By Seth Mendelson/CaMMVets Media
3-17-2025
Joe Alberici’s complex strategy is actually quite simple.
The coach of the Army men’s lacrosse team, ranked third in the nation in national polls after a convincing 13-4 Patriot League victory over host Lehigh on Saturday, just wants his team to keep winning, especially in league games.
The way Alberici sees it, every victory for the 7-0 Black Knights in Patriot League play gets the team that much closer to securing a berth in the league’s sixth-team postseason tournament, a first-round bye given to the top two teams and the possibility of hosting all tournament games at Michie Stadium.
Army is on its way. The victory over Lehigh, spurred by six goals and an assist from senior attackman Jackson Eicher, gave Army a 3-0 league record. The Black Knights face Boston Univeristy (6-1 overall, 2-1 in the Patriot League) on Saturday at noon at Michie Stadium, followed by non-league game at Michie against No. 5-ranked North Carolina on March 22.
Army is giving up just five goals a game, the best performance in the NCAA this year, with Alberici crediting his goalie Sean Byrne and such defensive stars as AJ Pilate, John Sullivan and Christian Mazar.
Against Lehigh, Eicher was just outstanding, scoring the first three goals of the game and setting an outstanding example of leadership for his teammates. As usual, Eicher gave his teammates credit for performance. “Our defensive scout team does a fantastic job of preparing the offense for upcoming games every week in practice,” he said. “Frankly, they often play at a higher level than our competition does and that really gets us prepared to face them on Saturday. Our scout team puts a lot of time and effort into making sure we are ready to go on game day.”
Eicher is impressed with his team’s performance thus far this season, but he knows they can and will do better as the campaign progresses. “We always talk about learning and growing from our victories and learning and growing from our losses,” he said. “We have not played our best 60 minutes yet. Right now, it is just one game at a time and we are very excited for each game we play.”
The Army women’s team fell to No. 15-ranked Loyola, 16-6, in a Patriot League game in Maryland on Saturday to drop to 5-2 on the season. The Black Knights are 1-1 in league play and face off against Lehigh on Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. On March 21, Army hosts No. 8-ranked Stanford in a non-conference game.
Loyola held hot-shooting juniors Brigid Duffy and Allison Reilly to just one goal each. “Today was not our day,” said Army coach Michelle Tumulo. “We didn’t play to our potential and you
have to show up when you play against the number 15 team in the country. We will never go down with a fight and that’s why I know we will be okay going forward. We have to get back to work and get better for the next one.”
Tumulo remains confident that her team can outperform in the second half of the season and find a way into the NCAA playoffs. “We have everything we need in front of us,” she said. “Great opponents and opportunities to get the chance to prove we can win a championship and make an NCAA tournament again. We need to rise to the occasion for 60-plus minutes against every opponent we play.”
The coach of the Army men’s lacrosse team, ranked third in the nation in national polls after a convincing 13-4 Patriot League victory over host Lehigh on Saturday, just wants his team to keep winning, especially in league games.
The way Alberici sees it, every victory for the 7-0 Black Knights in Patriot League play gets the team that much closer to securing a berth in the league’s sixth-team postseason tournament, a first-round bye given to the top two teams and the possibility of hosting all tournament games at Michie Stadium.
Army is on its way. The victory over Lehigh, spurred by six goals and an assist from senior attackman Jackson Eicher, gave Army a 3-0 league record. The Black Knights face Boston Univeristy (6-1 overall, 2-1 in the Patriot League) on Saturday at noon at Michie Stadium, followed by non-league game at Michie against No. 5-ranked North Carolina on March 22.
Army is giving up just five goals a game, the best performance in the NCAA this year, with Alberici crediting his goalie Sean Byrne and such defensive stars as AJ Pilate, John Sullivan and Christian Mazar.
Against Lehigh, Eicher was just outstanding, scoring the first three goals of the game and setting an outstanding example of leadership for his teammates. As usual, Eicher gave his teammates credit for performance. “Our defensive scout team does a fantastic job of preparing the offense for upcoming games every week in practice,” he said. “Frankly, they often play at a higher level than our competition does and that really gets us prepared to face them on Saturday. Our scout team puts a lot of time and effort into making sure we are ready to go on game day.”
Eicher is impressed with his team’s performance thus far this season, but he knows they can and will do better as the campaign progresses. “We always talk about learning and growing from our victories and learning and growing from our losses,” he said. “We have not played our best 60 minutes yet. Right now, it is just one game at a time and we are very excited for each game we play.”
The Army women’s team fell to No. 15-ranked Loyola, 16-6, in a Patriot League game in Maryland on Saturday to drop to 5-2 on the season. The Black Knights are 1-1 in league play and face off against Lehigh on Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. On March 21, Army hosts No. 8-ranked Stanford in a non-conference game.
Loyola held hot-shooting juniors Brigid Duffy and Allison Reilly to just one goal each. “Today was not our day,” said Army coach Michelle Tumulo. “We didn’t play to our potential and you
have to show up when you play against the number 15 team in the country. We will never go down with a fight and that’s why I know we will be okay going forward. We have to get back to work and get better for the next one.”
Tumulo remains confident that her team can outperform in the second half of the season and find a way into the NCAA playoffs. “We have everything we need in front of us,” she said. “Great opponents and opportunities to get the chance to prove we can win a championship and make an NCAA tournament again. We need to rise to the occasion for 60-plus minutes against every opponent we play.”
All photos: ARMY ATHLETICS