The roller-coaster ride for No. 20 Navy continues to reach both peaks and valleys.
First, the good news: After a six-game stretch during which the offense failed to score at least 10 goals, the Midshipmen (5-5) have reached that double-digit mark in their last three contests, winning twice in that span. The team has been efficient with its shots over that same span, putting 63.6 percent (68 of 107) of its shots on net.
"We're playing better offensively," coach Richie Meade said. "We've been playing better since the Towson game [a 10-9 loss on March 16]. I don't think that our offense has been the thing that has affected us. It all works together, but we feel like we're a better team than we were a month ago. Had we played the way we played against Georgetown [a 13-12 overtime loss last Friday] in all the games, maybe we would have lost one or two games. … Obviously, we were having some problems with turnovers early in the season, and we were giving up some easy goals. I think we're still giving up some easy goals, but I think offensively, we're playing a little more patiently, and guys are starting to get a better feel for playing together."
Now, the bad news: defense has been problematic, which is somewhat surprising considering the reputation Navy has built as being one of the stingiest teams, historically. The team has surrendered 10 or more goals in four games, which is the most in the program’s 10-game start since 2002. The Midshipmen are 0-4 in games in which the opponent has scored at least 10 goals.
“The defensive side of it is a lack of communication and leaving guys uncovered,” Meade said. “A couple times, we had two guys covering one guy and another guy slips out and gets uncovered. Or we slid at the wrong time. We made some defensive mistakes. It’s all little things. It’s not one thing. It’s a bunch of little things happening to more than just one guy.”