Navy stuns Army on first possession of OT
Jack Sweeney only got one offensive shift against archrival Army on Saturday. The McDonogh graduate made the most of it, scoring the game-winning goal on the opening possession of overtime.
Sweeney moved off the crease into open space about 8 yards out, took an inside feed from midfielder Max Hewitt, turned and fired a sidearm shot that beat goalie Wyatt Schupler stick-side high to give Navy a thrilling 12-11 upset victory over fifth-ranked Army Saturday at Michie Stadium in West Point.
The senior attackman and co-captain threw his stick high in the air then ran toward midfield as he was mobbed by jubilant teammates. The Glenelg resident is a member of the extra-man unit, and the penalty in overtime was the only one Army committed in the contest.
Junior midfielder Patrick Skalniak scored three goals to lead Navy (8-5, 4-3 Patriot League), which clinched a berth in the Patriot League Tournament. Senior attackman Nick
Cole totaled two goals and two assists for the Midshipmen, who have beaten the Black Knights in four of the last five meetings.
Remarkably, Navy has now won seven straight games against Army when the Black Knights are ranked inside the top 10.
Starting attackman Jon Jarosz (Severn School) did not play due to a violation of team rules. He was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Xavier Arline, the Navy football quarterback who had not played since March 18 at Johns Hopkins.
Arline lived up to his billing as a consensus high school All-American by delivering his best performance in a Navy uniform with two goals and two assists. Operating behind the net, the two-sport standout scored two unassisted goals off outstanding individual moves, including one in which he fired a no-look backhanded shot over his shoulder.
Sophomore midfielder Dane Swanson (McDonogh) contributed a goal and three assists, while freshman attackman Henry Tolker (Loyola Blakefield) added two goals for Navy, which outscored Army 8-5 in the second half.
Junior goalie Pat Ryan had a superb performance between the pipes with 11 saves, including several of the spectacular variety. Nate Hammond won 14 of the 27 faceoffs he took for the Mids.