Army’s all-American goalie Sean Byrne likes what he sees with the Black Knights defensive unit. He calls it a combination of younger guys gaining key experience as the season progresses and veterans continuing to do their jobs.
On Saturday, this combination, as well as Byrne’s own strong playing in the cage, helped the Black Knights shut down Bucknell’s high-powered offense in route to a 14-8 Army victory over host Bisons in a Patriot League men’s lacrosse game.
The victory, the Black Knights second in a row after a three-game losing streak, improved No.-19 ranked Army’s record to 8-3 overall and 3-2 in the league. Bucknell is now 7-4 overall and 2-3 in league play.
It is not that Army’s offense did not play well. For the second week in a row, they did with a host of players contributing to a strong offensive performance, including seven points each from seniors Gunnar Fellows (four goals, three assists) and Evan Plunkett (three goals, four assists). But, the defensive unit is clearly gaining confidence at the right time of the season, holding Bucknell, which was averaging about 13 goals a game, to just 14 shots on net, with Byrne stopping six.
“I think our defensive unit is really starting to come together as the season goes on,” said Byrne, who has 138 saves this year and an impressive .604 save rate. “It is clear that some of the younger guys have figured out how we play our system, gaining lots of experience and playing as unit. And, it is pretty nice to have some veterans like Sully (John Sullivan) and Keegan Treacy just doing a great job out there, game after game.”
Army coach Joe Alberici also liked what he saw on Saturday.
“To hold Bucknell to just eight goals, given that they have one of the best offenses in the country, was very impressive,” Alberici said. “I was really impressed how strong we were on the ball and how well we looked on ground ball play and clearing the ball. With our defense playing so well, Sean, who I think is the best goalie in the country, did not see as many shots as he normally does, but he stood up when we needed him to and, again, he got the job done.”
With Fellows leading the charge, the Black Knights raced out to a 4-0 lead and took a 7-2 advantage into halftime. Senior Cal Lambert had two goals as did sophomores Hill Plunkett and Brayden Fountain while Aidan Weisenborn had one goal for Army.
Up next for Army is the rivalry game with always-dangerous Navy (7-4 overall, 3-2 in Patriot League play), slated for a noon start at Michie Stadium on Saturday and an expected crowd in excess of 12,000 fans.
It will be the next step for Army to reach its goal of a spot in the NCAA tournament in May and everyone involved with the team realizes that winning the Patriot League postseason tournament and its automatic bid, might be the only entry for the Black Knights to make the 17-team NCAAs playoffs.
With two league losses already, Alberici and his players are well aware that every league game is crucial to making the six-team Patriot League tournament, gaining one of the two first-round byes and even finishing the regular season in first place and hosting the semifinals and finals.
Right now, Army is in third place in the league, behind Boston University, which beat the Black Knights in mid-March and Loyola. After the Navy game, the Black Knights travel to Baltimore to face Loyola on April 18 and finish the regular season with a home game with Colgate on April 24.
“We know that we have to take care of business in the Patriot League,” said Byrne. “We are focusing on Navy right now and we are not overlooking anyone. It is one step and one game at a time, but we are all excited for what is ahead.”
