FARMVILLE, Va. – The Navy men's soccer team (6-0-0) team dictated the pace of play in the first half en route to a pair of first-half goals to spark the Midshipmen to a 2-1 win on the road against Longwood (3-2-0) on Wednesday night.
 
Navy's 6-0-0 start is the best start in program history since 1966. The Midshipmen have now extended the nation's longest winning streak to 10-straight matches.
 
Diego Manrique (Sr., Buford, Ga.) paced the offense with two assists on the night to run his season total to four. Jacob Williams (So., Millersville, Md.) notched his third goal of the season, while Nicko West (Jr., Mansfield, Texas) scored his first goal of the year and tallied the game-winning goal for the Midshipmen. 
 
"I am really happy with how we played tonight and we had very good possession," head coach Tim O'Donohue commented. "We were very patient and dynamic in their final third, which gave us the ability to create a lot of scoring chances. Now we have to turn around and get ready for Saturday."
 
Following a back-and-forth contest over the first 10 minutes of play, the Midshipmen started to control the possession and tallied the first goal of the contest. In the 15th minute, Manrique made a run down the left side of the 18-yard box and he played a low cross into the box where Williams got his foot on the ball to score the first goal of the game.
 
Longwood tried to even the score with some strong attacking runs and dangerous balls into the penalty area right after the goal, but Navy's defense kept the chances away from Ian Bramblett (Jr., Easley, S.C.). The counter-attack for the Midshipmen then flipped the field in a hurry with a strong run from JD Wagner (Fr., Medford Lakes, N.J.). Wagner's run was halted after he was tripped up by the Lancer defense as he entered the penalty area. The trip gave Navy a penalty kick, but Manrique's attempt from the penalty spot was stopped by Jacob Reimers and Williams' shot off the rebound sailed wide of the frame.
 
Despite missing an early chance to take a 2-0 lead, the Midshipmen came right back and Manrique setup another Navy goal for his second assist of the night. Manrique chipped a ball over the Longwood backline and a charging West was able to slip a ball past Reimers that was tucked just inside the far post to push Navy's lead to two goals in the 24th minute of play. 
 
In the 33rd minute, Longwood had another strong opportunity to get on the board. From the top of the 18-yard box, Markus Gronli connected on a strong right-footed shot, but Bramblett made a diving stop to his near post and kept the Lancers off the scoreboard.
 
Over the first 45 minutes, the Midshipmen held an 8-4 advantage in shots with a 4-2 edge in shots on goal, while Navy also controlled possession in the first stanza.
 
Longwood cut Navy's lead in half with a goal in the 50th minute. The goal from the Lancers also snapped the Midshipmen's shutout streak at 412:09.
 
Right after the goal from the Lancers, the Midshipmen came right back in the 53rd minute as West blasted a shot from nearly 20 yards out, but his shot hit the post and spun away from the goal. Navy had another chance in the 54th minute off of a set-piece but Matt Nocita's (So., Porter Ranch, Calif.) header that found the back of the net was wiped away after he was called offsides. 
 
Navy continued to press offensively and found gaps in the Longwood defense but was unable to find its third goal of the night. Reimers kept Navy off the scoreboard with six saves on the night, including four in the second half. Bramblett finished with four saves as Navy grabbed a 2-1 win on the road.
 
The Midshipmen finished the match with a season-high 18 shots and their eight shots on goal were one shy of their season-best of nine, which was set on opening night against UNC Asheville.
 
Navy returns home on Saturday afternoon to begin Patriot League play against Holy Cross at 1 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.