<p>and we are going to overtime!!!</p>
<p>3rd and 1 for navy in ot… :eek:</p>
<p>3rd and 1 for navy in ot… :eek: TOUCHDOWN!!! EXTRA POINT IS GOOD!!! 35:28 Navy… ND gets the ball… GO DEFENSE!!!</p>
<p>ND sends it into double OT!!!</p>
<p>navy ahead- ND 4th and 2 inches</p>
<p>navy time out… navy 46 nd 38… ND 4th and ??? to go…8yds… GO DEFENSE!!!</p>
<p>oh no!!! ND TD!!! must go for 2 pt conversion… SAY A PRAYER!!!</p>
<p>oh my… ND BLOCKED!!!..flag down… OH MY!!! pass interference…ball back on 1.5 yd line… ND time out… THIS IS TOO MUCH!!!</p>
<p>TV disagrees with call… one more defensive play navy!!! NAVY WINS!!!</p>
<p>navy46- ND 44… THE STREAK IS BROKEN!!! GO MIDS!!!</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>
<p>Mids Top Lehigh and Colgate in Women’s Swimming</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy set six pool records in winning nine of the 13 events to defeat Colgate and Lehigh in a double-dual women’s swimming and diving meet, Saturday afternoon at Jacobs Pool in Bethlehem, Pa. The Midshipmen improved to 7-0 on the season with the 150-87 victory over Colgate and the 183.5-57.50 win over Lehigh.</p>
<p>“It was a great day for us,” said Navy head coach John Morrison. “We had a lot of strong performances today. Our depth was key this afternoon. We received a lot of great swims that gave us the opportunity to record three high placings in every event. Those points are so valuable.”</p>
<p>After Navy won the opening 200 medley relay, Tara Chapmon (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) recorded a time of 10:15.74 to win the 1000 freestyle and set the first of her two individual event pool standards. She was immediately followed by teammate Allison Ranzau (Fr., Alpharetta, Ga.) setting a pool record of 1:52.93 in winning the 200 freestyle.</p>
<p>Chapmon’s time broke the old record of 10:19.21 set in 2003 by Heidi Kraus, while Ranzau’s clocking broke the record of 1:54.17 set by Melissa DeBellis.</p>
<p>Thuy-Mi Dinh (So., Anaheim, Calif.) made it four consecutive victories for Navy as she won the 50 free in a time of 23.96, then Kelly Zahalka (Jr., Richmond, Va.) extended the run to five straight as she won the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:07.40. Zahalka’s time also was a new pool record, a clocking that broke Alyssa Vavra’s 2005 record of 2:09.30.</p>
<p>Navy’s winning streak came to an end in the sixth event of the afternoon as its top swimmer in the 200 fly was Mallory Dietrich (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.), who placed second. Sarah Dorenkott (So., Hudson, Ohio) followed with a second-place showing for the Mids in the 100 free, then Ranzau was the runner-up in the 200 backstroke.</p>
<p>Chapmon returned to the pool for the Mids in the 500 free and won the event with a pool record time of 5:01.98. Her clocking topped the previous standard of 5:02.29 set earlier this year by Taylor Sostarecz.</p>
<p>The final individual event of the meet saw Zahalka place second in the 200 breaststroke.</p>
<p>Navy closed the meet with the foursome of Dinh, Chapmon, Ranzau and Dorenkott winning the 400 freestyle relay in a pool record time of 3:31.30. This time erased the previous standard of 3:35.87 set by West Chester in 2002.</p>
<p>The diving portion of the meet was held Friday night, with Navy’s Katie Griffin (Sr., Ellicott City, Md.) winning both boards. She scored 269.55 points to win the one meter, then posted a tally of 307.72 to establish a new pool record in winning the three-meter event. Griffin’s three-meter tally broke the previous pool record of 273.10.</p>
<p>Navy will continue facing Patriot League opponents next week as the Mids play host to American, Bucknell and Lafayette Saturday afternoon in Lejeune Hall.</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy rifle team placed second out of four teams in Saturday’s President’s Trophy, totaling a 5736. Navy’s five shooters scored a 2829 in smallbore and a 2907 in air rifle. Army won the competition with a 5817. </p>
<p>“In general, our performance today was unacceptable,” said a disappointed Navy head coach Bill Kelley. “We got a good performance from some younger shooters, but our upperclassmen did not show up today. For us to be successful, they need to have good performances. They didn’t have a good showing today.” </p>
<p>Navy fired a 2829 in smallbore to fall well behind Army’s 2885. Josh Albright led the Mids with a season-high 580. Freshman Chris Burleson and Liz Leckie totaled a pair of 566s, and Lisa Kunzelman and Monica Amagna scored 561 and 556, respectively, to round out Navy’s smallbore scoring. Army’s Chris Abalo scored a 590, which is believed to be an NCAA record. </p>
<p>Navy improved significantly in air rifle with a 2907, but Army again flexed its muscles with a 2932. Albright led Navy with a 586. Kunzelman scored a 585 and Alex Karacsonyi shot a 582. Leckie and Burleson rounded out the scoring with 578 and 576, respectively. </p>
<p>“It was a very frustrating day for us, and we are all disappointed with the effort,” said Kelley. “We have more ability than we are showing, but its not carrying over to matches. We have to get better.” </p>
<p>Navy will be off in team competition until Jan. 12.</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The 10th-ranked Navy water polo team pieced together a pair of strong performances on Saturday to advance to the CWPA Southern Division Tournament finals, which will take place at 12:45 pm on Sunday in Lejuene Hall. The Mids cruised past Gannon, 16-8, and Princeton, 11-5, to reach the finals. Navy is now 25-5 on the season, and has won 15 games in a row, tied for the third-longest streak in school history.</p>
<p>In the opener, a 16-8 win over Gannon, Navy surged to a 5-1 lead after one quarter and pushed the margin to 10-3 at halftime. Navy held a comfortable 14-4 cushion after three quarters. Andrew Bingham and Mike Mulvey led Navy with three goals each. Bram Arnold, Dan Zoellick and Kevin Bell scored twice. George Naughton made six saves in goal. Steve Craney stopped four shots in a reserve role.</p>
<p>In the 11-5 win over Princeton, the Mids surged to a 3-1 lead after one quarter. The margin was stretched to 6-1 at halftime and 9-3 after three quarters. Mulvey and Tyler Hill tallied a hat trick each, while Aaron Recko and Andrew Bingham scored a pair of goals. Naughton made eight saves in a little over three quarters, while Craney stopped five shots.</p>
<p>“We are hoping we can get a loud, rowdy crowd tomorrow at Lejuene Hall. It would be a great way for the Mids to ‘work’ off their post-Notre Dame hangover and send our seniors out on a high note. They have been vital to our success the last four years and I can’t think of a better way to send them out than another Southern Division title,” said Navy head coach Mike Schofield.</p>
<p>Navy now owns a 46-4 all-time record in the Southern Division Tournament and have won nine games in a row during the tournament.</p>
<p>Navy will battle the winner of George Washington and Johns Hopkins at 12:45 pm on Sunday in Lejuene Hall.</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>
<p>Navy Posts Sweep of Bucknell; Nears Playoffs Berth</p>
<p>LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Navy volleyball team rallied from late deficits in all three games to post a 32-30, 31-29, 31-29 victory over Bucknell, Saturday afternoon at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, Pa. The victory, Navy’s second three-game sweep of the Bison this year, improves its record to 6-6 in the Patriot League this season while Bucknell fell to 4-8 in league play.</p>
<p>The win also moves the Mids to being on the verge of clinching the program’s third Patriot League Tournament appearance in four years. With just two matches remaining in the regular season – Friday at Lafayette, Saturday at Lehigh – Navy can qualify for the postseason in a variety of ways. The Mids advance with a victory either night or, should Navy lose both matches, with a loss by the Leopards to American Saturday. Additionally, Navy can advance by just winning one game Friday at Lafayette.</p>
<p>“The atmosphere in the gym was great tonight, but that made for an extra challenge for us,” said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. "To come away with a three-game win, and having to rally late in every game, is a great accomplishment.</p>
<p>“We are excited to be close to making it to the playoffs, but we know we are not there yet so we still have work to do.”</p>
<p>Navy trailed by as many as seven points (11-4) early in the opening game, but soon rallied and tied the game at 16-16. The Mids tried to pull away midway through the game by taking leads of 25-22, 28-25 and 29-27, but Bucknell soon tied the game at 29-29. The Bison then took a 30-29 lead and had a swing to win the game, but a ball-handling error on the Bison gave Navy new life and tied the score at 30-30. The Mids scored the next two points on Bucknell attack errors to win the game.</p>
<p>Game two saw Navy open up a sizeable lead before Bucknell rallied to take a late lead of its own. The Mids held advantages of 20-15, 26-23 and 28-25, but once again were caught by the Bison, this time at 28-28. Bucknell took the lead at 29-28 and again had a swing to win the game, but the Mids hauled in the attempt and soon ended the point on a kill from Jessie Sims (Jr., Etowah, N.C.). As in the opening game, back-to-back attack errors by Bucknell ended the game with points for the Mids.</p>
<p>Game three was close throughout until Bucknell jumped in front by the score of 25-21. Navy answered and soon took a 29-26 lead but once again the Bison rallied and tied the game at 29-29. Rachel Dougherty (Sr., Derwood, Md.) tallied a kill to give Navy the opportunity to serve for the match, then Alexa Gibbs (Jr., Springfield, Ill.) stepped to the service line dropped in her third ace of the night to end the contest.</p>
<p>Dougherty knocked down 22 kills in the match – one shy of tying the Navy record for the most kills during a three-game match – while totaling a .362 attack percentage. Sims tallied 17 kills and hauled in a Navy-high 16 digs, while Gibbs totaled 11 kills and five blocks to go along with her trio of service aces.</p>
<p>Jenna Henderson’s 19 kills paced Bucknell, while teammate Sheena Czipri grabbed a match-high 18 digs.</p>
<p>Navy as a team totaled a .253 attack percentage and seven aces, while Bucknell finished with a .185 attack percentage and four aces. The Mids also held a 8.0-4.0 advantage in team blocks.</p>
<p>The Mids will play their final home match of the season Tuesday night when Navy plays host to UMBC before taking to the road to end the year with its aforementioned matches at Lafayette and Lehigh.</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>
<p>Navy Wins Two Titles at Head of the Occoquan</p>
<p>FAIRFAX, Va. – The Navy women’s crew team saw its boats place first and second in the collegiate eight and novice eight races at the Head of the Occoquan Regatta Saturday on the Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax, Va. It is the second-straight year in which the Mids won both titles.</p>
<p>“Going into today, we felt we were capable of having a successful day of racing,” said Navy head coach Mike Hughes. “Feeling it and actually going out and doing it are two different things, however. We then went out there and put together a number of very good rows. It was a great way to end our fall season.”</p>
<p>Navy’s top crew in the collegiate eight race posted a winning time of 17:49.66, with its second-place boat finishing 41 seconds later in a time of 18:30.16. George Mason finished in third place in the race with a time of 18:36.60, while Navy’s third entry placed fourth with a clocking of 18:53.33.</p>
<p>In the novice division, Navy boats placed first and second with times of 19:54.23 and 19:54.68, respectively. Bucknell placed third in the race 45 seconds later.</p>
<p>Navy Men’s Soccer Overpowered by Lafayette</p>
<p>EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette’s Scott Hawkins scored a pair of goals in the game’s opening 18 minutes, and the Leopards scored on three of four first-half shots to give Lafayette a 3-0 triumph over Navy in men’s soccer action on Saturday night. The loss drops Navy’s record to 7-7-2 overall and 0-6-0 in the Patriot League.</p>
<p>Hawkins’ first goal came in just the third minute off a corner kick from Anthony Sepe for a 1-0 advantage. Hawkins then scored in the 18th minute with assists from Mark Price and Corey Dempsey. Lafayette then added to the lead in the 31st minute on a Sepe goal, pushing the Leopards’ margin to 3-0. The Mids’ Eric Gorden (Longwood, Fla.) had a chance just after Hawkins’ first goal, but his shot at tying the game clanged off the post, keeping the Mids scoreless.</p>
<p>Doug DeVuono (Racine, Wis.) opened the second half for Navy with a shot that went just wide of goal. Scott Robertson (Chester, Va.) had what was perhaps Navys best look at goal with a shot following a Lafayette penalty but Nelson made a great save to keep the Midshipmen off the board. Despite out-shooting the Leopards by a 5-2 mark in the second half, Nelson and the Lafayette defense managed to hold Navy scoreless to preserve the 3-0 shutout. </p>
<p>Evan Barnes (Dublin, Ohio) stopped two shots in goal for Navy. Navy outshot the Leopards, 9-6, and drew eight corner kicks to Lafayette’s four. Navy was whistled for eight fouls to the Leopards’ 11.</p>
<p>Navy will close out the season with its annual Star Match against Army next Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Fans are encouraged to wear white and the first 150 fans will receive white Navy soccer t-shirts. For ticket information, please call 1-800-US4-NAVY.</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, MD (Saturday, November 03, 2007) * Penn State University scored three unanswered third period goals – two of them shorthanded – to break open a tight game and defeat Navy¹s ice hockey team, 6-1, Saturday night at the McMullen Hockey Arena in Annapolis.</p>
<p>With Saturday night¹s loss the Midshipmen fell to 5-8 overall this season and 0-8 in the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL). Meantime, Penn State¹s Icers improved their overall record to 10-1-2 and their league mark to 8-0. </p>
<p>For the second consecutive game, PSU took an early lead Saturday night, getting a power play goal when the puck trickled past sophomore Navy netminder Eric Anderson off the stick of Penn State¹s Michael McMullen at 6:28 of the first period.</p>
<p>Navy tied the score just over a minute later while the Mids were enjoying a power play of their own when junior Jeff Martin fired a hard wrist shot that beat Penn State¹s freshman goaltender Edward Hume at 7:52. Classmate Nolan Anliker and senior Brian Gleason assisted. It was Martin¹s second goal of the weekend, fifth of the season, and 15th of his Naval Academy career.</p>
<p>The Icers quickly regained their one-goal advantage, 2-1, when senior Paul Zodtner knocked a rebound past Anderson at the 8:31 mark of the first while the teams were at equal strength, assists going to seniors Keith Jordan and Bryan Sobonya. It was Zodtner¹s first goal this season.</p>
<p>Navy held Penn State in check for most of the second stanza, but the Icers extended their advantage to 3-1 late in the period when junior Scott Dakan scored at 17:15 while PSU had an extra attacker on the ice due to a delayed penalty call against the Mids. Juniors Kyle Mills and Brandon Rubeo assisted on Dakan’s goal.</p>
<p>Any chance Navy had to gain its first league victory disappeared in the third period when the Mids were held scoreless and the Icers found the net three times. Junior Jaime Zimmel scored shorthanded at 6:52, freshman Tim O¹Brien recorded a power play tally at 10:00, and senior Nate Obringer picked up another shorthanded goal at 14:29 to complete the night¹s scoring.</p>
<p>Anderson had another busy night between the pipes for the Mids, finishing with 51 saves, while Penn State¹s Hume was credited with 29 stops, as PSU outshot Navy by nearly a two-to-one margin, 57-30.</p>
<p>The Midshipmen are in action again Friday night when they travel to the University of Delaware for a key ESCHL clash at 7 p.m. Navy then hosts Delaware next Saturday night (November 10) at 7:30 p.m. at the McMullen Hockey Arena. </p>
<p>PUCK POINTS: Saturday night¹s crowd was late arriving, as many attendees were undoubtedly glued to the TV watching Navy¹s football team upend Notre Dame in triple overtime, 46-44, breaking a streak of 43 tough losses to the Fighting Irishin another ESCHL game Friday night, the University of Delaware lost at Rhode Island, 3-2, in overtime when the Rams won a shootout, 2-1Drexel beat Towson Friday night, 7-6 in a non-league gameDelaware faced URI at the Brad Boss Arena and Towson traveled to Drexel again Saturday nighteven though it¹s a road game, Navy’s game Friday night at Delaware will be broadcast on the TEAMLINE network, with Josh Martinelli and Pete Bourgeois handling the play-by-play and color commentary.</p>
<p>SCORING SUMMARY </p>
<p>Penn State 2 1 3 - 6</p>
<p>NAVY 1 0 0 - 1</p>
<p>First Period </p>
<p>PS * McMullen (O¹Brien, Mills) 6:28 PP</p>
<p>N * Martin 5 (Anliker, Gleason) 7:52 PP</p>
<p>PS * Zodtner (Jordan, Sobonya) 8:31</p>
<p>Second Period </p>
<p>PS * Dakan (Mills, Rubeo) 17:15</p>
<p>Third Period </p>
<p>PS * Zimmel (unassisted) 6:52 SH</p>
<p>PS * O¹Brien (Mills, DeLorenzo) 10:00 PP</p>
<p>PS * Obringer (O¹Brien) 14:29 SH</p>
<p>SAVES </p>
<p>Hume (Penn State) 5 10 14 - 29</p>
<p>Anderson (NAVY) 10 19 22 - 51</p>
<p>SHOTS </p>
<p>Penn State 12 20 25 - 57</p>
<p>NAVY 6 10 14 - 30</p>
<p>(Information compiled by Jim Guiberson)</p>
<p>Navy Water Polo Tops Johns Hopkins For Southern Title</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The 10th-ranked Navy water polo shook off a pesky Johns Hopkins, 11-7, to win its third straight CWPA Southern Division Tournament title on Sunday afternoon in Annapolis. The win moves Navy’s record to 26-5 overall and more importantly, will give the Mids the top overall seed in the CWPA Eastern Championships in two weeks in Boston. The winner of the Eastern Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.</p>
<p>The Mids led 2-0 after the first quarter and stretched the lead to 5-2 at halftime. However, the Bluejays rallied to tie the game at 5-5 by scoring the first three goals of the second half in a two-minute span. The Hopkins’ run was countered by a three-goal Navy run, sparked by senior Aaron Recko, who scored two of the three goals to give Navy an 8-5 cushion after three quarters. Navy then outscored the Jays, 3-2, in the fourth quarter for the 11-7 victory.</p>
<p>Recko had a monster game for the Mids, scoring a season-best seven goals while winning all four sprints. Bram Arnold, Chuck Baker, Andrew Bingham and Marek Malik also scored for Navy. George Naughton made 12 saves in goal, while Steve Craney added one stop.</p>
<p>“It was the Aaron Recko show today. He had a phenomenal game for us,” said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. “Marek Malik also played very well on the defensive end for us. It’s always great to win Southerns and it was nice to send our seniors off on a high note in their final home game, in front of their parents and fans. They have meant a lot to this program and are hoping to add a couple of more wins in the next month or so.”</p>
<p>Navy has now won 16 games in a row, dating back to Sept. 16. The 16-game streak is tied for the second-longest in school history behind just a 19-game streak in 1994. Meanwhile, Navy’s 26 wins this year are also tied for the second most in school history, behind the 1986 team that went 28-8. Lastly, this year’s team owns an. 839 winning percentage, also second behind the 1983 team’s winning percentage of .897 (26-3).</p>
<p>The Mids improved to 47-4 all-time in the Southern Division Tournament, and have now won 10 games in a row in the tournament, winning the last three titles. Just one team, Princeton, has defeated Navy during the Southern Division Tournament.</p>
<p>Navy will be off until the CWPA Eastern Championships on Nov. 16-18, in Cambridge, Mass.</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007
Wrestling Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773</p>
<p>Five Navy Wrestlers Make Finals Appearances, Steele Wins Title at Eastern Michigan Open</p>
<p>YPSILANTI, Mich. - Five Navy wrestlers qualified for the championship bout in their respective weight classes, including junior Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) who won the heavyweight title Saturday night at the
season-opening Eastern Michigan Open. Despite wrestling into the wee hours of the night, seven Midshipmen placed fourth or better among the more than 430 wrestlers entered in the tournament, including four second-place finishes and Steele’s title win.</p>
<p>“We had some good performances and some that I didn’t think were up to par,” said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. “But we are still very early in the year and this was our first competition that we were able to see where we measure up. Bottom line is that we have a lot of work to do on all levels. We’re going to get back in the room this week and build on the good things and do our best to rid ourselves of the bad.”</p>
<p>Last year Navy sent six wrestlers to the championship bout, but none were able to walk away with the crown. This year, the Midshipmen were assured of at least one title thanks to the absolute domination of Navy’s heavyweight duo of Steele and returning NCAA qualifier Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.). Both wrestlers had to defeat four opponents before meeting one another in the championship. Mentally, Steele had the advantage going into the championship bout after defeating Prendergast in last week’s Blue-Gold Challenge Matches. Steele, in fact, walked away with the title by defeating Prendergast, 5-1.</p>
<p>Navy All-American Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) was forced to take second place at 174 pounds for the second year in a row after the referee awarded Lindenwood’s Matt Cauley a questionable pin over the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the country. Stolpinski put himself in a tough position, however, the two wrestlers were scrambling to gain control when the referee ruled Stolpinski’s shoulders were down at the 3:18 mark.</p>
<p>Senior Spencer Manley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) put forth a solid effort en route to a 4-1 record on the day and a second-place finish at 149 pounds. Manley opened the day with four straight wins, including a pair of major decisions. Manley, though, was forced to default in the championship bout against Purdue’s Jake Patacsil, ranked eighth nationally, after suffering a knee injury in the semifinals against Ryan Moyer of Lindenwood whom he beat, 6-4.</p>
<p>Rookie Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) also wrestled well at 149 pounds where he placed third in his first tournament at Navy. Saddoris dispatched his first four opponents, including Eastern Michigan’s Cody Heir whom he pinned at 1:36. Purdue’s Patacsil, however, snapped Saddoris’ momentum by pinning the
newcomer, sending him to the third-place bout. Saddoris went on to clip Lindenwood’s Moyer, 7-5, to take third.</p>
<p>Wrestling in his first collegiate tournament, Pasadena, Md., native Joey Breen brought back a second-place finish at 133 pounds. Breen pinned Michigan’s Mike Sears in his opening bout before turning in a stunning 17-0 tech fall against Glen Distenefano. Back-to-back decisions, including a slim 5-4 advantage over
hometown favorite and 19th-ranked Sean Clairof Eastern Michigan, sent Breen into the finals where he fell to Lindenwood’s Ray Stephens by major decision (14-6).</p>
<p>Second-year standout Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) earned a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds with a 3-2 record. Pagan opened with a 5-4 decision over AJ Kissel of Purdue, however, Kissel would have the final say of the day as he turned the tables on Pagan in the third-place match, handing Pagan a 9-8 loss.</p>
<p>The Midshipmen will take the next two weeks to return to the room and fine-tune their skills before returning to the mats on Nov. 17 when they play host to the Navy Classic at Halsey Field House.</p>
<p>For Immediate Release
Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007
Women’s Soccer Contact: Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773</p>
<p>Army Travels to Annapolis in Women’s Soccer Battle</p>
<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Riding a three-game winning streak, the Navy women’s soccer team will look to lock up the No. 3 spot in the Patriot League Tournament when it faces archrival Army on Monday at 4:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in the annual Star Game. The winner of the contest will receive the No. 3 seed in the postseason conference tournament to be played next Friday and Sunday at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., while a tie would give the Midshipmen the No. 3 seed by virtue of goal differential in conference play.</p>
<p>Thanks to a pair of goals by senior forward Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.) last Saturday against Colgate, the Midshipmen clinched a spot in the four-team Patriot League Tournament. Army also secured a spot on Saturday by tying Lehigh in Bethlehem, 0-0. Bucknell, the top seed, and American, the second seed, await the outcome of Monday’s Army-Navy game to see who they will be matched up against in Friday’s semifinal contests.</p>
<p>After playing a tough scheduled filled with highly-ranked regional foes, Navy finally settled in in the past month where they have turned in a 5-1-2 record, last dropping a contest on Oct. 5 against Patriot League regular-season champion Bucknell, 1-0. Since that loss, the Mids have outscored their opponents 20-4, including 9-3 in Patriot League play.</p>
<p>Fox has enjoyed a sensational senior campaign where she has set a program record for most goals by a senior with 13, previously held by the late Stacy Finley and Meggie Curran who amassed 12 each. Fox is pacing the Mids with 29 points with five of her 13 goals ending in game-winners. </p>
<p>Senior captain Kari Weniger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) has also stepped up her game in recent weeks as she is Navy’s second-leading scorer. Seven of her 11 points this fall have been among Navy’s Patriot League schedule, including a two-goal effort against Holy Cross and a two-assist performance in Saturday’s win over Colgate.</p>
<p>An astonishing 16 players have scored goals for the Midshipmen, while 20 have turned in a goal or an assist. Meanwhile, six players have accounted for Navy’s 11 game-winning goals as only Fox and junior defender Carey Young (Virginia Beach, Va.) have produced multiple game-winners.</p>
<p>Junior Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.) has played and started 17 of the 19 games and owns a 1.02 goals-against average, including a 0.62 mark in conference play. She has surrendered 17 goals on the year, four of which have come against Patriot League foes. As a team, the Mids have earned eight shutouts this fall with Barnes playing the complete game in five of those.</p>
<p>Army enters Monday’s game with an identical 3-1-2 record in conference play and mirroring the Mids’ wins, loss and ties. The Black Knights are coming off back-to-back scoreless ties on the road against American and Lehigh. The two ties are impressive considering prior to the two contests Army owned a 1-3-0 record in true road games. Factor in neutral site affairs and the Black Knights are 2-3-3 away from West Point.</p>
<p>Third-year midfielder Sarah Goss has been the Black Knights’ most proficient scorer, turning in a team-high five goals and adding an assist for 11 points. Junior forward Pia White has put forth a balanced effort with eight points on three goals and two assists, while junior middie Amelia Janoski owns five points on one goal and a team-best three assists. Rookie Alex Lostetter has had a solid season in goal for Army where she has given up 11 goals (0.78 GAA) and made 62 stops (.849 sv%) in more than 1200 minutes of action. Army’s defense has not given up a goal in more than 275 minutes, as Holy Cross scored at 33:11 three games ago. As a team, the Black Knights have been outscored by one this fall, 15-14.</p>
<p>“Army is having a very successful year and we are excited to play them at their best,” added Gabarra. “It is always a very entertaining and attacking style soccer game. The fans will certainly leave here with a new appreciation for high level women’s soccer.” </p>
<p>The Midshipmen took a game lead in the series (8-7-1) over the Black Knights thanks to a 4-0 rout at West Point a year ago. The four-goal Navy win was the largest margin of victory by either team and was only the third time in the 16-game history that either team had won by two or more goals. Navy owns a 4-3-0 record against Army in games played in Annapolis, however, the Black Knights earned a 1-0 victory over the Midshipmen in 2004 on a rain-soaked evening at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.</p>
<p>Army-Navy is one of the most storied rivalries in all of college and professional athletics. Its roots date back to Nov. 29, 1890, when the two military institutions squared off on the gridiron with Navy taking the inaugural
meeting, 24-0.</p>
<p>Twenty-two of Navy’s 31 sports battle Army each year in Star Competitions - that is a predetermined contest between Army and Navy with the winner receiving a letter for his/her letter sweater. The two institutions have met eight times this year with Navy holding a 5-2 edge, while the Mids own a 4-1 advantage in Star Competitions thanks to wins by the men’s and women’s cross country teams, as well as the golf and spring football squads.</p>
<p>“I never have to worry about how intense and ready we are for an Army game because the game has implications to all alumni and Navy and Marine Corps officers in the fleet,” said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. “We will be at our best and hopefully will continue to improve as we have been in recent weeks.”</p>
<p>Prior to the start of Monday’s game, Navy will hold a short ceremony honoring the Mids’ five seniors - Kari Weniger (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.), Lindsay Parker (Carmichael, Calif.), Rachel Tarbox (Upper Arlington, Ohio) and Katie Traster (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).</p>