Box Score | Polley Postgame Press Conference
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -Freshman Ryan Hilburn notched a hat trick and classmate Colin MacDougall made 15 saves in his first collegiate start, but the No. 19 Boston University men's lacrosse team was bested by Navy, 14-6, on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
BU (6-3, 3-2 PL) saw its four-game win streak snapped while Navy improved to 7-3 and 5-1 in the Patriot League. The Terriers were within one at 4-3 with 6:21 left in the second quarter, but the Midshipmen scored the next eight goals of the contest, including seven straight in the third quarter, to pull away and seal the victory.
Sophomore Cal Dearth tallied two goals and added an assist for a three-point afternoon while classmate Adam Schaal also found the back of the net. Freshman Hayden Ruiz had a pair of helpers and classmate Jack Wilson also assisted on a goal. MacDougall got the nod on Saturday in place of Christian Carson-Banister, who was sidelined due to injury. He held tough in just his second career appearance and stopped 15 shots.
Jake Dansey picked up a team-high five ground balls and the sophomore was one of 12 Terriers to have at least one ground ball. Dearth finished with three in addition to his trio of points. Sophomore Cam Pincus picked up two ground balls and caused one turnover in his first game back in a month. Sophomore Sam Talkow was 11-of-23 at the faceoff X against Navy's Brady Dove; Dove and Talkow were the top two faceoff men in the nation entering Saturday.
Navy scored on its first possession of the game just 53 seconds into the proceedings and extended the lead to 2-0 with 8:49 left in the quarter. Dearth opened the Terriers' account with 3:51 on the clock when he got the ball on the right side in space and beat Navy goalkeeper John Connors.
MacDougall made four saves in the opening 15 minutes, including a stop on a point-blank chance late in the quarter, but Navy added another marker after Dearth's goal to take a 3-1 lead into the second stanza.
Following another Navy goal, the Terriers scored twice in a span of 1:17 to cut the deficit to just 4-3. Dearth began the run when he cut to the middle and ran past three Midshipmen before firing into the back of the net. Hilburn then tallied when he caught a Dearth feed and quickly beat Connors.
The Mids added another goal with 4:29 left in the half as MacDougall once again did his best to keep the Terriers in the game. Wilson almost made it a one-goal game right before the break but his bid was denied by Connors as the buzzer sounded.
Navy scored the first seven goals of the third quarter before BU scored back-to-back markers to close the frame. Ruiz found Hilburn with 2:00 left in the quarter before Wilson picked out a wide-open Schaal for the sophomore's 16th strike of the season.
BU continued its strong play in the fourth quarter as Hilburn completed his hat trick just 48 seconds into the frame to cut the Navy lead to 12-6. The Terriers held possession after Hilburn's 15th goal of the season and had a pair of extra-man chances, but they were unable to capitalize. MacDougall made three saves in the fourth quarter, with the Mids' two tallies each coming with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
The Terriers will remain on the road next weekend when they travel to West Point, New York, to face Army. Opening draw is scheduled for 12 p.m.
