ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's soccer team (10-0-0, 3-0-0 Patriot League) returns home on Sunday afternoon to take on Bucknell (2-4-3, 0-1-2 Patriot League) at 1 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
No. 21 Navy comes into the match carrying the longest winning streak in the nation at 14 games and is one shy of their 15-match winning streak during the 2013 season, which was its last appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Midshipmen are also off to a 10-0-0 for the first time in program history since 1965, when they made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Navy is the first team in the country to hit the 10-win mark this year and it is one of four teams without a loss or a tie this season. No. 1 Virginia and No. 4 SMU sit at 9-0-0 and No. 17 Missouri State is currently 8-0-0. Along with carrying the 21st ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the Midshipmen came in at No. 15 this week in the Top Drawer Soccer rating and No. 19 in the College Soccer News rankings.
Last time out, Navy moved to 3-0-0 in the Patriot League following a 4-0 victory over American on the road. The Midshipmen scored a pair of goals in each half with Jacob Williams finishing with two goals and an assist for his five-point afternoon. Nicko West chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Joe Alex had the game-winning tally and Ethan Singer picked up a pair of assists for the Midshipmen. Ian Bramblett recorded a save in the match to stretch Navy's shutout streak to 400:21.
Williams has paced the Navy attack with seven goals and three assists, to go along with 17 points, which is second-best in the Patriot League. Williams ranks 16th in the country in goals and 20th in points. West is tied for third in the league with 11 total points and five goals on the year. The Midshipmen have had balanced scoring with five multi-goal scorers, four players with a pair of game-winning goals and 10 different players with at least two points. Overall, Navy's 21 goals are 10th in the nation and its 60 points are 12th and both are second in the Patriot League to Lafayette.
In goal, Bramblett has played all 900 minutes this season recording eight shutouts, which is tied for third-most in program history since 1983. The junior has a 0.20 goals-against average with his .905 save percentage sparking Navy to a .913 mark to rank second in the country.
Bucknell comes into Sunday's contest following a narrow 1-0 home loss to Loyola on Wednesday night. The loss snapped a stretch of four-straight matches without a loss, but with three-straight draws going into the midweek match, the Bison are looking for their first win since Sept. 18, which came at home against St. Francis, 3-0.
Matt Thorsheim has guided the Bucknell offense with 11 points and leads the team in both goals and assists. Eddie Perez-Pelaez is second on the team with three goals and Bernie Wright is tied for the team lead with three assists. The Bison are outscoring their opponents this season as they have scored 13 goals and allowed just 11. The pair of Luke Smith and Emmett Witmer have split time in goal to start the year with Smith taking over starting spot the last five contests, where he has allowed four goals to post a 0.71 goals-against average. Witmer leads the team with 20 saves and a .741 save percentage.
Navy leads the all-time series against Bucknell 26-14-4 in a series that began in 1930. The Midshipmen won the first 15 matches in the series and went unbeaten over the first 20 at 19-0-1. Last season, Navy snapped a three-match skid against the Bison with a 4-1 victory in Lewisburg, Pa., to finish out the 2018 season for both teams. The Midshipmen's last home victory against Bucknell came during the 2014 season where Navy won a 1-0 contest.
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 before the game and will continue running until one hour after the 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. All soccer contests at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be free of charge.
