Big Third Quarter Leads Navy Past Men’s Lax, 16-12

Saturday, March 7

Annapolis, Md.

12 p.m.

Bucknell University

5-2, 1-1

Navy

4-2, 1-1

Bucknell

Navy

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Big Third Quarter Leads Navy Past Men’s Lax, 16-12

3/7/2026 2:41:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Bucknell men's lacrosse team led 8-5 after a strong first half, but host Navy outscored the Bison 8-0 in the third quarter and went on to win 16-12 on Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Bucknell's three-game winning streak came to an end, as the Bison fell to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play. Navy bounced back from a loss to Boston University last week and improved to 4-2, 1-1.

Michael Meyer recorded three goals and two assists, all in the first half, to help the Bison run out to that three-goal lead. It was Meyer's fifth straight game with at least three goals, and he now has 23 in seven games this season. Sean Murray recorded a fourth-quarter hat trick, and Owen Kovacs and Anthony Panetti each had a goal and two assists.

Alec Gregorek led Navy with four goals, while William Goers and Mac Haley tallied three apiece.

The Bison were outstanding in the first 30 minutes, forcing 14 Navy turnovers while scoring eight times on 15 shots. Meyer scored just eight seconds into the game, and then after the Midshipmen tallied two in a row, Panetti, Luke Brunner and Sean Berrigan scored three in a row to give the Bison the lead back.

The Bison get the transition game going after Caleb Lewis blocked a shot at the other end. Neat diving finish from Sean Berrigan makes it 4-2 Bison. #rayBucknell

Watch: https://t.co/p8B5mVNO22 @ESPN | @PatriotLeague pic.twitter.com/mgcANLxdAb
— Bucknell Men's Lax (@Bucknell_MLAX) March 7, 2026

Up 4-3 to start the second quarter, Meyer scored off a feed from Peter Grandolfo, and then after goalie Luke Renaud made a spectacular point-blank save, Grandolfo scored at the other end. John Young forced a turnover off the next faceoff, and Brunner finished low-to-high for a 7-3 lead.

Navy answered with two goals in 13 seconds, the latter 6-on-5 after Bison faceoff man Zach Hepworth was shaken up on the scrum. Meyer scored a big one off a Berrigan feed on the EMO unit to make it 8-5 with 1:46 left in the half.

Jack Flaherty got Navy going just 56 seconds into the second half, and then Gregorek scored two in a row, both coming with the Bison defense caught short while subbing. Nick Golini came straight down the middle for the go-ahead goal with 6:34 to go in the third, and the Mids added four more later in the period. Flaherty's tally 2:41 into the fourth made it a 9-0 run, and Navy had a commanding 14-8 lead.

Kovacs ended Bucknell's drought with a lefty finish under the crossbar off a Panetti feed, and Murray added three more in the fourth, but the deficit was too large to overcome.

Navy outshot Bucknell 39-30 and won 20 of the 32 faceoffs. Colin McLoy accounted for 11 of Bucknell's wins, and he led the team with seven ground balls. Renaud finished with six saves, and Jaz Zanelli had one after coming on to start the fourth quarter. Dan Daly stopped seven shots for the Midshipmen.

After playing its first two Patriot League games on the road, the Bison return home next Saturday to face defending-champion Colgate at noon at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.