Stingy defense sets the tone for Navy lacrosse

Navy's Matt Rees gets past Loyola's Jared Mintzlaff, shoots and scores in the first quarter. The Navy Midshipmen played the visiting Loyola Greyhounds in men's NCAA lacrosse Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. (By Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette) Head coach Rick Sowell smiled when asked about the performance of Navy's defense so far this season. "I'll let the statistics speak for themselves," he said.

Navy enters Saturday's game against Holy Cross ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 6.88 goals. With close defenseman Chris Fennell and long stick midfielder Matt Rees leading the way, the Midshipmen are also among the best in Division I with…