Joe Amplo isn’t one to sugarcoat the obvious. Still, it can’t be much fun for the Navy coach to acknowledge the problems facing his team’s youthful defense.

The Midshipmen have allowed a combined 35 goals in their last two games, including nine in the first quarter of Saturday’s 18-7 loss to Loyola.

“I can’t say I’m disappointed in the regression,” Amplo said. “It’s expected. I didn’t think it would be this much, honestly. I thought we would level off and then have a chance to get better each week, but we just clearly haven’t.”

This did figure to be a rebuilding year at the defensive end for Navy (6-5, 2-3 Patriot), which had little starting experience returning beyond sophomore Jackson Bonitz. And prior to April, only one of the Mids’ first seven opponents managed more than 11 goals.

Even some of the older players plugged into the lineup haven’t gone through a full season. In addition to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Navy played just nine games last spring with a three-week pause dropped in the middle.

It could be the cycle of a full season has worn on the Mids, who showed a couple new looks this month. Sophomore Jackson Peters, who played in just one game a year ago, switched from offense to defense two weeks ago and showed some promise in the second half Saturday. Sophomore Scott Stensrud also got a look at long pole.

“Those guys did an admirable job for their first time, but they’re playing Loyola University, who competes for the league championship every year and beat the tails off a Duke team [last month],” Amplo said.

It was also, despite the score, a commendable day for Navy goalie Pat Ryan. He made a career-high 17 saves, and five of the goals he gave up were on extra-man opportunities.

He and his teammates are well aware there is still plenty in front of the Mids this week, starting with Saturday’s trip to Lafayette. Then comes a rivalry game at Army on April 23, an opportunity to effectively make Navy’s season much like last year’s defeat of the Black Knights did.

“There is a lot to play for,” Ryan said. “We still have three huge Patriot League games. We need to put in a better performance and stop the slide and the regression. Defensively, we can play with a greater intensity. There were moments in there where we were flat, especially toward the latter parts of the game, and that starts with me.”

Saturday could prove to be an inflection point for the Mids. Of course, they no doubt hoped their 17-9 loss at Boston University on April 2 would serve the same function.

Perhaps in tandem, Navy’s first back-to-back losses by eight goals or more since 1997 can spur a late-season turnaround.

“I still think there’s a better performance out there for this group,” Amplo said. “I know there is, and I’m hopeful our seniors can pull it out of our guys.”

NUMBERS OF NOTE

4

Goals for North Carolina in its 11-4 loss at Virginia on Saturday, its fewest in any game since an 11-3 loss to Navy on March 4, 2006.

8

Goals for Marquette freshman Bobby O’Grady in the Golden Eagles’ 23-13 drubbing of St. John’s on Saturday, setting a program record. O’Grady, whose eight points matched a Marquette record, surpassed the previous mark of seven established by Andy DeMichiei on April 9, 2016 (also against St. John’s).

23

Goals for Vermont in its 23-9 rout of UMass Lowell on Saturday night, tied for the most in the program’s Division I history. The Catamounts also scored 23 in back-to-back games in 1991 against Colgate (23-11) and Hartford (23-9).

63

Shots for Loyola in its 18-7 rout of Navy. It is the most shots by the Greyhounds since they fired off 67 in a 19-10 defeat of Lafayette on March 21, 2015.

74

Career caused turnovers for Delaware defenseman Owen Grant, a school record. Grant caused four turnovers in the Blue Hens’ 12-11 loss to Hofstra to pass Austin Haynes (72) atop the program’s all-time list.