Women's Soccer | 9/6/2018 3:41:00 PM
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 2018 Navy Women's Soccer Classic lies in wait for the Navy squad this weekend with a host of high-level teams coming to play at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in the multi-game event that starts on Friday afternoon. The four-team, four-game classic kicks off with a neutral site game at 4 p.m. between Penn (2-1) and Delaware (1-4-1) before Navy (2-1-3) hosts #20 USF (3-1) in the nightcap on Friday at 7 p.m. The action rounds out on Sunday with the Blue Hens and Bulls playing at 12 p.m. and the Mids and Quakers going head-to-head at 3 p.m. Live stats will be available for all four games with Friday night's Navy-USF matchup being broadcast live on the Patriot League Network.
Last Time Out
Navy is coming back to the friendly confines of the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility after a pair of road games in the state of North Carolina last weekend. On Friday at Gardner-Webb, the Mids and Runnin' Bulldogs battled to a 1-1 draw in hot and humid conditions in Boiling Springs.
Baseley McClaskey netted the game-tying goal for the Mids in the 40th minute as she was on the receiving end of a
Cadie Higginson pass to the left wing.
Sydney Fortson made five saves in goal for Navy. Less than 48 hours later, Navy was back at it with a contest in Cullowhee versus Western Carolina. Mother Nature was the only winner in that contest as a lengthy lightning delay saw the matchup go final at 0-0 in the 73rd minute. Fortson denied three shots on goal by the Catamounts to preserve Navy's fourth shutout of the 2018 season.
Navy vs. USF
Friday's matchup between the Mids and 20th-ranked Bulls is the second-ever in the teams' all-time series. The first and only contest between the two squads came on August 29, 2014 in Tampa, Fla. and ended with a 1-1 tie. Playing at the Bulls' Corbett Soccer Stadium, the Mids went up 1-0 in the 62nd minute on a goal by Morgan Dankanich before USF found the equalizer in the 87th minute via a penalty kick.
USF is 3-1 this season with victories over Towson (2-1), No. 17 Baylor (3-1) and Detroit (4-0). The Bulls went 13-4-2 in 2017 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Navy vs. Penn
The Mids and Quakers will get a chance to pick up their series on Sunday in game four of the four-game 2018 Navy Classic. Birthed in 1999, the Navy-Penn series is five games old with an equal 2-2-1 record for both teams. Most recently, the Mids and Quakers met in Philadelphia on October 12, 2014. After going down 1-0 early in the 17th minute, Navy immediately fired back with the game-tying goal in the 19th minute courtesy of Caprice Kelty. With just over 25 minutes to play in the second half, Lily Kraemer put the Mids up for good by a 2-1 score.
Penn is 2-1 after three games of action in 2018. The Quakers opened up their season with back-to-back wins over Mount St. Mary's (5-0) and Army (1-0) before dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 13 North Carolina State on Friday, August 31 in Philadelphia. The Quakers went 5-8-3 in 2017 with a 3-3-1 mark in the Ivy League.
Comparing the Teams
| (2018 Stats) |
Navy |
USF |
Penn |
| Record |
2-1-3 |
3-1 |
2-1 |
| Goals/Gm |
0.67 |
2.50 |
2.00 |
| Assists/Gm |
0.17 |
2.50 |
1.67 |
| Shots/Gm |
11.7 |
18.8 |
14.0 |
| GK Saves/Gm |
2.5 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
Returning Leaders
| (2018 Stats) |
Navy |
USF |
Penn |
| Goals |
McClaskey, 2 |
Viens, 3 |
Howard, 2 |
| Assists |
Higginson, 1 |
Hauksdottir/Viens, 3 |
Trzaska, 2 |
| Points |
McClaskey, 4 |
Viens, 9 |
Howard, 5 |
| Shots |
Sottung, 11 |
Viens, 18 |
Stephens, 13 |
| GK Saves |
Fortson, 15 |
Martinez, 11 |
Qu, 8 |
Parking / Shuttle / Ticket 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 one hour prior to the first game of the day (3:00 PM/Friday and 11:00 AM/Sunday) and will continue running until one hour after the second game is completed. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium. Dogs are not permitted inside the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
Free Admission
New for the 2018 season all soccer contests at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be free of charge.
