For Navy, full speed ahead

Georgetown coach Dave Urick was dazzled when he studied tape of the Navy lacrosse team leading up to the Hoyas’ April3 game against the Midshipmen.

He was left with quite a different feeling when Navy and coach Richie Meade left the Hilltop with a 7-5 victory.

“I told Richie they’re a fun team to watch, but it wasn’t fun for the two hours I was watching them,” Urick said.

Urick’s not alone in his assessment. Years removed from perennial power status but almost always a pain for the sport’s elite, the No.2 Midshipmen (10-1) are perched near the top of the rankings for the first time in recent memory. Navy could assume the No.1 spot if it defeats longtime nemesis and top-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-1) this afternoon before an expected crowd of 20,000 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The possibility of such an upset would have seemed bizarre at the beginning of the season. After all, the Mids were coming off a 6-7 season littered with tight games lost, including three by one goal.

In the year since Navy assured its first losing season in seven years with an embarrassing 17-3 loss at Hopkins, however, the Mids have become a new team — a tighter, more experienced group on the verge of the program’s first NCAA berth since 1999. However, Navy also has retained the scrappy qualities that made it a dangerous foe even when its record was mediocre.

“They do more with their players probably than any other team,” Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “They’re legit. They’re a good team. They’re not a pretender. It’s as good a Navy team as I’ve ever seen.”

Navy still uses a sliding defense, though it has become more efficient thanks to an experienced set of poles anchored by long stick midfielder Thomas Morris. Sophomore goalie Matt Russell, who took over the starting duties from Seth DiNola after Navy’s loss to Ohio State on Feb.28, is second in the nation with a 6.11 goals-against average.

The big changes, though, have come at the offensive end. For years, the Mids favored a plodding style that usually allowed them to stay close to Georgetown, Hopkins, Maryland and other powers but rarely yielded victories.

That philosophy shifted last fall when Meade and his staff decided to emphasize the transition game. An offense designed to lull opponents to sleep gave way to an exciting style of play.

“It’s so much better,” senior attackman Joe Bossi said. “We have the green light to shoot whenever we have an open shot. We go to the net pretty much whenever, unless it’s not a smart time to go.”

Bossi’s one of the primary beneficiaries, more than doubling his career scoring total with 30 goals this year. Sophomore Ian Dingman (27 goals, 18 assists) is in contention for first team All-America honors and sophomore Jon Birsner has added 19 assists.

All three have been helped by junior Chris Pieczonka, who has won 67 percent of his faceoffs to jump-start the Mids’ offense.

“They’re scoring more this year,” said Maryland coach Dave Cottle, whose team dropped a 9-6 decision to Navy on April10. “We got to six. Four years ago, that would have been enough to win. I’d say they’re a little more charismatic on offense with the same scheme on defense.”

Navy will need that offense against Hopkins, which is coming off an emotional 14-10 defeat of Maryland. The Mids also must overcome some bad history: Since 1974, the Blue Jays have ripped off 29 straight in the series.

The Mids already have scored impressive victories at Georgetown, Maryland and North Carolina and a regular-season Patriot League title, but a win today would make the program’s turnaround even more remarkable.

“We knew there was a butterfly in there — we just didn’t know when it would break out,” Meade said. “I’m a firm believer that how you handle adversity determines how you do down the road. … To see everybody have success and to see the kids understand you can work hard and achieve goals if you believe you can, that’s a powerful thing for them to take into their lives.”