SWEET HISTORY! For the first time in 49 years, Army has won in consecutive games against Syracuse.

The twelfth-ranked Black Knights orchestrated a perfect 5-0 fourth quarter to beat the fourteenth-ranked Orange by a score of 17-13. It also pushed Army’s win streak to three games.

Out west, Air Force picked up its first win of the season in an overtime thriller against Canisius.

There are a lot of positives going for the academies in lacrosse this week. Perfect timing as we gear towards the start of conference play.

Results

Saturday

No.15 Army 18, NJIT 4

High Point 14, Navy 13

Sunday

No.13 Jacksonville 15, Air Force 9

Monday

Air Force 9, Canisius 8 (OT)

Wednesday

No.12 Army 17, No.14 Syracuse 13

Schedule

Saturday

Marist vs Air Force – 2 p.m. (YouTube)

Navy vs Lehigh – 3 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sunday

Holy Cross vs No.12 Army – NOON (ESPN+)

Army

What a week for Army lacrosse! They open the weekend with a thumping of NJIT and follow it up with a top 20 win at Syracuse.

“I’m so proud of this team right here and just how you stayed the course. The tougher team won. Conditioning and weight room and heart,” head coach Joe Aberici said after the Syracuse win.

Army began with a dominant defensive win over NJIT, 18-4 on Saturday. They would lead by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter. Aidan Byrnes led the Army offense with four goals as 16 Black Knights recorded a point.

“Today was an awesome day for everyone all around,” said Byrnes postgame, “We played Army lacrosse, no matter what numbers are out there, we were playing Army lacrosse. Overall good day and the scoreboard reflected that.”

The Black Knights would then head over to Syracuse to try and do something that an Army lacrosse team hadn’t done since 1973. Win consecutive games against Syracuse.

It was not looking good for the Black Knights at halftime as Syracuse led by a score of 10-7. Army would cut it down to one with a Bobby Abshire goal with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, completely changing the game. From there, Abshire took over.

He would score three more goals in the fourth quarter as the Black Knights won that frame 5-0 and ultimately the game by a score of 17-13.

They will open Patriot League play with a game against Holy Cross on Sunday. Last season, the Black Knights beat the Crusaders by a score of 13-3.

Air Force

After a tough start to the season, the Falcons are finally in the win column!

After moving the game to Monday after Canisius had flight issues, Air Force beat the Golden Griffs in overtime, 9-8. Sophomore Aidan Tolen scored the game-winner after the Falcons were held scoreless for the final 19:55 of regulation.

The Falcons opened the weekend with a 15-9 loss to No.13 Jacksonville. They had a strong start, as Brandon Dodd had a hat trick in the first ten minutes. From there, it would go downhill as the Falcons were outscored 7-1 in the second quarter.

The loss was the Falcons’ fourth straight loss, the third of which was against a ranked opponent. Air Force will look to build a winning streak after their defeat of Canisius on Monday, as they host another MAAC team in Marist on Saturday.

Navy

Navy was held scoreless for the final 6:27 on Saturday as they fell to High Point, 14-13.

“It was a great college lacrosse game,” said Navy head coach Joe Amplo. “It was a fun game to be a part of. It was the most exciting game that we have played this year.”

After a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, Navy struggled all-around, losing the next two quarters by a combined score of 10-5.

It would be tied at 13 until High Point scored the game-winning goal with 4:17 remaining.

Henry Tolker and Max Hewitt both scored three goals for the Mids.

They’ll open Patriot League play with a visit to Lehigh on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks won last year’s matchup by a score of 13-7.