ANNAPOLIS, Md. - With seeding in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament still up for grabs with one game to go, the Navy women's soccer team will close its regular season on Wednesday with a home tilt versus the Lafayette Leopards. Currently seeded second with a 10-5-3 record and a 5-2-1 mark in conference play, the Mids have the ability to finish anywhere from first through fourth place depending on Wednesday's result against the Leopards (5-9, 3-5 PL) and the outcomes of the other Patriot League contests. The two opposing sides each come in on hot streaks as Navy has yet to drop a game in the month of October (5-0-2), while Lafayette is 3-0 in over its last three games. The action on Wednesday night at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.

ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Parking / Shuttle / Ticket / Masking Information
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles on to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the game and will continue running until one hour after the game is completed. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium. Dogs are not permitted inside the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. All soccer contests at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be free of charge. Masks will not be required for vaccinated individuals while unvaccinated fans are asked to wear a mask if they are unable to maintain proper social distancing. Additionally, all fans will be required to wear a mask during their trip on the shuttle, regardless of vaccination status. 

Patriot League Playoff Picture (league-only records noted)
1-Boston (5-1-2, 17 pts) ...*Clinched top-4 seed  ... Can clinch #1 seed with a win over Army (10/27) ... A loss/tie could seed them #1-#2-#3-#4 
2-Navy (5-2-1, 16 pts) ... *Clinched top-4 seed ... Can clinch #1 seed with a win over Lafayette (10/27) AND a Boston loss/tie; worst case with a win is #2 seed ... A loss/tie could seed them #2-#3-#4
3-Loyola (4-1-3, 15 pts) ... *Clinched top-4 seed ... Can clinch #1 seed with a win over American (10/27) AND a Boston loss AND a Navy loss/tie ... A loss/tie could seed them #3 or #4
4-Bucknell (4-2-2, 14 pts) ... *Clinched playoff berth ... Can clinch #1 seed with a win over Lehigh (10/27) AND a Loyola loss/tie AND a Navy loss/tie AND a Boston loss (goal differential tie-breaker) ... A loss/tie could seed them #3-#4-#5-#6
5-Lehigh (4-3-1, 13 pts) ... *Clinched playoff berth ... Can clinch #3 seed with a win over Bucknell (10/27) AND a Loyola loss ... Other permutations of W/L/T could seed them #4-#5-#6
6-Army (3-3-2, 11 pts) ... Can clinch a berth with a win over Boston (10/27); seeds #5 or #6 ... would be eliminated with loss/tie and Lafayette win over Navy 
7-Lafayette (3-5, 9 pts) ... Can clinch a berth with a win over Navy (10/27) AND an Army loss/tie ... would be eliminated with a loss/tie versus Navy.
8-American (2-4-2, 8 pts) ... Can clinch a berth with a win over Loyola (10/27) AND an Army loss AND a Lafayette loss/tie
9-Colgate (2-4-2, 8 pts) ... Eliminated from postseason contention
10-Holy Cross (0-6-1, 1 pt) ... Eliminated from postseason contention

Scouting the Competition
Lafayette
The Leopards come into Wednesday's game with a 5-9 record courtesy of victories over Saint Peter's (Sept. 8, 2-1), NJIT (Sept. 12, 1-0), Army (Oct. 13, 1-0), Holy Cross (Oct. 16, 2-0) and Colgate (Oct. 23, 2-1) ... Lafayette's season has been made up of ebbs and flows as the team dropped its first four games of 2021 before winning two straight and then opening Patriot League play with five consecutive contests to fall to 2-9, most recently, the Leopards have knocked off three straight league opponents ... Most recently, Lafayette came-from-behind to defeat Colgate, 2-1 on Saturday at home in Easton, Pa.; after giving up the game's first goal in the 25th minute, the Leopards knotted the Raiders in the 79th minute with a Melissa Lamanna goal before Riley Dowd netted the game-winning tally two minutes later; for the game, Colgate outshot Lafayette, 7-6, though both teams recorded four shots on goal ... Lafayette was picked seventh out of 10 teams in the Patriot League's preseason coaches poll after going 1-1-2 in their abbreviated 2021 spring season.

Navy vs. Lafayette
Wednesday will be the 30th meeting (23-4-2) between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's first year of varsity existence in 1993 ... In that Sept. 26, 1993 matchup, Lafayette took the contest by a 7-1 decision ... Over the next 17 meetings between the Mids and Leopards, Navy went 17-0, including a postseason victory in 2001 ... After tying in 2010 and losing in the regular season in 2011, Navy then rattled off four straight wins (2011-PL Semis, 2012, 2013 and 2014) before Lafayette posted consecutive 1-0 shutout victories in 2015 and 2016; since then the Mids are 2-0-1 ... All-time, Navy has outscored Lafayette, 68-21 and hold an 11-1-2 mark in games played in Annapolis.

Last 5 Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2015, the Mids and Leopards are tied 2-2-1 with the scoring knotted at 3-3
    Oct. 2, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 1
    Oct. 17, 2018 (A): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 18, 2017 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 23, 2016 (H): Lafayette 1 - Navy 0, OT
    Oct. 25, 2015 (A): Lafayette 1 - Navy 0

Most Recent Matchup - October 2, 2019 in Annapolis
Navy continued its run of unbeaten play as the Mids came away from their home Wednesday night matchup versus Lafayette with a 1-1 draw. Scoreless through 78 minutes, the last 12 minutes of regulation was action-packed with both teams netting goals, Lafayette in the 79th and Navy in the 87th. Sydney Fortson played a leading role in the holding the 1-1 decision for the Mids as she made two saves in the second overtime period off of dangerous Leopard shots on goal.
 
Navy came out of the gates at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility looking to jump out to an early lead and Jeana Freeman was first up as she picked up a loose ball on the edge of 18-yard box and immediately ripped a shot towards the near post. Maggie Pohl, Lafayette's starting goalkeeper, was up to the task and dove on top of the low line drive shot. The Mids continued finding itself in quality scoring opportunities in the early portion of the game as Alex Jackson flicked a header shot towards the upper-90 off of a free kick in the eighth minute. Jackson's attempt flew wide of the goal and the game continued at a 0-0 margin. Navy kept the pressure on Lafayette throughout the majority of the first half as the hosts outshot the Leopards, 8-2 over the opening 45 minutes.
 
Coming out of the locker room deadlocked at 0-0, the action was scattered throughout the field as both teams found space in their respective attacking thirds. Within the first five minutes of the second half, Lafayette had recorded two shots and taken one corner kick. As soon as this run of play in the Leopards' favor was over, the Mids took over possession and put their second shot on goal in quick order as Baseley McClaskey served a high arching shot into the six-yard box to a waiting Jackson, who powered a header towards the far post in the 52nd minute.
 
Navy controlled much of the scoring chances for the next 25 minutes as the Mids tallied four of the next five shots. The dynamic of the game changed in the 79th minute when the Leopards' Riley Dowd received a throw-in, dribbled around and bodied her defender off the ball before taking a low shot to the far corner of the goal to go up 1-0.
 
With less than 12 minutes left in regulation to find their game-tying goal, the Mids focused solely on their attack. Lafayette stood strong for first eight minutes of this span and allowed just one shot. Navy found its first and only score of the game in one of the rarely seen own-goal fashions as Emily Keast sent a long cross towards goal that was likely running wide and long before a Lafayette defender stepped in front, whiffed on the clearance and saw the ball ricochet off her leg past her goalie at 86:57.
 
Knotted at 1-1 after 90 minutes of play, neither team was able to muster much offensively in the opening overtime period. The action kicked up a gear in the second overtime session as Lafayette put a pair of well-placed shots on goal that forced Fortson into action. The Mids' senior goalkeeper was especially tested by Krista Kissell in the 103rd minute when she met Kissell at the top of the 18-yard box and deflected the shot away with a wide open net behind her. Bolstered by those clutch saves, Wednesday night's contest went into the record books with a 1-1 decision through 110 minutes of double overtime action.
 
For the game, Navy outshot Lafayette, 18-9 with a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Leopards had six corner kicks versus five for the Mids.

Comparing the Teams

2021 Stats	Navy	Lafayette
Record	10-5-3, 5-2-1 PL	5-9, 3-5 PL
Goals/Gm	1.67	1.00
Assists/Gm	1.50	0.79
Shots/Gm	14.6	7.9
Goals Against Average	1.02	1.63
GK Saves/Gm	4.1	4.2

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Lafayette
Goals	Riddle, 7	Lamanna, 5
Assists	Riddle, 5	Butler, 4
Points	Riddle, 19	Lamanna, 10
Shots	Riddle, 46	Lamanna, 22
GK Saves	Gallagher, 67	Neumann, 38

Last Time Out: October 23 at Holy Cross
With a Patriot League postseason berth lying in the balance on Saturday, Navy turned in a well-rounded team effort at Holy Cross and earned a hard-fought 1-0 shutout victory. The Mids received a go-ahead goal from Alexa Riddle and a staunch defensive effort from goalie Mattie Gallagher and Navy's backfield in defeating the Crusaders (1-14-1, 0-7-1 PL) at Linda Johnson Smith Stadium.
  
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 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 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 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, Chloe Dawson and Victoria Tran 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.