CHESTER, Pa. – The Navy men's soccer team suffered a 4-1 loss against rival Army on Friday night at Army-Navy Cup VII at Talen Energy Stadium.
 
Jacob Williams (Fr., Millersville, Md.) got the Midshipmen (1-10-1, 0-5-0 Patriot League) on the board early, but the Black Knights' (5-6-1, 2-3-0 PL) three second-half goals were too much for Navy to overcome.
 
"We have to tip our hat to Army," head coach Tim O'Donohue said after the match. "We have to give Army credit for the match they played and we have to get ready to get back to work to face James Madison next week."
 
After a back-and-forth affair to start the match, Navy scored in the 28th minute with Williams' team-leading fourth goal of the season. Off of a throw-in, Matt Nocita (Fr., Porter Ranch, Calif.) headed the ball back to Williams, where Williams volleyed his first touch between the goalkeeper's legs to put the Midshipmen ahead, 1-0. 
 
Army came back firing with a few scoring chances, but Tyler Fahning (Fr., Victoria, Minn.) came up with a save and then the Navy defense directed another chance wide of the goal.
 
The Black Knights tied the match, just five minutes before halftime after a strike from Keenan O'Shea to make it 1-1 at the break. At the half, Navy held a 9-5 edge in shots and a 3-2 edge in shots on goal.
 
To start the second half, Army found its offensive stride with two goals in just over a two-minute span to grab a 3-1 lead midway through the second half. Off of a corner kick, Sam Milliken scored in the 64th minute to put the Black Knights ahead, 2-1.
 
In the 66th minute, O'Shea had a free kick from the top-right corner of the penalty area and after Fahning deflected the ball in the air, the deflection floated into the back of the net to put Army ahead, 3-1.
 
The Black Knights kept the pedal to the metal with a fourth goal in the 74th minute. Bradley Schweickert collected a cross at the top of the six-yard box and he turned and fired to give Army a 4-1 advantage. 
 
Navy tried to score late in the match, but Army walked away with a 4-1 victory. The Midshipmen held a 14-12 edge in shots, but Army had five shots on goal, compared to three from Navy – all in the first half.
 
Following tonight's result and Navy women's soccer's victory over the Black Knights, Army has a 3-2 lead over Navy in the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA.
 
The Midshipmen are back on the road on Wednesday night at James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va., at 7 p.m.