ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team kicks off its abridged 2020 season this Sunday with a home matchup versus the Pitt Panthers at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Kickoff between the Mids (0-0) and Panthers (3-0, 1-0 ACC) is set for 2 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the landscape of collegiate athletics across the country, the Mids will not be playing Patriot League soccer this fall and instead focusing on non-conference tilts. The Mids and Panthers will play a home-and-home series that concludes on Oct. 11 in Pittsburgh. The Panthers come into Sunday's contest with a 3-0 record and a 13-1 advantage in scoring over a pair of games against Appalachian State and an ACC matchup versus Syracuse.

Attendance Policy for Sunday
The general public will not be allowed to attend Sunday's game due to COVID-19 restrictions. The only people permitted at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be midshipmen.

ESPN+ Debut
Sunday's Navy-Pitt game will be the first-ever home contest broadcast on ESPN+. Earlier this week, the Patriot League announced its new relationship with the streaming service. Check out all of the details of the new deal and how to subscribe and tune into the contest. PL & ESPN+ Announcement

Navy vs. Pittsburgh
Sunday marks the third meeting between the Mids and Panthers ... The only previous meetings occurred over 20 years as both teams were in their early stages playing collegiately ... Navy is 2-0 all-time 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.

Returning Leaders

(2019 Stats)	Navy	Pitt
Goals	Mang, 5	West, 10
Assists	Dzhandzhapanyan, 4	West, 9
Points	Mang, 10	West, 29
Shots	Mang/Tran, 35	West, 55
GK Saves	Swiger, 7	Lazzarini, 10

Season Outlook: Five All-Patriot League Performers Return & 12 Freshmen Join Program
One year capturing the fourth Patriot League Championship in program history, the Midshipmen will look to lean on its five-member senior class, as well as host of All-Patriot League award winners to replace a star-studed senior class, that included two-time Patriot League Defender of the Year, Alex Jackson and multi-year all-league and -region members, goalie Sydney Fortson and midfielders Cadie Higginson and Baseley McClaskey. 2019 All-Patriot League First Team honoree Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan will lead the club as team captain this season. She is joined as a senior leader by forward Gabby Gordon, midfielder Emily Keast, defender Denisse Ramirez and goalie Molly Swiger.

Dzhandzhapanyan is one of six returning Midshipmen, who garnered league accolades in 2019. The midfield position will be one of the deepest spots for the 2020 squad as All-Patriot League Second Team member Victoria Tran and Patriot League Tournament MVP Carolyn Mang look to continue their improvement as juniors. The Mids' 2020 defense will be led by junior Avery Fries, a 2019 Patriot League Third Team honoree and sophomore Kaitlynn Johns, the 2019 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Up front, All-Patriot League Third Team award winner Jeana Freeman returns for her sophomore campaign.

These returning players and 28th-year head coach Carin Gabarra will welcome a large 12-player freshmen class this fall.

Position-By-Position
Forwards
• The forward position will continue to mature and gain experience in 2020. With only Gabby Gordon and Gina Peraino as returning upperclassmen, the Mids will rely on an aggressive trio of sophomore strikers, as well as the return to form by junior Molly Gillcrist, who was sidelined in 2019 and the addition of freshman Kat Healey.
• The sophomore trio of Caitlin Doran, Jeana Freeman and Kaitlyn McKeown showed flashes of long-term promise for the Mids during their rookie campaigns in 2019. Doran broke camp with a starting spot for the team's opening weekend against Buffalo and LSU before taking on the role of top forward off the bench for the ensuing contests. She saw over 500 minutes of action and took 15 shots with adding an assist at American. Freeman hit her stride as the season progressed as she earned a starting spot early on and never looked back with a goal and two assists on her way to a spot on the All-Patriot League Third Team. McKeown also tallied a goal and two assists in her debut.
• Coming off of an ACL injury in 2019, Gillcrist has returned stronger than ever during the extended preseason for Navy and has moved into the attacking third. As a midfielder in 2018, she appeared in 18 games notching an assist.
• Gordon and Peraino are slated for important depth roles for the Mids up front. They both found their way into the scoring column in 2019, as Gordon netted the game-winning goal against Delaware State, while Peraino helped Navy tie Loyola in the Patriot League Semifinals. Sophomore Olivia Foster is also in consideration for minutes off the bench.
• Healey joins the forward corps after a record-setting career at King George HS in Northern Virginia. She broke the program record with 47 goals.

Midfielders
• The midfield will be one of the strengths for the 2020 Navy team as the squad returns three Patriot League award-winners in senior Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan (1st Tm), juniors Carolyn Mang (PLT MVP) and Victoria Tran (2nd Tm) and a fourth in senior Emily Keast, who has appeared in 59 games over the first three years of her career.
• Dzhandzhapanyan, the team's captain for 2020 earned all-league honors after scoring a pair of game-winning goals and four assists. She was second on the team in terms of helpers.
• Mang and Tran, a pair of creative playmakers are slated to hold down the central midfield. Mang was the Mids' top goal scorer in 2019 with five goals, three of which were game-winners. Tran found the back of the net three times, while adding one assist. The duo left their mark in Patriot League Championship game as Mang tied the contest in the 61st minute before Tran put the Mids up for good in the 79th.
• Keast appeared in 21 games with 10 starts, the athletic wing scored the game-winning goal for Navy versus American.
• Sophomore Gracie Checkan made her collegiate debut last season and played in 17 games. Against Howard she had a hand in two goals, scoring once and assisting on another.
• Navy's midfield will receive additional help as three freshmen are in line to see playing time in 2020; Jenna Daunt, Sophie Ewing and Lauren Huffstetler. Daunt joins the Mids after attaining Virginia Class 6 All-State Second Team honors in 2019. Ewing also garnered state-wide honors in Utah as she was a 3A All-State First Team recipient in 2019. Huffstetler rounds out the trio of high-level performers as she was named 2019 North Carolina Class 3A All-State.

Defenders
• After receiving four seasons of standout defending by two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Alex Jackson, the Mids' backfield will have much different and younger look in 2020. The duo of junior Avery Fries and sophomore Kaitlynn Johns will be looked upon to recreate their award-winning 2019 campaigns as a six-member freshmen class is introduced into the collegiate game. As a unit in 2019, Navy's backfield allowed just 61 shots on goal.
• Fries established herself as one of the top defenders in the Patriot League as she joined the starting lineup and played in 21 games for the Mids as an outside defender. She never left the field in league-only play with 872 minutes of action. She was recognized with All-Patriot League Third Team and All-Patriot League Tournament Team honors.
• Johns had an excellent debut as she appeared in all 22 games with 19 starts on her way to the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award. She played all of the minutes in 14 of those contests.
• Senior Denisse Ramirez and sophomore Sadie McCaleb will provide the defense with important experience as Ramirez  comes into 2020 with 58 career games and over 2,500 minutes of field time, while McCaleb suited up in 21 games and totaled nearly 700 minutes of action.
• Navy's six freshmen include a pair of M/D flex players in Katie Herrmann and Kieffer Williamson that the coaching staff foresees having strong two-way potential. Kassidy Borden and Chloe Dawson are also envisioned having leading roles on defense when the team breaks camp. Audrey Saroka and Zoe Sooter will initially provide depth with the potential for a larger impact. A Charlotte, N.C. native, Herrmann honed her craft as a member of the Charlotte Soccer Academy club, while Williamson grew up in Northern Virginia and earned all-league and team MVP honors at The Bullis School.  Borden and Dawson are also NoVa natives as Borden thrived as a member of the FC Virginia club program. At W.T. Woodson HS, Dawson was named to the All-Patriot District Team in both 2018 and 2019. Hailing from Long Island, Saroka twice garnered All-Suffolk County playing accolades. Similar to Herrmann and Borden, Sooter focused the majority of her playing to the club ranks as she competed with the nationally ranked FC Boulder program.

Goalkeepers
• The final line of defense for the Mids will have a different face captaining it for the first time since 2017 as Sydney Fortson departs following a standout four-year and three years as the Mids' starting goalkeeper.
• Senior Molly Swiger and junior Megan LaMendola are the top two candidates to grab the starting position and have been battling deep into preseason camp for the lead role. Swiger has the most experience of the five goalies on the roster with six appearances and four starts over her first three seasons. As a junior in 2019, she went 3-0-0 with two solo shutouts and a third combined clean sheet as she split duties with LaMendola in the Mids' 3-0 win over Howard. Swiger has 330 minutes of career action. LaMendola made her collegiate debut in that game and has totaled 15 minutes of career activity after not appearing in a contest in 2018.
• Sophomore Kaitlyn Burns adds depth to Navy's goalkeeping corps after receiving practice reps in 2019.
• Freshmen Mattie Gallagher and Andrea Granada are quickly integrated themselves into the goalie corps and are candidates for playing time as the season progresses. Gallagher backstopped her Boyertown Area HS team to the 2019 PIAA Class 4A State Championship as a senior, while Granada earned All-Region 6A honors for her work at Ocean Lakes HS in Virginia Beach.