Navy received a scare in its 10-6 victory over Lehigh in a Patriot League tournament semifinal yesterday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, but it wasn't because of a very tight game.
Navy leading scorer Jon Birsner left late in the first quarter with a concussion. He is probable to play in the title game, against Army tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Black Knights advanced with a 9-8 overtime win over Bucknell in the second semifinal.
A Lehigh defender appeared to hit Birsner in the back of the head after Birsner scored a goal that gave Navy a 3-0 lead with 7 minutes 40 seconds left in the first quarter. Birsner left the game, returned briefly -- he got an assist on a goal by senior Ben Horn with 2:06 left in the quarter -- before leaving for good soon after.
"He got hit, and the doctors didn't think he should continue to play," Navy Coach Richie Meade said. "After he got hit, we thought it was best to rest him."
A strong defensive effort made certain Birsner wasn't missed too much by the Midshipmen (10-3). They held Lehigh to 18 shots, the seventh time an opponent has taken fewer than 22 shots. Navy is 7-0 in those games.
Lehigh trailed 5-2 when it had its best chance to get back in the game. Navy senior Graham Gill was called for two one-minute penalties -- including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, for arguing with a referee -- late in the first half.
At halftime, Lehigh worked on a play to take advantage of its extra-man chance. The focal point had to be senior Andrew Lucas. He had two extra-man goals in the first half and had a team-high 34 goals this year.
But goalie Matt Russell instead saved a shot by freshman Robert Shrader, and sophomore Billy Looney scored a short-handed goal for a 6-2 lead 1:13 into the second half.
"We knew that was a great opportunity," Lehigh Coach Chris Wakely said. "We're disappointed it didn't result in a goal, or even in the look we wanted."
Steve and Billy Looney and Gill each had two goals for Navy. Lucas had three goals for Lehigh (9-5).
Second-seeded Army (11-3) advanced after freshman Matt Scheel scored the winner in sudden-death overtime over the Bison (8-5).
The Black Knights have lost eight in a row to Navy dating from 1997, including a 12-9 loss on April 16. Birsner has 10 goals and 26 assists this year; he also has 5 goals and 7 assists in three games against Army.
