Exeter 2  Navy Prep 4
Exeter, NH, Wednesday, May 4th - On the books, this game will go in the loss column as a 4-2 defeat, but in the hearts and minds of the coaches, all the players who played in the game, and all the fans that witnessed the game; this will go down as one of Exeter's best and most intense performances on a lacrosse field. Navy was everything and more that they were advertised to be. Their team's core is comprised of 10-12 DI PG recruits for the Naval Academy that predominantly hale from the Maryland and Long Island hot beds. Their only loss and close game this season was a narrow defeat to the Princeton JV team that featured several Princeton varsity players. Their victims included Army and Navy JV, Nassau Community College, and a 10-1 win over Bridgton Academy. Exeter's defense led by goalie Matt Harrigan and short stick defender Kirk Bansak was unbelievable. The offensive six out there for Navy at any one time was an impressive group. Nevertheless, long poles Coleman Peeke, Ian Drummond, Frank Andrews, Brett Hughes, and Evan Crosby played great individual and team defense to repeatedly frustrate this high scoring unit. Short stick defenders Kirk Bansak, Bruce Hallett, and Chris Downer, were challenged by Navy' s best middies from both up top and behind, and yielded very few high quality shots. When Navy did generate a quality shot, goalie Matt Harrigan showed he is every bit as good as the high school All-American Matt Coughlin out of Bay Shore, NY that stood in the nets at the other end for Navy Prep. The midfield unit of Travis Glennon, Brett Davis, and Sam Duprey played magnificently. Travis, Brett, and Phil Clark had a 7-3 advantage on the faceoffs, with wingmen Kirk Bansak, Brett Hughes, and Evan Crosby playing a large role in that success. Exeter's offense appears ineffective by the total of only 2 goals, but the BIG RED actually out shot Navy by a reasonable margin for the game. Coughlin was very tough to score against, and clearly showed why he earned the All-American designation for his region last year. Exeter held Navy scoreless for the first quarter, and did not yield their first goal until four minutes into the 2nd period. Four minutes later, Navy went up 2-0, and it looked like that was going to be the halftime score when Exeter possessed the ball with less than one minute until the half. A turnover resulted in Navy putting in their 3rd goal with only 40 seconds remaining in the half. Like the Loomis game, Exeter came out strong in the 3rd quarter. Four minutes into the 3rd quarter, Mark Scalise fired home a high rocket into the upper corner off a Travis Glennon assist, and the score narrowed to 3-1. Three minutes later, a great Exeter ride with the goalie out of the cage led to Brett Hughes assisting Michael Scalise for Exeter's 2nd goal. Once again Exeter had the ball with less than a minute in the 3rd quarter, and set up to run the game tying offensive play. A questionable stepping in the crease call turned the ball over, and Navy called time out after they're clear to set up a play. They executed to perfection, and for the 2nd quarter in a row, they scored with only seconds remaining. It was to be their last goal of the game. Exeter played great lacrosse in the 4th period. The offense showed patience, generated shots, rode well, but just could not stick it in the net. The defense pressured effectively, gobbled up all the ground balls, and put on some monster hits on the Navy players. When the game ended, everyone walked off the field knowing they had played their best. Afterwards, the Navy players and coaches could not have been more complimentary. They went out of their way to congratulate the Exeter team on giving them " by far their toughest and most physical game of the year". It was a great day for BIG RED lacrosse. Click here for game pics.

Team	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter	Game Total
Exeter	0	0	2	2	2
Navy	0	3	1	0	4

Game Scoring - Goals - Mk Scalise, Mi Scalise

                           Assists - Glennon, Hughes

Faceoffs Won/Faceoffs Attempted - Davis 3/4, Glennon 3/4, Clark 1/2

Saves/Shots on Goal - Harrigan(10/14)