Sept. 10, 2015 ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Coming off its 6-1 victory over East Tennessee State, the Navy women's soccer team (3-3) will look to continue its momentum at home, hosting La Salle on Friday (7 PM) and Illinois State on Sunday (1 PM).
KEY NOTES FOR LA SALLE:
• After finishing the 2014 season with a 14-6-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year, the Explorers were picked to finish second in the Atlantic-10 behind Dayton.
• La Salle has begun 2015 with a 1-2-2 mark and 0-2 on the road.
• After back-to-back ties in their first two matches at home, the Explorers have lost two of their last three matches, falling at Maryland, 1-0 and at Pittsburgh, 3-1. La Salle picked up its first win of 2015 vs. Lehigh, 2-1.
• Redshirt senior Katie Getzinger has been strong in net, holding opponents to a 1.10 goals per game with a .793 save percentage.
• La Salle has seen four different goal scorers this season with Madison Bower leading the team with three points on one goal and one assist. Bower tallied the game-winner against Lehigh.
KEY NOTES FOR ILLINOIS STATE:
• Following a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship title and an appearance in the second round of the 2014 NCAA tournament, Illinois State was picked to finish second behind Evansville in the MVC preseason poll.
• Despite losing three of their first four matches, the Redbirds are unbeaten in their last two matches, including a win over BIG TEN opponent Wisconsin, 1-0, in Madison, Wis.
• Brianne Richards leads all Illinois State players on offense with five points on two goals and one assist, including the game-winner against Milwaukee.
• Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jessica Galason took over the role of starting goalie for the Redbirds after Illinois State fell behind 2-0 in the first 25 minutes against Eastern Michigan. Galason took over responsibilities in net and has not allowed a goal in 155:00 minutes, tallying 10 saves.
SHOWING DEPTH
• After six matches, Navy has seen production from almost every member of its squad on offense. The Mids have had 11 different goal scorers with Natalie Dzhandzhapanyan and Rachel Feldman leading the team with two goals each. Navy has also had 11 different players with at least one assist with freshman Eleanor Pratt recording a team-high three.
• In its three wins, Navy has had a different player record a game winner. Sophomore Meghan Hegarty and freshmen Anabell Motley and Margaret Woodward have each tallied a game-winning goal this season.
• Of the 19 field players to have seen action this season, 16 Mids have tallied at least one point. Sophomore goalkeeper Taygan Grundy tallied her first career assist against ETSU.
AN ALL-AROUND TEAM EFFORT
• Having generated seven goals through the first five games, Navy exploded with six goals in its victory over ETSU, 6-1, on Sept. 6.
• The Mids had six different players record a goal and eight different players tally an assist. Of the six goals scored, Navy had two freshmen score their first career goals, as Ash Fairow and Anabell Motley found the back of the net. Motley and Fairow also tallied their first collegiate assist, as well.
•It was not just the field players that found their names in the box score for points, but Navy's goalkeeper Taygan Grundy found her way in the statsheet for more than just saves. Grundy recorded her first career assist on teammate Clare MacAdam's goal in the 81st minute.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS
• Navy's freshmen wasted very little time making an impact on the team, tallying two goals in the final 10 minutes of the Mids' season-opener versus UMBC to earn a decisive 3-2 win. Mary August scored the first goal in the 83rd minute and Margaret Woodward followed up in the 84th minute to tally their first career goals.
• Karli Sottung tallied her first collegiate goal against #25 UConn in the 64th minute.
• Eleanor Pratt recorded her first two career assists in back-to-back contests, first against VMI (8/28) then against #25 UConn (8/30).
• Abby Goodrich grabbed her first assist of her career against VMI (8/28).
• Ash Fairow and Anabell Motley each tallied their first career goal and assist against ETSU (9/6)
HOME SWEET HOME
• The Glenn Warner Soccer Facility has created quite the home field advantage for the Navy soccer program with an all-time record of 172-44-18 (.774).
• Following wins over UMBC and VMI, Navy recorded a nine-game winning streak at home and unbeaten in the last 12 (10-0-2) before falling to 25th-ranked UConn, 4-2, on Sunday, Aug. 30. It was the first time since 2003 that Navy had allowed four goals or more at home.
• The Mids record for consecutive home wins in a season is 14, which was set in the 2006 season. Over multiple seasons, Navy has strung together 15-straight home wins from 1997 to 1998.
Parking / Shuttle Information
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles on to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for $5 and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting at 6:00 PM, one hour prior to the game and will continue running until 10:30 PM on Friday. On Sunday the shuttle will run from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Dogs are not permitted inside the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
Navy-La Salle Promotion
Hero's Night: All first responders, active military and veterans receive free admission into Friday's match by showing proper ID at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility ticket window.
Navy-Illinois State Promotion
Family Day Out: Purchase 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 Pepsi products for just $30. Get this spectacular deal at the ticket window on gameday.
