ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The 2019 Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament lies ahead for Navy this weekend as the top-seeded Midshipmen will host the three-day event at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Following a regular season in which the team went 15-2-2 and 6-1-2 in the Patriot League, the Mids are on the hunt for their fourth Patriot League title in team history and the Patriot League's automatic bid into the 2019 NCAA Tournament. As a result of their regular season title, Navy earned a bye into the tournament's semifinals and the right to host the event for second time in three years. The remaining field for this year's Patriot League Tournament is as follows: No. 1 Navy (6-1-2 PL, 20 pts), No. 2 Holy Cross (3-1-5 PL, 14 pts), No. 3 Army (4-3-2 PL, 14 pts) and No. 4 Loyola (3-2-4 PL, 13 pts). First up for the Mids in their quest for league glory is a Friday afternoon matchup versus Loyola (7-7-4, 3-2-4 PL) at 4 p.m. in Annapolis. All of the tournament action will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network, as well as broadcast over the air on the Stadium TV channel. Live stats will also be provided throughout the weekend at NavyStats.com.
The winner of Friday's Navy-Loyola semifinal game will advance to Sunday's Patriot League Championship game versus either Holy Cross or Army. The Crusaders and Black Knights are scheduled to play in the second semifinal on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Glenn Warner. Sunday's championship is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Last Time Out
Friday's semifinal contest between Navy and Loyola will be a rematch from exactly one week earlier on Nov. 1. In the regular season finale for both teams, the host Midshipmen dominated the visiting Greyhounds in all facets of the game minus the scoreboard as the two squads battled for 110 minutes of scoreless action on Friday night. Outshooting the Greyhounds by a 25-2 margin, the Mids were unable to find the back of the net as Loyola packed its defensive third throughout the contest and received strong goalkeeping from freshman Paige Sim.
Over the opening 45 minutes, Navy outshot Loyola, 13-2 with a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal. It was more of the same in the second half, as the Mids tallied eight shots, while shutting out the Greyhounds in the shot category. Navy looked to break the scoreless stalemate in the 60th minute when Loyola was called for a hand ball in the box. As she has done twice before this season,
Cadie Higginson stepped to the line for the penalty kick, though this time she was denied as Sim made a diving save. The Greyhound's freshman keeper made two more saves in the second half on a pair of
Baseley McClaskey attempts in the 88th and 90th minutes of play. McClaskey's first shot on goal was a free kick blast from 30 yards out that had eyes for the left upper-90 corner until Sim jumped up to corral the ball.
Tied 0-0 after 90 minutes, the game continued into familiar territory for the Mids with their third overtime game in their last four contests. Victorious over Bucknell and Boston University, Navy tried to drum up that extra time magic once again on Friday. Higginson was first up to try and earn the golden goal sudden victory as she was on the receiving end of a
Jeana Freeman cross into the box that she leapt and headed just wide of the back post in the 94th minute. The Mids would take two more shots in that first overtime period, though neither were on target. Higginson was on the receiving end of another slick cross-shot combination in the second overtime as McClaskey dribbled the ball up the left wing before finding the hard-charging Higginson near the penalty spot for a quick one-time flick on goal. Like she had in the prior six shots on goal, Sim was there to make the stop and hold Navy off the scoreboard.
That was the last shot for either team as the game would go final with a 0-0 score. For the contest, Navy outshot Loyola, 25-2 with a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Mids also held a significant edge in corner kicks over the Greyhounds, 7-2. Navy's defense held Loyola without a shot attempt for the final 67:24 of the game.
The shutout was Navy's 13th of the season and 10th individually for
Sydney Fortson. 10 clean sheets are the most ever by a Midshipmen goalkeeper in her senior year and gives Fortson 27 for her career. Navy's team goals against average now drops to 0.35 for the 2019 season. In the 2019 NCAA Division I rankings, Fortson's shutout total is 12th best in the nation, while the Mids' GAA is fourth lowest amongst 335 teams.
Navy in the Patriot League Tournament
Friday night marks Navy's 22nd appearance in the Patriot League Tournament and ninth straight berth (2011-Pres.) ... Participating in 36 games all-time, the Mids record is 18-18 ... In Navy's previous eight trips fo the tournament, the team has earned seven victories, with a win in each appearance from 2011 through 2017; last year that streak was halted as No. 6 Army Black Knights upset the third-seed Mids in double overtime, 1-0 in Annapolis ... Navy is 12-8 all-time in semifinal action.
Navy vs. Loyola
In a series that dates back to the first-ever NCAA Division I game for Navy on Sept. 4, 1993, the Mids are 8-3-3 all-time against the Greyhounds ... After dropping the first two games of the series in 1993 and 1994, Navy has fallen to Loyola only one time, a Sept. 24, 2016 meeting by a score of 2-1 in double overtime (8-1-3 record) ... Since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013, Navy is 3-1-2 in six regular season meetings ... The Mids are 6-1-2 in nine home meetings against the Greyhounds ... The only time Navy and Loyola faced off in the Patriot League Tournament was in 2014 when the third-seeded Mids knocked off the sixth-seeded Greyhounds by a score of 4-1 in Annapolis on Nov. 4.
Last 5 Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2015, Navy is 2-1-2 and has outscored Loyola, 9-5
Nov. 1, 2019 (H): Navy 0 - Loyola 0
Sept. 21, 2018 (A): Navy 2 - Loyola 1
Sept. 22, 2017 (H): Navy 4 - Loyola 0
Sept. 24, 2016 (A): Loyola 2 - Navy 1 (2ot)
Sept. 26, 2015 (H): Navy 2 - Loyola 2
Comparing the Teams
| (2019 Stats) |
Navy |
Loyola |
| Record |
15-2-2 / 6-1-2 PL |
7-7-4 / 3-2-4 PL |
| Goals/Gm |
1.32 |
0.94 |
| Assists/Gm |
1.32 |
0.83 |
| Shots/Gm |
15.9 |
9.9 |
| Goals Against Avg. |
0.35 |
1.18 |
| GK Saves/Gm |
2.1 |
4.1 |
Individual Leaders
| (2019 Stats) |
Navy |
Loyola |
| Goals |
Mang/McClaskey, 4 |
Hoefs, 8 |
| Assists |
McClaskey, 5 |
Hoefs/Tillman, 3 |
| Points |
McClaskey, 13 |
Hoefs, 19 |
| Shots |
McClaskey, 51 |
Hoefs, 45 |
| GK Saves |
Fortson, 33 |
Sim, 53 |
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 game (3:00 PM) and will continue running until one hour after the second game is completed (approx. 10:00 PM). 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
All soccer contests at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be free of charge.
