Nov. 6, 2010
Final Stats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Lafayette's Sean Peckham scored on a questionable penalty kick in the 48th minute for the game's only scoring in dealing the Navy men's soccer team a crushing 1-0 setback at a chilly Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on Saturday night.
The loss ends Navy's season at 7-5-4 overall and 2-2-3 in the Patriot League, good for sixth in the league standings. Lafayette, which appeared headed for the Patriot League Tournament until Bucknell scored two late goals to defeat Lehigh in overtime to earn the fourth and final spot, ended its season with an 8-7-3 overall mark and 3-3-1 in league play.
The game's lone goal came on a harmless play in the Navy defensive end. The Mids were whistled for a questionable hand-ball in the box when the ball appeared to hit the Navy defenseman's shoulder with no Lafayette players near the ball. The Leopards were awarded a penalty kick and Sean Peckham put the ball into the left side of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
"After their goal it was tough to attack them, because they had just one agenda for the rest of the game, and that was to play defense," said Navy head coach Dave Brandt. "I thought it was a really soft penalty call to make in a game of this magnitude. There was no danger and no one in the area of the ball. That was a tough call to take."
Navy's best chance came in the 42nd minute when Alex Wilson (Fr. / Phoenix, Ariz.) sent a shot at the goal that the Lafayette keeper saved, but bounced right to Will Parker (So. / Annandale, Va.) who sent a rebound shot just left of the goal.
The Mids carried play for most of the second half after Lafayette's goal, but managed only two of their 16 shots on goal for the evening.
"I like our team and I am proud of the season we had. We are deeply disappointed with the result tonight," said Brandt. "I think this team and program has tons of potential and the program is only going to get better. If we would have made the tournament, I felt that we could have been a very dangerous team. You have to earn your way into the tournament though, and we didn't do that."
Navy outshot the Leopards, 16-11, and had four corner kicks to Lafayette's two. Aaron Dupere (Fr. / Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) had two saves in goal.
The Mids will lose just three seniors (Sam Lepley, Alex Foskett and Will Craven) and will return all but two assists by Foskett for next year's team.
# GO NAVY #
