16. The teams meet in the semifinals for the sixth time with Navy holding a 3-2 mark in the previous five, but Army has won the last two in postseason play.

Army Set for Patriot League Semifinals at Navy

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Players Mentioned

AJ Barretto

Connor Cook

Alex Daly

Sam Finney

John Glesener

Ted Glesener

Dan Grabher

Cole Johnson

Nate Jones

Jimbo Moore

Luke Poulos

Austin Schultz

Army West Point Athletics