Sept. 10, 2010

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• Arnold, Sopko Earn League Honors
• Navy Men's Soccer Ranked Seventh in Region

GAMEDAY SPECIFICS
UMBC (2-1-0) at Navy (2-0-0)
Saturday, September 11, 2010 • 8:00 pm
Annapolis, Md. • Glenn Warner Soccer Facility (2,500)
SHUTTLE INFORMATION: Shuttles to the Navy-UMBC Soccer game will run from the Naval Exchange (321 Kinkaid Road, Annapolis, Md.), starting at 7:00 pm. There is no cost for parking at or riding the shuttle from the Naval Exchange.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
-- Free Admission With Georgia Southern Football ticket stub.
-- NFCU Night (All members of NFCU will receive the group rate by showing their NFCU credit cards or checks).
-- Servicemen and Women Night (In honor of Sept. 11, all servicemen, women and veterans are invited to attend this game for free. Fans are encouraged to bring items to put in care packages and kids will be invited to color pictures that will be shipped overseas to our troops).

Game Overview
• The Navy men's soccer team looks to continue its strong start to the season on Saturday night as it faces a very strong UMBC squad at 8:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Midshipmen enter the game with a 2-0-0 mark and are ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA / Mid-Atlantic region. UMBC is 2-1-0 and ranked No. 8 in the North Atlantic Region.
• Saturday's game with UMBC will be the 1,101th game played in program history. The 1,101 games played are the ninth most in NCAA history. Navy owns an all-time record of 614-362-124 (.615), the 15th-most wins in NCAA history.

Getting To This Point
• Navy is off to a 2-0-0 start for the first time since 2005, as it defeated Wofford (3-1) and VMI (5-0) last weekend. The Mids are the top-scoring team in the Patriot League, averaging 4.00 goals per game.
• UMBC is 2-1-0 after falling to Towson, 5-3, on Tuesday night, snapping a 13-game September winning streak that dated back to 2008.

Mids Jump Out of the Gates Fast
• Navy snapped a six-game losing streak (dating back to last year) in impressive fashion last Thursday night in its opener against Wofford, a team that made the 2009 NCAA Tournament, 3-1. The Mids had been shut out in six straight games prior to the victory.
• Navy then scored five goals for the first time in over 10 years as it netted five in a 5-0 victory over VMI on Saturday night. The last time Navy scored five goals in a game came in the 2000 season opener against Long Island.
• Navy enters Saturday's game as the top-scoring team in the Patriot League, as well as the top defensive team in the league, allowing just one goal in two games.

Fast Facts on UMBC
• Location: Baltimore, Md.
• Enrollment: 12,870
• Nickname: Retrievers
• School Colors: Black & Gold
• Conference: America East

Scouting UMBC
• UMBC is one of the nation's most explosive offensive teams, already scoring 10 goals in just three games this year, outscoring Wofford (2-0) and VMI (5-3) and falling to Towson (5-3).
• The Retrievers returned two of the nation's top scorers from a year ago in Levi Houapeu (4-1=9) and Andrew Bulls (1-4=6). The duo also gotten help this year from freshmen Nirav Kadem (2-2=6) and Pete Caringi (2-1=5), the coaches' son.
• Defensively, the Retrievers have given up eight goals so far this year, including five to Towson and three to VMI. However, starter Phil Saunders had not allowed a goal in 135 minutes prior to the game with Towson. Against the Tigers, he allowed four goals in 68 minutes and made just one save. He owns a 1.77 GAA and a save percentage of .500.

The Series
• Overall: Navy leads, 15-3-3
• In Annapolis: Navy leads, 9-1-1
• At GWSF: Tied, 0-0-1
• In Baltimore: Navy leads, 6-2-2
• Current Streak: Navy, 1-0-2
• Goals: Navy 37, UMBC 17
• The teams met every year from 1981-1998, but just three times since the start of the 2000s. It will be the first meeting since a scoreless tie in the 2005 season.

More About Navy
• Navy is 2-0-0 for the first time since 2005. A win over UMBC would give Navy a 3-0-0 start for the first time since 1992.
• Navy has scored eight goals in two games so far this year. Last year, the Mids scored 17 goals in 19 games.
• Navy's eight goals in the first two games equal the most in a two-game span since the 1995 team scored 12 goals in back-to-back games. The 2005 and 2000 (twice) teams also scored eight goals in back-to-back games.
• Navy has had 10 players score points already this year, one year after 14 players scored points all season long.
• Navy's leading goal scorer, Dave Arnold, already has more goals this year than last year's leading scorer (four players had two) had all of last year.
• The Mids lead the Patriot League in points (24), points per game (12.00), goals (8), goals per game (4.00), assists (8) and assists per game (4.00). In addition, Navy is tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed (1) and is second in goals against average (0.50).
• The crowd of 905 against VMI was the 10th largest men's crowd in Glenn Warner Soccer Facility history, and the fifth-largest non-Army men's crowd in facility history.

Arnold, Sopko Earn Patriot League Honors
• A pair of Navy freshmen, Dave Arnold and Patrick Sopko, were named Patriot League Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Tuesday.
• Arnold tallied three goals in two games, including the game-winner against Wofford, last week to earn Off. POW. He is the second Navy freshman to ever win the award (Michael Paisant - 1997) and the first player in any class since Doug DeVuono in 2007.
• Meanwhile, Sopko scored five points (1 g, 3 a) in last week's game to be named Rookie of the Week.
• It is just the fourth time in school history that two Navy players have won awards in the same week.

What's Next
• Navy will hit the road for the first time in 2010, as it travels to Delaware on Sept. 15 and to UNC Greensboro on Sept. 18. Navy will return home for a Wednesday, Sept. 22, game against La Salle that kicks off at 7:00 pm.
• The following promotions are available for the La Salle game:
-- High School Night: All high school students receive $2 admission by showing their school ID.
-- Youth Soccer Month: September is Youth Soccer Month and to celebrate, Navy Soccer is giving out free t-shirts and giveaways while supplies last.

# GO NAVY #