Friday's edition of The Sun included an article on the friendship between Navy senior midfielder Patrick Moran and Maryland senior goalkeeper Brian Phipps, who played on the same youth lacrosse and high school teams.
Moran leads the No. 20 Midshipmen (5-5) in goals (20) and points (27) this season, and it's a role that he's had to assume since senior attackman Tim Paul tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the team's 8-7 overtime loss to then-No. 10 Loyola on March 20.
"With him gone, I knew I had to take on a lot of the responsibility to keep the offensive guys motivated and keep us together," Moran said. "You can't replace a Tim Paul. He's a great guy and a great player, but I definitely felt like I needed to step up as a leader."
Moran's development as a leader on the field and in the locker room is significant in that he was lightly recruited out of Severn School in Severna Park. Only Navy and Air Force showed interest in Moran, which was just fine with him.
Coach Richie Meade said the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Moran -- who may have the hardest shot on the team -- had the talent, but needed to refine his skills.
"Pat is one of those kids that has worked hard to earn what he has gotten," Meade said. "Whenever that's the case, you feel pretty good about it. He's kind of worked himself, taken the assets that he has, and he's playing pretty well. He's really playing to his strengths, and he's shooting the ball pretty well. When you're 6-4 and 200-something pounds and you can shoot the ball with both hands, you can usually be a good lacrosse player."
Moran credits Meade and the rest of the coaching staff for helping him reach his potential.
"I just think that he really saw the potential in me, and I can thank him now for doing that because if it wasn't for his constant motivation and his constant pushing, I definitely don't think I'd be the player that I am today," Moran said. "It's a tough transition coming from high school to college because it is such a different game. He really had to develop me into the kind of player he wanted me to be. Coming out of high school, I was only 170 pounds, but still 6-foot-3. I gained a lot of weight, gained a lot of muscle, and got up to almost 230. I had to learn to become more tougher, how to use my body and things like that, and I think that's what he was talking about."