Junior goalkeep Tom Palesky made 18 saves Tuesday night against Lafayette.
Army barely held onto what was once a six goal second half lead to beat Lafayette and clinch the top seed in next week’s Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards outscored the Black Knights 9-3 in the second half, but didn’t have enough in the tank to overtake Army, who sneaked by with a 15-14 win.
Junior attackman Jeremy Boltus led the Black Knights with a career high eight points notching three goals and five assists. Freshman attackman Garrett Thul also continued his standout rookie season with four goals and one assist of his own.
Having sewn up the league regular season championship, the Black Knights will host the Patriot League Tournament for the second time in three years. Navy and Lafayette have also clinched spots in the tournament. The winner of Saturday’s Bucknell-Colgate game will claim the final tournament berth.
Picked in the preseason to finish fourth in the Patriot, Army has a chance to go undefeated if it beats league cellar dweller Holy Cross on Saturday. Despite their dominant league season, Army will still need to win the league championship to feel comfortable about making the NCAA Tournament. The four-team tournament starts April 30, with the championship on May 2.
