May 29, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--As many as four Patriot League men's lacrosse teams were ranked at one time this season, but in the end, it was a familiar group hoisting the Patriot League Championship trophy. For the fifth time in six seasons, Navy claimed the Patriot League crown. The Mids advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they were defeated by No. 3 Duke.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release - FINAL

No. 12/11 Navy Falls To No. 3/3 Duke In NCAA Tournament

After a 30-minute weather delay, No. 3/3 Duke came out firing on all cylinders, handing Navy a 14-5 defeat in the first round of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament at Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils scored the first 10 goals of the game as Navy suffered its worst loss in an NCAA Tournament game since 1993 when the Mids fell to Loyola, 19-8, and it was the worst loss in any game for the Mids since losing to Johns Hopkins, 17-3, in 2003.

Duke led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter and 10-0 at the half as the Blue Devils peppered Navy goalie Tommy Phelan with 24 first half shots and Phelan was able to come up with just five saves. Meanwhile, Navy got off just 12 first half shots and only five were on goal.

Navy finally got on the board with 13:27 left in the third quarter on a Joe Lennon goal off an assist from Tim Paul, but the Blue Devils answered with three more goals to lead 13-1 at the end of three periods. Navy outscored Duke, 4-1, in the fourth to provide the final margin.

Zach Howell, Max Quinzani, Brad Ross, Mike Catalino and Robert Rotanz scored two goals apiece for the Blue Devils. Howell had three assists, while Crotty dished out two.

Navy got goals from Basil Daratsos, Bruce Nechanicky, Joe Lennon, Nikk Davis and Andy Tormey. Daratsos, Paul and Phelan (first career) all had assists.

Duke dominated the ground balls, winning 51-33, while the Blue Devils won 12 faceoffs to Navy's 11. The Blue Devils committed 30 turnovers to Navy's 26, while Duke was 27-32 on clears and the Mids were 26-29.

Third-Seeded Navy Claims Fifth Patriot League Championship

Navy won its fifth Patriot League Tournament Championship title in six years with a 9-8 victory over top-seeded Bucknell on April 26 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Senior goalkeeper Tommy Phelan made 10 saves to register his fifth win in six games. Phelan, who made 19 saves and allowed 16 goals in 129:14 of play, was named Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Brendan Connors notched three goals and an assist to lead Navy offensively against the Bison. Connors was the only Midshipman to score multiple goals, as six different Mids recorded a goal.

Bucknell was paced by Tim Brandau and Austin Winter. Brandau recorded three goals, while Winter provided the Bison with two goals and three assists. Nick Sciubba made 10 saves in defeat.

Patriot League Notebook

League Players Lauded Nationally Five Patriot League student-athletes were selected to the 2009 USILA All-America teams. Colgate senior Brandon Corp was selected to the First Team, becoming the first player from his school to earn First-Team honors since 1930. Named honorable mention were Bucknell's Billy Haire and Austin Winer and Navy's Tim Paul and Andy Tormey.

Corp Named North-South MVP Brandon Corp of Colgate, the three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, was named the most valuable player at the 2009 U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) North-South All-Star game on Friday. A three-time all-America, Corp posted three goals and two assists in the North's 17-11 victory. His former Raiders teammate, Kevin Colleluori, tallied two goals and two assists for the North. Army's Kevin LoRusso recorded one goal and one assist for the North. Kevin Watkins of Colgate was also on the victorious team, which had Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese as its assistant coach. Meanwhile, a pair of Bucknell Bison competed on the South Team. Joe Mele scored one goal, while Billy Haire, the 2009 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, also represented the Bison in the contest.

Corp A Finalist For Tewaaraton Trophy Colgate University senior attacker Brandon Corp was named as a finalist for the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top male and female player in collegiate lacrosse. Corp was one of 21 finalists for the award. He was the first Colgate player to be nominated for the honor. Cornell's Max Siebald was the 2009 winner.

Cannons Take Corp Colgate's Brandon Corp was selected fourth overall by the Boston Cannons in the Major League Lacrosse draft on Wednesday. Corp became the second Patriot League player to be drafted in the first round, joining Navy's Billy Looney, who was drafted fifth overall by the Chicago Machine in 2007. Corp will join former college teammates Chris Eck, Colin Hulme and Matt Lalli with the Cannons. He will also team up with Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese, who is a midfielder for Boston.

Success Everywhere For Navy Lacrosse Navy has experienced plenty of success on and off the field. The Navy men's lacrosse media guide was voted the best lacrosse media guide (men or women) in the country by the College Sports Information Director's of America. The guide was written and edited by Stacie Michaud, while Kelli Sheesley handled the design and layout and Phil Hoffmann was the photographer. The men's lacrosse media guide cover was also judged as the best in the country.

Tormey And Corp Receive Honors From Lowe's Senior CLASS Navy senior defenseman Andy Tormey was named to 2009 Men's Lacrosse Lowe's Senior CLASS Award First Team and Colgate senior attackman Brandon Corp was named to the Second Team, it was announced Saturday in between the 2009 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Semifinal Games in Foxborough, Mass. Joining Tormey on the five-man first team were 2009 Men's Lacrosse Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner Max Seibald of Cornell, along with Matt Abbott of Syracuse, Jordan Burke of Brown and Michael Colleluori of Hofstra. Joel Dalgarno of Ohio State, Danny Glading of Virginia, Ryan Hoff of Notre Dame and Grant Zimmerman of North Carolina joined Corp on the second unit. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of coaches, media and fans, is presented annually to college lacrosse's outstanding NCAA Division I senior student-athlete. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award has grown into the nation's premier tribute to college seniors. The award identifies personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete, with criteria including excellence in the classroom, in character and community service, as well as in competition on the field.

National Leaders A pair of Patriot League players led the nation statistically in 2009. Colgate senior Brandon Corp finished the year averaging 4.20 points per game, tops among NCAA Division I players. Lafayette sophomore Tom Perini closed the year averaging 3.00 goals per game to lead the nation in that category. In addition, Navy had the top man-down defensive unit. The Mids successfully warded off 85-percent of their opponents' extra-man opportunities.

On The Radar For 2010 According to Christian Sweezey of Inside Lacrosse, Bucknell and Navy will be two Patriot League teams to keep an eye on next season. Sweezey has Bucknell rated ninth and Navy ranked 10th in his early look at the 2010 season.