Nov. 4, 2010
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GAMEDAY INFO
Lafayette(7-7-3 / 2-3-1 PL) at Navy (7-4-4 / 2-1-3 PL)
Saturday, November 6 • 7:00 pm (ET)
Annapolis, Md. • Glenn Warner Soccer Facility (2,500)
SHUTTLE INFORMATION
• The Navy-Lafayette men's soccer shuttle will leave from the west side of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The shuttle will start one hour before the game and will run one hour after the game. Cost for parking at the stadium is $5.
PROMOTIONS FOR SATURDAY
-- YMCA Night: All YMCA members can purchase a ticket for $2.
-- Boys & Girls Club: All Boys & Girls Club members can purchase a ticket for $2.
-- Billy the Kid Club Night: All Billy the Kid Club members can attend the game for FREE. Just show your member ID!
-- Scout Day: All troops receive $2 admission when purchasing ticket in advance.
-- Hot Chocolate Mug Giveaway: Fans can receive a FREE Soccer Mug while supplies last, and fill it up with complimentary hot chocolate to keep away the chill.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy men's soccer team closes out the regular season on Saturday night facing Lafayette at 7:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Midshipmen, which are trying to reach the Patriot League Tournament for first time in nine years, enter the contest with a 7-4-4 overall mark and are in fourth place in the league standings with a 2-1-3 record. Lafayette, which can also earn the spot with a win and some help from Lehigh, enters with a 7-7-3 record and a 2-3-1 league record.
The Scenario
• It's pretty cut and dry what Navy needs to do to reach the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2001.
• A Navy win ensures Navy of the fourth and final spot in the league tournament, no matter what happens in any of the league's other three games on Saturday. A win could move Navy into third place depending on what happens between American and Colgate.
• A Navy tie and a Bucknell tie or loss to Lehigh will also give Navy a spot in the tournament. The Mids would be the fourth seed in the tournament in this scenario.
• Lastly, a Navy loss would eliminate the Mids from contention, as either Lafayette or Bucknell would grab the fourth and final spot.
• Navy could finish as high as third or as low as sixth in the final league standings.
About the Game
• The Mids are paced by three double-digit scorers on offense and are outscoring foes, 24-12, ranking as statistically the top team in the Patriot League in both scoring offense and goals against average. Dave Arnold (12), Michael Rakoczy (11) and Patrick Sopko (10) have all reached double-figure scoring.
• Defensively, Aaron Dupere is having a strong season, boasting a league-best 0.77 GAA and an .815 save percentage while registering 53 saves in goal.
• Lafayette is 2-1-1 in its last four games after enduring a four-game losing streak from Oct. 2 to 16. The Leopards started the season 5-2-2, but are just 2-5-1 since.
• Sean Peckham leads Lafayette with 10 points (3 g, 4 a), while three other players have added eight points. Andrew Pianko owns a 1.15 GAA and an .811 save percentage in goal.
The Series
• Navy leads the all-time series, 16-15-3, over Lafayette. including an 11-8-3 mark at home ... however, Lafayette has won seven of the last eight meetings and are 7-0-1 against Navy since a 1-0 Midshipmen win in 2001 ... the Leopards have won the last seven meetings with Navy by a combined score of 18-1 ... Navy's last win over Lafayette in Annapolis came in the 1996 season, and the Mids are 0-5-1 in the last six meetings in Annapolis.
More On the Midshipmen
• With just one regular-season game left to play, Navy has secured its first winning record since the 2005 team went 8-6-2 ... Navy's four losses so far are the fewest since the 2001 team went 11-3-3 ... Navy's four ties equal the most in a season since the 1989 team went 6-4-5. The 2004 team also tied four games.
• Navy is 4-0-2 at home this season, outscoring its opponents, 14-2 ... the last time Navy was unbeaten at home came in the 1989 season (4-0-3).
• Navy has three double-figure scorers for the first time since 2000 (five players).
• Navy ranks third in the latest NSCAA / Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, while Colgate is second.
• In Navy's last two losses (Longwood, N.C. State), after taking a 1-0 lead, Navy has surrendered two goals in both games in a three-minute span or less in the second half ... Longwood scored goals in the 72nd and 73rd minutes to rally from a 1-0 deficit, while N.C. State scored in the 73rd and 76th minutes to come back for the 2-1 victory.
• When Navy scores one or more goals in a game under Brandt, the Mids are 15-2-1 ... when not scoring a goal, Navy is 0-13-3 ... when Navy scores two or more goals under Brandt, the record jumps to 12-0-0.
• Navy has won 10 Patriot League weekly awards this year, including four by freshman keeper Aaron Dupere and two by classmates Dave Arnold and Patrick Sopko ... a Navy player has been honored in eight-of-nine weeks this season ... during the 2004-09 seasons combined, the Mids won a total of 10 weekly awards.
• Lastly, a hearty shout out to the Navy fans all season long. Navy enters the final game boasting the top average attendance in the league, drawing 614 fans per game, including two of the top 15 men's crowds in facility history.
Patriot League Tournament Information
• Colgate (14 pts.), Lehigh (13 pts.) and American (11 pts.) have already clinched spots in the Patriot League Tournament. Three teams (Navy, Bucknell and Lafayette) are fighting for that final tournament spot.
• The Tournament will be played in either Hamilton, N.Y. (Colgate), Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh) or Washington, D.C. (American), beginning next Friday, Nov. 12, at times to be determined. The semifinals will be played on Friday with the finals being played on Sunday at the same site.
# GO NAVY #
