Sept. 17, 2005
IRVINE, Calif. -- No. 11-ranked Navy fell in its opening game of the SoCal Invite, but rallied to take the second game as it split on the first day. In the first game, Navy dropped a 9-6 decision to fifth-ranked Pepperdine, but rallied to defeat No. 16 UC-Santa Barbara, 6-4, in the nightcap. The Mids improved to 7-3 with the win. The tournament, which features 14 of the top 16 teams in the country, will finish tomorrow.
In the first game, Navy led the Waves, 4-2, midway through the first quarter, but Pepperdine outscored the Mids, 7-2, the rest of the way for the victory.
"We played well early, and had every opportunity to win the game, but we just couldn't finish some chances," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. "We ran into a very good team, and got a lot of guys some action. We just had a few too many breakdowns and missed opportunities."
Todd Carlson (Modesto, Calif.) led the Navy attack with two goals, while Jordan Gentry (San Antonio, Texas), Alex Ratcliffe (Coronado, Calif.), Bram Arnold (Lemoore, Calif.) and Jordan Flacco (Calabasas, Calif.) had one goal each. Sophomore George Naughton (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) stopped eight shots in goal for Navy.
In the second game of the day, a 6-4 win over 16th-ranked UC-Santa Barbara, the Mids rallied for three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to claim the victory. The two teams were tied at three at halftime, but the Gauchos led 4-3 after three quarters. Navy rallied with three goals in the fourth quarter for its seventh win of the season. It marked the first time in eight tries all-time that Navy has beaten UC-Santa Barbara.
"It's the first time since I have been here that we have beaten them, so they are obviously a very good team," said Schofield. "I have to compliment our seniors. They got off to a slow start, but really turned it on in the fourth quarter and came through when we needed them. They did some very good things."
Gentry and freshman Michael Mulvey (Carlsbad, Calif.) tallied two goals for Navy and Carlson and Flacco added one each. Naughton had a big game for Navy in goal, stopping 13 shots.
"Naughton had a great game for us in goal," said Schofield. "He had a stellar day and really stepped up when we needed him."
Navy will play at least two games on Sunday, battling ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount at 1:50 EDT, and then another game to be determined later in the day.
# GO NAVY #
