Brown Lacrosse Looks to Solve Navy’s Defense & Earn Final Four Berth
Saturday, May 21, 2016
The Brown Bears men's lacrosse team is set to take on Navy in their first appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals since 1995 when they face Navy on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Brown Stadium.
Brown advanced to the quarterfinals after a 17-8 win over Johns Hopkins last weekend, while Navy advanced after upsetting Yale in their first round matchup. Navy comes in with the best defense in the country, allowing only 7.13 goals per game. They held Yale to just 3 goals in the second half.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"The defense they play is a lock your man up type of defense. They are saying 'hey we are not sliding, you have to prove you can run by us' and it's tough to do that," said Brown Head Coach Lars Tiffany.
Brown comes in leading the nation in scoring with an average of 16.76 goals per game and have set a school record with 285 goals on the season.
"We have to play fast so they are not able to set up their team defense, that will be key for us. But both teams want to play fast," Tiffany added.
If Brown is able to solve the Navy defense, they will have a chance to advance to their first Final Four since 1994.
Brown vs. Navy
Brown and Navy have met three times since 1931 with the Midshipmen holding a 2-1 series advantage. Coincidentally enough, the last time they met was in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament with Brown winning the game 12-5 and eventually advancing to the Final Four.
The last time Navy beat Brown was in the 1987 NCAA Tournament where the Midshipmen defeated the Bears 14-6 in Annapolis.
Home Field Advantage? Yes, But..
Brown will have a home game on Saturday, however, it will not be at Stevenson-Pincince field like last weeks game.
This game will be played at Brown Stadium, marking the first time Brown lacrosse has played there since 1996 when they lost to Syracuse 10-9. The major difference will be the natural grass which coach Tiffany acknowledged will be a factor.
"There will be a minimal effect, it's not a zero effect. In our sport, playing on a surface can help players cage ground balls, on natural grass it could be a little bit tougher," Tiffany said. He went on to add that the team would put some time into picking up loose balls on the grass during practice.
This will mark the first time a lacrosse game will be played at Brown Stadium since 2002 when the NCAA First Round was in town and featured teams such as Cornell, Stony Brook, UMass and Fairfield.
What's on the Line
The winner of this game will advance to the Final Four next weekend in Philadelphia on May 28.
They will face the winner of the Syracuse vs. Maryland game, which is also being played at Brown Stadium on Saturday at noon. Both games are on ESPNU.
For more on the game including where you can find live stats and much more, click here.
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