ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's soccer team dropped its third-straight match to start the season following a 2-0 defeat to Air Force on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
The Falcons (2-1-0) scored two goals one minute and 47 seconds apart in the final 10 minutes of the second half to steal the match on the road against the Midshipmen (0-3-0). For the third-straight match, Navy held the edge in corner kicks, 5-3, over its opponent. This is also the 10th time in 38 matches since 2016 that Navy has notched more corner kicks than the opposition.
 
"I thought the team played very well and it was a goal in the run of play late for Air Force to put them ahead," head coach Tim O'Donohue said after the match. "I thought we came out firing in the second half, but we gave up a goal in the run of play. It was a very well-played game and we have to get ready to come back on Sunday."
 
At the start of the match, Air Force controlled the possession battle and forced Ian Bramblett to make some saves in the early going. Over the first 25 minutes of the first half, the Falcons put two shots on goal, but Bramblett came up with two saves – including a sprawling save in front of a point-blank shot from Zane Moxley – to keep the Falcons off the board.
 
The Midshipmen generated their offenses chances off the counter-attack, but they were unable to put a shot on goal in the first half.
 
In the scoreless first half, Air Force had five shots – two on goal – and Navy had three shots in the first 45 minutes.
 
Opening the second half, the Midshipmen found their offensive stride and started to maintain possession within the Air Force defensive third. Navy recorded the first four shots in the second stanza but was still unable to pinpoint the net. 
 
With 30 minutes left in the regulation, the two teams started to trade offensive punches with the scored still deadlocked a zero.
 
Air Force broke the draw in the 80th minute of the match after Tucker Bone collected a pass near the end line from Luis Martinez. Bone slid the ball under a diving Bramblett into the far post to put the Falcons ahead, 1-0.
 
Less than two minutes later, Air Force doubled its lead on a goal from Austin Dewing in the 81st minute. Dewing corralled a loose ball in the box and beat Bramblett to extend the Falcon lead.
 
Navy continued to press offensively in the final eight minutes of the match and it compiled three shots to close out the match but were shutout for the second time this season.
 
For the first time this year, the Midshipmen outshot their opponents, 11-10, but Air Force had five shots on goal, compared to two from the Mids.
 
In the match played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Navy men's soccer set a new home attendance record in Navy soccer history with 3,273 fans in attendance on Friday night. The previous home attendance record was held by Navy women's soccer with an attendance mark of 2,627 on Oct. 9, 2009, against Army at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Prior to Friday night, the Navy men's soccer program attendance record for a home match came in a doubleheader against Maryland on Sept. 8, 2014, where 2,522 attended the matches at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
"The atmosphere was fantastic here tonight," O'Donohue said of the record-breaking crowd. "Having all the Mids here was great and we thank them for coming out to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and their support."
 
The Midshipmen continue their four-match homestand on Sunday night at 7 p.m. against College of Charleston at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Following the match, fans in attendance can "Meet the Mids" and get their 2018 Navy men's soccer poster signed by the team.