ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team steps back onto the pitch this Sunday afternoon in the second game of a home-and-home series with the Pitt Panthers. Following a hard fought 1-0 overtime defeat to the Panthers (7-2, 2-2 ACC) on September 20, the Mids (0-1) will be looking to break into the win column in their abbreviated fall 2020 schedule on Sunday in Pittsburgh. First touch between Navy and Pitt at Ambrose Urbanic Field is set for 1:30 p.m. with a live broadcast on the ACC Network.  

Navy vs. Pittsburgh
Sunday marks the fourth meeting between the Mids and Panthers ... Prior to the Sept. 20 tilt in Annapolis the only previous meetings occurred over 20 years ago as both teams were in their early stages playing collegiately ... earlier this year, the Panthers edged the Mids with a 1-0 golden goal victory in overtime after Amanda West converted a penalty kick ... all-time, Navy is 2-1 against Pittsburgh after winning the first matchup in the series 9-1 on Sept. 7, 1996 in Annapolis before holding on for a 2-1 victory in Pittsburgh on Sept. 5, 1999.

Navy-Pitt, Sept. 20, 2020 in Annapolis
Navy came ready for a battle in its 2020 season opening game on Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.  After an extended preseason and multiple iterations of a potential 2020 season that was scheduled, re-scheduled and re-scheduled again due to the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mids hit the home pitch on Sunday afternoon in the latest Opening Day in program history and went stride-for-stride and shot-for-shot with the Pitt Panthers (4-0, 1-0 ACC) before falling victim to a penalty kick in the first overtime period that made it 1-0. Coming into the contest, Navy (0-1) was faced with taking on a Pitt squad that was 3-0 with a dominant 13-1 advantage in goals scored during the early part of its season.

Following the graduation of six seniors, four of whom earned multiple All-Patriot League playing honors, the 2020 Mids were looking at a young roster that was deep with talent. On Sunday, the team trotted out four freshmen in its starting lineup; Jenna Daunt, Katie Herrmann, Kassidy Borden and Chloe Dawson, while three more Lauren Huffstetler, Kat Healey and Sophie Ewing saw action as reserves. Herrmann, Borden and Dawson were all starting defenders as they supported goalkeeper Molly Swiger, who was making her first Opening Day start of her career.

The contest started slowly for both teams as they combined for two total shots over the opening 25 minutes of play. The first potent offensive play occurred in the 29th minute when Pitt lined up for a free kick 25 yards away from goal, but Molly Gillcrist deflected the ball away from her position in the wall.

Over the final 15 minutes of the first half, the action in the attacking third picked up a bit as the Mids had a pair of scoring opportunities that tested the Panthers' goalkeeper Katherine Robinson. First, in the 31st minute, Kaitlynn Johns sent a deep cross from the wing into the box where Robinson and a charging Carolyn Mang collided with Robinson batting the ball away. Less than four minutes later, Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan recorded Navy's first shot on goal of the game as she tried to sneak a shot into the upper-90 on the near side, similar to Mang's attempt, Robinson made the denial.

After seven combined shots in the first 45 minutes, the second half opened with immediate action. The Mids were the aggressors in this opening run with three shots in the opening four minutes of play. Always skillful on set pieces, Navy nearly broke the 0-0 stalemate in the 62nd minute as Emily Keast lofted a curling corner kick towards the back to the on-coming Mang, who powered a header just wide of the goal. The back-and-forth pace continued as Pitt's offense had its chances next with a pair of shots and two corner kicks over the next nine minutes. Down the stretch with the score still 0-0, Navy's young, but well-organized defense bent, but did not break as it withstood three shots in the last 12 minutes of regulation. Swiger came up with the most important play of this time period with a save of Emily Yaple's shot on goal in the 81st.

In the first sudden victory overtime period, the Panthers controlled the action with three shot attempts and two fouls drawn deep in the Mids' territory. Unfortunately for Navy and their loud, boisterous group of socially-distanced Midshipmen fans, that second foul resulted in a penalty kick. Amanda West, Pitt's leading scorer, casually marched up to the penalty stripe and knocked home the game-winning goal at 95:20.

For the game, Pitt outshot Navy, 13-9 with a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. Swiger was credited with three saves in goal for the Mids. Both squads finished with four corner kick opportunities.

Comparing the Teams

	Navy (2019)	Pitt (2020)
Record	16-3-3, 6-1-2 PL	7-2, 2-2 ACC
Goals/Gm	1.27	2.44
Assists/Gm	1.27	1.89
Shots/Gm	15.0	15.2
Goals Against Average	0.52	0.99
GK Saves/Gm	2.2	2.6

Individual Leaders

	Navy (2019 stats)	Pitt (2020 stats)
Goals	Mang, 5	West, 9
Assists	Dzhandzhapanyan, 4	West, 3
Points	Mang, 10	West, 21
Shots	Mang/Tran, 35	West, 37
GK Saves	Swiger, 7	Robinson

Family Pass List Only at Ambrose Urbanic Field
Due to COVID-19 restrictions in the Pittsburgh area, the only spectators allowed to attend the Navy-Pitt game at Ambrose Urbanic Field are family members noted on the pass list.

Up Next
Following Sunday's matchup, the Mids will conclude the 2020 portion of their competitive schedule with a road matchup on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Virginia Tech.