Brotherly love apparently has its limits.
In a typical week, Nick Mirabito, a senior attackman for the Navy men's lacrosse team, and Ricky Mirabito, a sophomore attackman for Georgetown, will call each other two or three times to discuss lacrosse, classes and family.
But in the week leading up to today's 5 p.m. showdown between the No. 3 Midshipmen and the No. 7 Hoyas at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, the brothers from Binghamton, N.Y., have talked just once.
That's it.
"I talked with him Monday just to decide who's going to give tickets to who for the game," Ricky said, alluding to the planned attendance of his parents and other family members. "Other than that, no communication."
Today's meeting between the Mirabito brothers is just part of a larger highly anticipated clash between Navy (8-1) and Georgetown (4-2). The Midshipmen have won six games in a row, but the Hoyas - who have won the past four meetings between the teams - are riding the momentum of knocking off then-No. 1 Duke, 11-7, a week ago.
This will be the first time that Nick, 22, and Ricky Mirabito, 20, will play as opponents. Through youth leagues and Chenango Forks High School, the brothers have always been on the same side.
"It's tough because you want your brother to do well, and you want him to succeed," Nick said. "But when he's playing us, you don't want him to do too well where they beat us. It's just mixed emotions."
Added Ricky: "Being the younger brother, I always looked up to him watching him play. I always enjoyed playing with him, but honestly, it'll be really different seeing him playing on the opposing team."
Despite being separated by almost three years, the brothers have always been close.
When Nick took up lacrosse, basketball and football at Chenango Forks, so did Ricky. Both were point guards in basketball and although Ricky experimented with defense and midfield, he eventually migrated to attack like his older brother.
But as brothers do, Nick and Ricky butted heads in basketball, in Wiffle ball, in pingpong. Nick recalled his mother, Norma Jean, taking away the video game controllers because the brothers could not finish a game without ending it with shouts or fists.
"Most of the time, that was my fault," Ricky admitted. "If I was winning, I was talking trash to him or if I was losing, I was getting mad. So at some point, she'd come down and take everything away."
