If You're Watching, Navy-North Carolina

Navy at North Carolina
When: 7:30 p.m., Fetzer Field.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: WNAV-AM 1430, WFED-AM 1050.
Records: Midshipmen 9-5, Tar Heels 8-5

What to Watch if You're a Casual Fan
North Carolina has an extremely balanced offense: Several players are in double-figures in scoring. The leader in assists, freshman A Billy Bitter (#4, 15 assists), plays primarily on extra-man offense.

Yet Navy has a very balanced defense. Its shortstick defenders, in particular junior Geoff Leone (#34), are excellent.

So see if North Carolina focuses its offense on the two players who will be defended by shortsticks. Also see where Navy uses senior D Jordan DiNola (#3). I have a hunch he will bump up to defend junior MF Ben Hunt (#18, 20 goals). Though he may also guard junior Bart Wagner (#1, 16 goals, 15 assists). Wagner is UNC's best outside shooter.

What to Watch: Young Player
Neither offense has a bona fide star player. Instead, they score goals by being unselfish and making the extra pass--though over-passing has been a problem, especially for Navy. So watch the decision-making by both teams.

What to Watch: Ardent Fan
North Carolina has given up 40 goals and has 32 saves in the fourth quarter this year. That's a lousy percentage. (By way of comparison, Johns Hopkins has given up 27 goals and has 38 saves in the fourth quarter; Notre Dame has 47 saves and has given up 28 goals in the fourth.)

So the key for Navy is to stick around. Early goals and late goals will be crucial. For years, Navy had UNC's number--five straight victories in the series from 2003 to last year.

Also--Watch and see if Navy's midfields are running hard and if the man dodging looks to the goal or is looking to pass right away. Junior Shane Durkin (#35, 8 goals) came out of nowhere to score four times against Colgate.

He is on the second midfield line with classmate Michael Beggins (#17, 3 goals), who hasn't scored a goal since late February, and junior Sean Standen (#2, 8 goals). Standen and Durkin are lefties. See if they can get the Carolina defense moving. If so, the ball needs to go to sophomore Tim Paul (#14, 22 goals, 5 assists). Senior Nick Mirabito (#40, 21 goals, 22 assists) has the better numbers, but Paul is more crafty.

Navy's dodger on the first midfield is sophomore Patrick Moran (#13, 15 goals). Though my theory is that two weeks off may have helped sophomore Basil Daratsos's (#15) knee injury. Watch him in particular early in the game. If he is attacking his matchup and looks good, that's great news for the Midshipmen. Daratsos has five goals this year, none on extra-man.

Navy needs something from him tonight.

By Christian Swezey |  May 10, 2008; 6:48 AM ET  | Category:  Navy
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