Navy men’s lacrosse falls to Lehigh, 12-8, in Patriot League Tournament semifinals

Kent Island resident Dakota Eierman was the catalyst of the decisive run as second-seeded Lehigh defeated No. 3 Navy, 12-8, in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals held Friday night at Michie Stadium on the campus of West Point.

Eierman, a midfielder out of DeMatha, scored a goal and dished off an assist to spark a 6-0 run that broke open a back-and-forth game. Senior attackman Scott Cole also had a goal and assist during the onslaught that gave the Mountain Hawks an 11-5 lead with 5:37 remaining in the game.

Cole finished with four points and Eierman totaled three to lead Lehigh (9-6), which will meet fourth-seeded Boston University (10-6) in Sunday’s championship game.

Junior attackman Henry Tolker had a hat trick to lead Navy (9-7), which struggled to score in six-on-six situations. Senior midfielder Dane Swanson had a goal and assist for the Midshipmen, who scored half their goals as a result of extra man opportunities.

“We just couldn’t go punch to punch with them offensively,” Navy coach Joe Amplo said. “I thought we played really good defense, but we just couldn’t match them in the scoring column.”

Navy scored a transition goal and two extra-man goals during a first half that featured four ties. It was a night when the Mids worked really hard for goals then watched the Mountain Hawks turn around and answer with a tally of their own within minutes.

“It’s just so deflating. We just could not string goals together,” Amplo said. “You just didn’t feel like we were clicking on offense and gaining confidence. Lehigh does that to you. They play zone and just squeeze the death out of you.”

Turnovers were the undoing of the Mids as they committed 16 overall and 10 in the second half. Long stick midfielder Richard Checo was a disruptive force for Lehigh with eight caused turnovers. Checo was positioned at the top of the zone defense and repeatedly picked off careless passes.

Lehigh further frustrated Navy by milking the shot clock to dominate time of possession.

“Lehigh has such a good formula against us. If they win the faceoff, they just hold the ball,” Amplo said. “We played so much defense we just got worn down.”

Senior attackman Xavier Arline made a beautiful inside feed to junior running mate Carter Ash for a quick-stick shot that produced an extra man goal that tied the score with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter.

Eierman made sure the Mids would not gain any momentum by scoring just over a minute later and that tally started the game-changing run. The Mountain Hawks scored three goals in the final 4:45 of the third period to take control.

Sophomore goalie Dan Daly recorded 12 saves for Navy, which was beaten on faceoffs (13-11) and ground balls (29-26). Specialist Sean Dow gave Lehigh a big lift by winning 13 of 24 draws while going against Zach Hayashi, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

Navy loses a significant senior class, however, the Mids return numerous starters led by Tolker, Daly and Hayashi.

“Overall, I think things are going in the right direction. We’re making steady progress, yet we still have a big hurdle to clear,” Amplo said. “I really think we have a lot of outstanding young talent. I’m hoping our player development starts to show itself next season.”