Navy’s Anthony Ghobriel has been named the Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week following his dominant performance in the Mids’ 9-6 victory over Lafayette last Saturday. Ghobriel won 14 of the 16 draws, the best single-game faceoff winning percentage during the Joe Amplo era. He also grabbed five ground balls and caused a turnover.
This is the second time Ghobriel has won the award, the first being on Feb. 27 after nearly tying the school record for faceoff wins against High Point. He is the fifth different Navy player to earn the weekly faceoff honor since it was established in 2016. Ghobriel joins Brady Dove (six times) and Joe Varello (five times) as the only Navy players to win the award multiple times.
With 140 wins of the 239 faceoffs he has taken this spring, Ghobriel ranks ninth on Navy’s single-season faceoff wins leader board. He is just 33 wins shy of tying the school record (173) held by Chris Pieczonka during Navy’s historic run to the NCAA Championship Game in 2004. Additionally, Ghobriel stands 13th in the Mids’ career faceoff wins record book with 146 wins, just 19 wins outside of the top 10.
The league office also recognized other players for their performances at their respective positions. Boston’s Timmy Ley (offense) and Patrick Morrison (defense), Lehigh’s Nick Pecora (goalkeeper), and Bucknell’s Will Hopkins (rookie) were among those players recognized.
Navy will play its final regular-season home game of the season on Saturday, May 29, when it hosts archrival Army (9-2, 6-0 Patriot League) in the annual Star Game. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network and carried live on WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM and WFED 1500 AM.
The annual Army-Navy game is one of the most anticipated matchups in college lacrosse, and this year’s game promises to be no different. Navy (5-6, 3-3 Patriot League) will look to upset Army and gain some momentum heading into the conference tournament. Army, on the other hand, will try to keep its unbeaten record in Patriot League play intact.
With Ghobriel leading the way at the faceoff X, Navy will look to control possession and limit Army’s opportunities on offense. The game promises to be a hard-fought battle from start to finish, with both teams leaving it all on the field.
In the end, only one team can emerge victorious, but regardless of the outcome, fans can expect a thrilling game filled with intensity and passion.