ANNAPOLIS, Md. — It has been clean crusing thus far for the Navy males’s lacrosse workforce. The Midshipmen are 2-0 and receiving votes within the nationwide polls.
Joe Amplo, in his fifth season as head coach, is searching for his workforce to crack these rankings for the primary time since 2021. With wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Hofstra they’re on their method.
The Mids are led by two-sport athlete Xavier Arline. The senior attackman leads the workforce with seven targets and 9 factors. He was additionally a quarterback for the Navy soccer workforce.
Senior defenseman Jackson Bonitz is two-time first-team all-Patriot League, a co-captain and elected by the workforce captains for Navy’s 36 varsity packages to function the 2023-24 captain of the captains.
Subsequent up the Mids get their first highway sport of the 12 months as they go to Towson on Saturday. Arline thinks it is simply one other alternative to show the doubters fallacious.
“Nobody cares about us. Nobody needs to talk of us. Nobody needs to talk of particular person guys on our workforce, our teaching workers, which is sweet,” he stated. “I simply really feel an edge from these guys as an underdog. I believe if something that’s going to take us the farthest.”
“This 12 months, it is likely to be sort of biased, however I believe it’s a particular 12 months,” added Bonitz. “We simply have lots of nice gamers and folks in the appropriate spots, in the appropriate locations on our workforce.”
“I believe this group has obtained one thing to show,” stated Amplo. “These guys have an edge to them. They’ve come into the season with that edge. The primary two weeks are a small indication of that however there may be nonetheless such a protracted technique to go.”
An enormous addition this season comes on the sideline. Former Maryland and Loyola head coach Dave Cottle is in his first 12 months as assistant coach and offensive coordinator. Cottle’s 280 wins as a head coach is Thirteenth-most all-time in Division I.
As for Towson, the Tigers are 1-1 on the 12 months. This would be the first assembly between these two groups since 2015. Opening face-off Saturday is about for midday at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Comply with Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Fb
