ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The trio of Joe Alex (Sr., Lockport, N.Y.), Baba Kallie (So., Coatesville, Pa.) and Jacob Williams (Sr., Millersville, Md.) tallied one score apiece while Tyler Fahning (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) notched his sixth shutout of the season to lead the Navy men's soccer team (8-1-1, 3-1-0 Patriot League) to a convincing 3-0 Patriot League victory over Holy Cross (6-3-2, 3-1-0 Patriot League) Saturday at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
The Mids had a dominant afternoon on offense led by Williams who recorded a game-best six shots, one being on goal, and a score. Kallie added his fourth goal of the season and Alex recorded his first score on his lone shot attempt of the day.
 
Rounding out the top offensive performers on Saturday for the Midshipmen were Jason Aoyama (So., Narberth, Pa.) and David Jackson (So., Cypress, Texas) who added one assist apiece.
 
"We got off to a very good start," said head coach Tim O'Donohue. "We came to play and I give our guy's credit for that with a noon kickoff. Holy Cross has gotten off to an excellent start, so I am very happy with the group recording another shutout. We had a quality effort all over the field."
 
Navy took control on offense in the opening minutes when Williams played a pass from Aoyama into the back of the net for his second goal of the season just over one minute into the contest.
 
The Mids would quickly extend their lead as Kallie headed home a perfectly placed free kick from Jackson at the 3:47 mark, bringing the Navy mark to 2-0. With the two-score advantage, the Midshipmen back line stifled the Crusader attack, yielding just two shots in the first half.  
 
The Midshipmen attack picked up where it left off following the intermission when Alex recorded his first goal of the season at the 63:01 mark pushing Mids' advantage to 3-0.
 
Navy's lead was never in doubt, allowing just two second-half shots to the Crusaders, securing a 3-0 victory for the Mids.
 
Fahning turned in his sixth clean sheet of the season, tallying two saves in 90 clean minutes in the winning effort.
 
Jon Klein led the Holy Cross offense with two shots, one being on goal, and goalkeeper Jimmy Joyce took the loss after yielding three goals and recording three saves before giving way to Tristan Stephani in the 71st minute.
 
UP NEXT
Navy will travel to take part in the 10th edition of the Army-Navy Cup hosted in Chester, Pa. at Subaru Park. Opening kick of the contest is slated for 7 p.m. In addition to being a Patriot League contest, the game will be a Star Match as part of the annual Star Series presented by USAA. Tickets for the contest are on sale and can be purchased HERE.
 
GAME NOTES
WINNING WAYS: With its win over Holy Cross, Navy improves to 28-7-3 over its last 38 games, the best record in the Patriot League over that span. Additionally, its .850 win percentage is the best among Patriot League teams this season.
 
ON THE ATTACK: The Midshipmen offense continued its torrid run against opposing defenses on Saturday, now outscoring opponents 19-6 on the season in addition to outshooting those same opponents 164-92 (+72).
 
STIFLING THE OPPOSITION: The Navy defense has now totaled six shutouts through 10 games this season, its most through 10 games since the recording eight during the 2019 season. Additionally, Navy is limiting opponents to an average of just 9.2 shots per game and 0.60 goals per game.
 
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: Navy improved to a perfect 6-0-0 in home games this season with the win over Holy Cross. At the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility this season, the Midshipmen are outscoring opponents 13-3 in those games.