Sept. 1, 2011
Final Stats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Liam Cahill's goal in the 29th minute stood up and Fairleigh Dickinson withstood a second-half attack by the Navy men's soccer team in topping the Mids, 1-0, in the home opener on Thursday night.
The loss drops Navy to 0-2-0 on the season, while Fairleigh Dickinson improved to 2-0-0.
"We just came out really flat in the first half and I have no idea why," said Navy head coach Dave Brandt. "We just didn't have much of a spark and seemed a step slow all game. It's something we need to get fixed."
Navy nearly got on the board just five minutes into the game when Joseph Greenspan (Fr. / Westfield, N.J.) took a pass at the top of the box and sent a shot just wide of the goal. That was Navy's best chance of the first half, as FDU tightened up and held the Mids to just three shots in the opening 45 minutes.
Fairleigh Dickinson scored the only goal of the game in the 29th minute when Liam Cahill took a one-touch pass from Jonathan Gonzalez and chipped a shot into the top left corner for a 1-0 Knights' advantage.
Navy had several good chances in the second half, including a shot by Wes Powell (Sr. / Jackson, N.J.) that skimmed off the top of the crossbar and a blast by Martin Sanchez (So. / Salisbury, Md.) that sailed just wide with about 15 minutes left.
Navy also had several chances late in the second half, but couldn't find its way through traffic as FDU packed in the defense late in the game.
"We have gotten no breaks so far this year, and we just need one to break through," said Brandt. "We'll come back out and be ready to play on Saturday night."
Navy was outshot, 14-12, but drew seven corner kicks to FDU's five. Aaron Dupere (So. / Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) stopped six shots in his first appearance of the season, after sitting out the opener with an injury. Dupere kept Navy in the game late with several sensational, point-blank saves in the second half.
"I thought Aaron played really well in his first game back," said Brandt. "He made some great saves and kept us in the game."
Navy will host St. Francis, N.Y., on Saturday night at 8:00 pm at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Fans that purchased a ticket for tonight's game can show their ticket on Saturday night and receive free admission. In addition, fans that show their Navy-Delaware football ticket stub at the GWSF gate on Saturday night also receive a free ticket.
Lastly, the Navy shuttle bus will leave from the Naval Exchange on 321 Kinkaid Road in Annapolis. Parking at the Naval Exchange is free.
GAME NOTES
Navy saw a five-game non-conference home winning streak end. During the last six non-conference home games, Navy is outscoring its foes, 15-2 ... Navy has given up five goals in two games this year after giving up 13 in 16 games last year ... Aaron Dupere is now eligible for career records (1,500 GK minutes played) at Navy, and his 0.79 GAA would rank as the top number in school history ... Navy is 2-1-0 against Fairleigh Dickinson ... Navy started two seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and one freshman tonight.
# GO NAVY #
