Army awaits Saturday in the Day of Rivals
In the ultimate brotherhood sport, lacrosse, Army-Navy is the ultimate brotherhood rivalry.
Saturday when the Black Knights and the Midshipmen meet in the Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium, the game will pit combatants who share the same future mission.
“On the field, we hate each other. We beat each other up,” said Navy senior Brendan Connors. “But after we graduate, we’ll all be on the same team.”
Some of the Navy players, such as seniors Kyle Kapron, Frankie Coppola and Stephen Driscoll, all destined for infantry units in the Marines, could find themselves serving side-by-side with players they will face Saturday.
“They’re in the same boat as we are,” said Navy goalie R.J. Wickham. “It makes our rivalry different.”
Over the past week, players from both schools have received messages from former teammates, many of them serving overseas, reminding them of their mission on Saturday.
“There are guys watching from all over the world,” said Connors. “Whether they’re watching it on TV or following it on Gametracker (a CBS College Sports Web site), they’ll be there with us.”
Along with graduated goalie Tommy Phelan (16 saves), Connors (three goals, two assists) helped Navy to an 8-4 win last year. It was a satisfying victory considering it avenged a 2008 loss to the Black Knights, after the Mids had won 13 straight games in the series.
Also making the win more rewarding was the extra visibility the game received as part of the inaugural Day of Rivals. Playing in an NFL stadium was a thrill in itself for many of the Mids.
“Timmy Paul is a huge fan of the Ravens,” said Connors. “He was walking around the locker room in awe. We were all wondering whose stall we were in, just eating it all up.”
This year’s game finds improved Army (5-5) and injury-riddled Navy (5-6) on equal footing. The Black Knights enter on the uptick after back-to-back overtime wins against Patriot League foes Colgate and Bucknell. Attack Garrett Thul (23 goals), a 6-foot-4, 225 freshman, tied both games with goals late in regulation. Junior attack Jeremy Boltus (16 goals, 24 assists) is the feeder.
The Navy offense has been hurt by the loss of senior attack Paul, the Mids’ top scorer the last two years. But sophomore Wickham, who leads the nation with a .627 save percentage in his first year as a starter, has been stellar in goal helping keep the Mids’ hopes alive for a seventh straight NCAA berth.
