WEST POINT, N.Y. – The annual Army-Navy lacrosse rivalry will be taken to a new level for the next two years. M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, will be the site of the 2009 and 2010 service academy showdowns in conjunction with the Inside Lacrosse “Day of Rivals” which will also feature games between Johns Hopkins and Maryland.
The 87th all-time meeting between the two teams will take place on Saturday, April 11, with a time to be determined, while the 2008 national runner-up Blue Jays will take on the Terrapins for the 104th time in their storied histories that same day.
“We are ecstatic to bring the greatest rivalry in lacrosse to a big-time stage at M&T Bank Stadium,” said Black Knight head coach Joe Alberici. “This will provide an outstanding experience for our players, alumni and everyone connected to Army lacrosse. To share that stage with another great rivalry game in Johns Hopkins-Maryland adds to the excitement for all of the participants and fans.
Next spring will mark only the second time the two teams have ever played at a neutral site. The 2006 Patriot League Tournament Championship game, hosted by Colgate, was the only other time the teams have faced each other away from either West Point or Annapolis since the teams first met in 1924. The Midshipmen won that game, 8-5.
“We are also pleased to be involved with Inside Lacrosse and the Baltimore Ravens in planning this event,” continued Alberici. “With their combined experience, we are confident that everything will come together in the manner that these two rivalries deserve.”
Two years ago, in an attempt to create other lacrosse events during the regular season that attract the same buzz among lacrosse fans as the season-ending Final Four weekend, Inside Lacrosse started the Konica-Minolta Face-Off Classic that pitted perennial national powers Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Syracuse and Virginia against each other in a season-opening tournament in Baltimore. This year, in addition to Johns Hopkins and Princeton, Duke will square off with Maryland during the opening weekend of the 2009 season. With the addition of the “Day of Rivals,” Inside Lacrosse intends on attracting greater national interest for the sport by placing the spotlight directly on these events.
Bob Carpenter, publisher of Inside Lacrosse Magazine said, “Inside Lacrosse is proud to bring these two events to fans and we are continually exploring opportunities for similar events. In our minds, attending events such as these, more than anything, is what keeps a young player banging that ball against the wall through the offseason.”
Army broke a 13-game, 11-year skid against Navy this past year with a 9-6 upset of the sixth-ranked Mids in Michie Stadium on April 12 en route to a 9-6 record and a No. 19 ranking in the final national polls. Navy leads the all-time series with a 56-27-3 mark.
The Army-Navy football game has been played in Baltimore seven times during its 108-year existence, including the 2007 game that was hosted by M&T Bank Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 76,610.
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