March 25, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Defensive midfielder Geoff Leone (Massapequa, N.Y.), goalkeeper Tommy Phelan (Towson, Md.) and attack Tim Paul (Parkton, Md.) have received recognition this week for their efforts in leading the Midshipmen to wins over nationally-ranked Bucknell and Colgate last week.

Leone was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week after helping anchor a Navy defense that surrendered a combined six goals in the wins over #12 Bucknell (4-3 OT) and Colgate (8-3). The stifling defense held both teams scoreless for a significant amount of time. The Bison scored at 6:19 in the first and 43 minutes later, they finally got on the scoreboard a second time. Meanwhile, after scoring the game's first goal at 9:16 in the first, Colgate was held without a goal until under a minute left in the game. The third-ranked defense came into the week allowing opposing teams to score 4.71 goals per game, but instead lowered its GAA to 4.33.

Colgate, meanwhile, had two of the most potent point producers and goal scorers in the country shut down. Kevin Colleluori, ranked 10th nationally in points per game and sixth in goals per game was held without a point, while 2007 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and '08 Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Brandon Corp was ranked 12th in points per game and seventh in goals per game and managed a garbage goal with under a minute to play in the game.

As strong as Leone was on the defensive side of the ball, he was also active on the scoring side where he produced a pair of goals in as many games. Scoring both goals via the transition game, Leone became the 20th different player to score for Navy when he punched in the Mids' second goal in their 4-3 OT win over Bucknell. It marked Leone's first collegiate goal. He followed up by scoring the Mids' eighth goal against the Raiders on Easter. To date, he owns five points on two goals and three assists.

Paul and Phelan both received honorable mention from the Patriot League for their clutch performances. Paul, Navy's second-leading scorer with 20 points on 15 goals and five assists, turned in a three-goal, two-assist effort in helping the Mids extend their winning streak to six in a row. He scored perhaps the biggest goal of his young career with 1:20 remaining in overtime to lead Navy to a 4-3 OT win over the Bison. It was his first game-winner of the season and just the second of his career. He followed up by scoring the first two goals of the game against Colgate, giving the Mids a 2-1 advantage and a lead it would not relinquish. His goal at 6:19 in the first quarter sparked an 8-0 run by Navy that spanned all four quarters.

After coming in to spell an injured Matt Coughlin (Brightwaters, N.Y.) in last Wednesday's win over Bucknell, Phelan made his first collegiate start on Easter Sunday against Colgate. Phelan, who had made just four previous appearances for 38 minutes during his career (all this season), was sensational against the Raiders. Having never made a save in his career, Phelan turned away 13 shots on goal, including six by Brandon Corp, while both shots by Colleluori were stopped by Phelan. His 13 saves are the most by a Navy goalie since Colin Finnegan made 14 stops in last spring's heart-breaker against Georgetown.

Despite being overlooked by his own conference, Phelan was named the national defensive player of the week by Paul Carcaterra, a former Syracuse All-American who is an analyst for CBS College Sports Network's (formerly CSTV) and distributes a weekly player of the week list.

The 10th-ranked Midshipmen will be back in action on Saturday when they play host to No. 4 Georgetown in a game that is sponsored by Comcast and STX. Action is set for 5:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Saturday's contest will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network with Jason Chandler (play by play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) calling the action. Pete Medhurst will led his voice to the broadcast on 1430 WNAV. Additionally, fans can log onto www.NavySports.com where they can watch a live video feed via Navy All-Access or follow the game for free via Gametracker.

Single-game tickets for Navy home lacrosse games may be purchased by stopping by the Navy Ticket Office at Ricketts Hall, by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY, via the internet at www.navysports.com or at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on game day. Tickets prices are $8 for adults and $5 for students, while groups of 20 or more will be offered a discounted ticket with advance notice.