WORCESTER, Mass. – With a Patriot League postseason berth lying in the balance on Saturday, the Navy women's soccer program turned in a well-rounded team effort at Holy Cross and earned a hard-fought 1-0 shutout victory. The Mids (10-5-3, 5-2-1 PL) received a go-ahead goal from Alexa Riddle (Fr., Tomball, Texas) and a staunch defensive effort from goalie Mattie Gallagher (So., Gilbertsville, Pa.) and Navy's backfield in defeating the Crusaders (1-14-1, 0-7-1 PL) at Linda Johnson Smith Stadium.
 
"We had a very good defensive performance today," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "We didn't allow them to really get a good look at goal all game. Our defense was very stout and every shot was from distance or highly contested. We had four really good chances during the game and buried one of them; that was enough. Every Patriot League win is great. We're happy to have clinched a spot in the playoffs today. The team is really psyched for this opportunity. We're looking forward to closing out the regular season on Wednesday."
 
Both teams used the opening 10 minutes of action on Saturday to feel each other out as neither side was able to put their one of their attempt on target. Jenna Daunt (So., Haymarket, Va.) recorded Navy's first shot on goal in the 14th minute. Less than two minutes later, Riddle made the Mids' second shot on goal count as she received a lead pass in space by Carolyn Mang (Sr., Forest Hill, Md.) and sprinted up the right wing towards goal and slotted a shot past Holy Cross' goalkeeper Olivia Dubin at 15:13.
 
Over the next 20 minutes, the Mids registered three of the next four shots with a Molly Gillcrist (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) shot on goal at 34:49 highlighting this run of play. Gallagher kept Navy ahead 1-0 going into halftime as she turned aside Holy Cross' Ashley Blaka's shot on frame in the 36th minute.
 
Coming out of the intermission up by a goal, Gallagher and the Mids' defense had a stranglehold on the Crusaders in the second half as the hosts just took one total shot over the first 30 minutes of the stanza, a Blaka shot on goal in the 52nd minute. During this span Amanda Graziano (Fr., Middlebury, Conn.), Chloe Dawson (So., Fairfax, Va.) and Victoria Tran (Sr., Clarksville, Md.) were credited with shots on goal, though all three attempts were denied by Dubin.
 
Holy Cross had a trio of dangerous offensive situations over the final 15 minutes of play and Navy survived all three opportunities. First up was a Cerys Balmer penalty kick at 76:25 that was pushed wide. The Crusaders' final two shots on goal, a Katie Quinn effort in the 78th minute and a Blaka crack in the 86th minute were both stonewalled by Gallagher to preserve the clean sheet.
 
In Navy's 1-0 victory, the Mids outshot the Crusaders, 11-8 with a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Gallagher's fourth shutout of 2021 came courtesy of four saves. Saturday's shutout was the third in Patriot League play for the sophomore.
 
With the conclusion of Patriot League action on Saturday, Navy moved into second place in the conference with 16 points (5-2-1). With one game to go, the Mids trail just Boston U. (17 pts) and are one point clear of Loyola (15 pts).
 
Navy concludes its 2021 regular season on Wednesday with a league tilt against Lafayette. Kickoff between the Mids and Lafayette is set for 6 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Patriot League Standings
1-Boston U. (5-1-2, 17 pts)**
2-Navy (5-2-1, 16 pts)**
3-Loyola (4-1-3, 15 pts)*
4-Bucknell (4-2-2, 14 pts)*
5-Lehigh (4-3-1, 13 pts)*
6-Army (3-3-2, 11 pts)
7-Lafayette (3-5, 9 pts)
8-Colgate (2-4-2, 8 pts)
8-American (2-4-2, 8 pts)
10-Holy Cross (0-7-1, 1 pts)
            *Clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament
            **Clinched a top-four seed