Navy’s 8-5 opening defeat of Mount St. Mary’s provided some unmistakable echoes to the Midshipmen’s debut under Joe Amplo last season, a 9-4 victory over Manhattan.

The Mids opened big early leads in both games, were probably sloppier than they would have liked and found a way to get a bunch of players into the game.

The most interesting commonality was the emphasis on the ride, which became more effective as last year’s opener unfolded. This time around, Navy forced four consecutive failed clears in the first quarter and held the Mount to 11 of 21 clearing for the game.

Given its ability to field large rosters in any season, Navy is a logical candidate to build some of its identity around the ride. But it’s also something Amplo wanted to do throughout his coaching career.

“I love playing like that,” Amplo said. “I didn’t get a chance to do it that often at Marquette because I didn’t feel like we had the depth at the midfield position, whereas here we do have a depth of athletes. That gives us an opportunity to play just a little bit faster in the middle of the field. Plus, we have a lot of guys on the team, and we want to keep a lot of guys interested and we want to keep a lot of guys engaged.”

The Mids did exactly that Saturday, using five short-stick defensive midfielders and three long poles. They also have a plethora of options — many of them untested — trying to fill out an offense around multi-year starters Nick Cole and Christian Daniel.

Four of Navy’s top six midfielders are freshmen and sophomores; a fifth, senior Michael Foster, missed last season with injury. Unsurprisingly, the Mids were inconsistent in their opener, committing 23 turnovers and scoring only twice in the second half.

“There’s going to be some growing pains, and I think you saw that on Saturday,” said Amplo, whose team plays host to Jacksonville on Sunday. “The game is not easy in a half-field set, especially if you don’t have experience and confidence. Until our kids grow up a little bit, especially in the midfield, I think it’s going to be a grind down at that end.”

Fortunately for Amplo, there are encouraging signs on defense. Senior Nick Franchuk is a mainstay, and Jackson Bonitz is one of the most heralded freshman defensemen in the country. Throw in the reliable Andrew McKenna, who has made 32 consecutive starts and helped limit the Mount’s Luke Frankeny to one goal and two assists, and Navy has a stable group at close defense.

While Amplo is reluctant to describe Navy as being further along competitively than at this point a season ago, he readily acknowledges the Mids’ knowledge of the defense has grown considerably in the last year.

“They love it and they can teach it now,” Amplo said. “I feel like if Nick Franchuk and Andrew McKenna had to be the defensive coordinators if, God forbid, [assistant] John Orsen got COVID, they could. They can step in and teach the defense that he’s put in place. To me, that’s a sign of potentially a good team and a good unit down at that end.”

NUMBERS OF NOTE

6-2

Boston University is 6-2 all-time in season openers after a 15-12 victory over Merrimack on Saturday. Junior Timmy Ley scored a career-high six goals, and Matt Garber made 17 saves in his first career start for the Terriers, who will go for their first 2-0 start since 2017 on March 6 when they play host to No. 7 Army.

3

Three conferences entered the week with an aggregate record above .500: The ACC (11-1), the America East (2-1) and the Patriot League (4-3). Two caveats worth mentioning: The Metro Atlantic has yet to start its season, and both it and the Big Ten are playing league-only schedules and will finish with an aggregate winning percentage of .500 barring any hastily concocted non-conference games.

20

Maryland routed Michigan 20-9 in its opener, the most goals scored by the Terrapins in a conference game since a 25-7 defeat of Duke in 1983.

61

Virginia midfielder Charlie Bertrand has scored a goal in each of his 61 career games, including a two-goal showing in the Cavaliers’ 15-12 victory at Loyola on Saturday. Bertrand’s streak doubles as the nation’s longest active streak with at least one point.