Suffocating defense the difference
Goalie Rees’ 19 saves key to upset
Joe deLyra fired a cannon of a sidearm crank shot past the ear of Army goalie Wyatt Schupler and into the top corner of the cage.
Navy’s senior midfielder then flexed his muscles and stomped around the field in celebration before being mobbed by teammates. DeLyra deserved to respond with such a display of bravado because he was the absolute boss during Saturday’s showdown between service academy archrivals.
DeLyra notched his first career hat trick to spark a sharp offensive effort, while senior captain Nick Franchuk spearheaded an overpowering defensive performance as Navy upset 10th-ranked Army in decisive fashion, 9-4.
Midfielders James Flannery and Max Hewitt scored two goals apiece as the Midshipmen made second-year coach Joe Amplo a winner in his first Army-Navy game.
Navy also locked up the third seed in the Patriot League’s South Division thanks to Lafayette’s loss to Loyola on Saturday. Navy will play at Loyola in the quarterfinals of the
Patriot League Tournament.
“What a privilege to be able to coach in this game,” Amplo said. “The emotion, the pageantry — just all that goes into it. … What an honor for me and my staff to be part of it.
“I’m really proud of our young men for playing 60 minutes. I thought we played our
best game from start to finish.”
Franchuk shut out high-scoring attackman Brendan Nichtern, while senior goalie Spencer Rees was sensational with a careerhigh 19 saves as the Midshipmen held the Black Knights to their lowest point total of the season.
Nichtern, a two-time All-American, had amassed 43 points through eight games but had trouble finding open space thanks to the suffocating attention of Franchuk. Senior Andre McKenna and freshman Jackson Bonitz completed the impressive performance by the close defense, which got great support from long-stick midfielder Jeff Durden.
Army unleashed 41 shots and only put four of them past Rees, who made 11 straight saves without allowing a goal at one point. The first-year starter shut down a Black Knights offense that came into the contest averaging almost 13 goals per game.
Navy’s short-stick defensive midfield crew, led by seniors Tim Griffin and Colin Meehan, drew special praise from Army coach Joe Alberici. Amplo credited defensive coordinator Jon Orsen with crafting a solid plan and getting the players to execute it.
“Jon Orsen came up with a brilliant plan, then drilled it all week long,” Amplo said. “He came up with five or six different drills to mimic what they were going to do on offense.
“Our kids had it memorized, they had it down like the back of their hand. It made the game easy for them.
“That was the goal for the coaching staff, to try to simplify the game plan.”