Andreas Jeninga/The Hoya Sophomore midfielder Steve Looney and junior midfielder Seth DiNola converge on the ball, sending Georgetown junior midfielder Brice Queener to the turf in the Hoyas’ 7-5 loss to the Midshipmen.

With a three-goal lead midway through the fourth quarter, then-No. 6 Navy looked to be well on its way to an upset win over No. 4 Georgetown Saturday afternoon on Kehoe Field.

The Hoya offense, which had been held scoreless since halftime, surprised the Midshipmen with two quick goals, one by sophomore midfielder Peter Cannon and another by sophomore attack Sean Denihan, to narrow the margin to 6-5 with seven minutes to play.

But Georgetown could not keep up the onslaught, and Navy junior midfielder Graham Gill scored his second goal of the day, ending the Hoyas’ rally attempt with 1:54 remaining.

“I was impressed with Navy coming into the game,” Georgetown Head Coach Dave Urick said, “and nothing I saw today changed my mind.”

A stringent Midshipmen defense forced the Hoyas to take shots from well outside the crease, though Georgetown managed to outshoot Navy, 38-28.

Senior midfielder Walid Hajj had a game-high eight shots, followed by senior attack Neil Goldman, sophomore midfielder Peter Cannon and junior midfielder Nick Miaritis, who had six shots each. Yet for the second straight week, no Hoya posted more than one score.

“We had some good looks at the goal, but we didn’t shoot the one-ball like we’d like to,” Urick said.

Navy sophomore goalkeeper Matt Russell made 14 saves on the afternoon – double the number recorded by his counterpart, junior Rich D’Andrea. Russell attributed his success to the team’s knowledge of the Georgetown offense.

“The fact that we were so prepared, seeing the shots coming from where [the coaches] said they would – it makes you comfortable,” he said.

Navy Head Coach Richie Meade said that he had hoped to prevent Georgetown from getting chances right in front of the net.

“I thought if we could take away Georgetown’s inside goals, we’d have an opportunity to win,” he added. “If you shoot on [Russell] from 11 to 12 yards outside, it’s going to be hard to score.”

In addition to their difficulties on offense, the Hoyas had trouble on faceoffs, winning just six of 15. It was the first time Georgetown was held to under 50 percent since a contest against Rutgers last April. Senior Andy Corno, the Hoyas’ faceoff specialist, did well early in the game despite a lower leg injury. After a couple of false-start penalties in the second quarter, though, Corno was replaced by freshman midfielder Christiaan Trunz. In relief, Trunz went 2-for-6.

In front of 1,235 spectators, including a raucous group of Navy fans equipped with thunder sticks, the Midshipmen opened the scoring 90 seconds into the contest as junior midfielder Dan Harris got the ball past D’Andrea.

Georgetown freshman midfielder Garrett Wilson responded just over a minute later to tie the game, but the Navy defense stiffened for the rest of the first quarter. The Midshipmen recorded two more goals later in the period to take a 3-1 advantage after 15 minutes of play.

“We really played well in the first and into the second quarter,” Meade said. “But I thought the missed opportunities in the second were going to come back and hurt us.”

Navy controlled the faceoffs in the second quarter, winning four of five, while also reducing Georgetown’s usual dominance in ground balls. The Hoyas barely edged the Midshipmen in that category, collecting five while Navy took four.

Nonetheless, both teams found the back of the net twice in the period, making the game 5-3 at the intermission.

Neither offense showed much life in the third quarter, as both the Hoyas and the Midshipmen stepped up their defensive efforts. Each team was 7-of-7 on clear attempts, and Navy had the only goal of the period. Senior attack Joe Bossi, left unguarded just outside the crease, received a pass from sophomore attack Jon Birsner and sent the ball past D’Andrea at 8:51 to give the Midshipmen their largest lead of the afternoon.

The offenses quieted until Georgetown scored its two-goal burst midway through the fourth quarter, but the effort was not enough. The Hoyas failed to find the back of the net again and Navy came away with a 7-5 victory.

Georgetown took a 4-3 overtime win over the Midshipmen last season but did not have the same luck this time around.

“Last year we let it slip away,” Birsner said. “This year, we got it back.”

Navy, which has climbed to No. 4 in the latest polls, faces No. 1 Maryland (8-0) next Saturday, while the Hoyas, who have fallen to No. 7, travel to New Canaan, Conn., to play the Vermont Catamounts (3-5). Georgetown’s foray into the top five was brief, spending one week there after taking down Duke the previous weekend.

“We’ve got to get back to working hard,” Urick said. “For us, [the season] is a marathon, not a sprint.”