ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's soccer team (10-4-1, 4-3-0 Patriot League) is set to welcome Bucknell (4-8-3, 2-3-2 Patriot League) to the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility Saturday for a Patriot League contest that will be the final regular-season home game of the 2021 season for the Midshipmen. Prior to the start of Saturday's match, Navy is set to honor its 10-member Class of 2022.
Sunday's match will have free, live statistics provided on NavySports.com. Additionally, the contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+, a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign up for a monthly or yearly plan prior to tuning into the game.
POSTSEASON PICTURE
The Midshipmen enter Sunday's match against the Bison looking to keep pace in the Patriot League men's soccer standings with 12 points on four league victories. Navy would clinch a postseason spot with a win over Bucknell after Lafayette played to a tie Saturday against Holy Cross.
LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, Navy fell on the road to Saint Joseph's in a 2-1, double-overtime decision in a non-conference match.
David Jackson (So., Cypress, Texas) scored his fourth goal of the season on a penalty-kick try in the 11th minute to give the Midshipmen a one-score advantage. However, Saint Joseph's responded with an equalizer in the 48th minute that ultimately forced overtime.
In the 102nd minute, the Hawks netted a game-winning score, finding the back of the net off a shot on a well-placed corner kick to secure a double-overtime win over the Mids.
SERIES HISTORY
In a series that dates back to the 1930 season, the Midshipmen have a 28-15-4 edge over the Bison that included a 15-game win streak that ran from the first meeting of the series until the 1991 season. Things have evened out between the two programs over the last 10 meetings, with the Mids having a 5-4-1 advantage over Bucknell including winning three of the last four meetings.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Over its last five matchups against the Bison, Navy has played to a 3-2- along with having a 7-4 scoring advantage over those five games.
March 27, 2021: Navy 1, Bucknell 0
Nov. 11, 2019: Bucknell 2, Navy 0 (PL Tournament)
Oct. 6, 2019: Navy 2, Bucknell 0
Nov. 3, 2018: Navy 4, Bucknell 1
Nov. 4, 2017: Bucknell 1, Navy 0
LAST MATCHUP: Navy 1, Bucknell 0 (March 27, 2021 – Annapolis, Md.)
Jackson netted a penalty-kick try in the 33rd minute for his second goal of the season that propelled the Mids to a 1-0 win over Bucknell in the last meeting of the series that came during the truncated 2021 spring season. Navy tallied a 15-8 advantage in total shots while Bucknell had an 8-5 edge in corner-kick attempts, the two teams tied in shots on goal with three apiece.
NAVY PRIMER
Overall Record: 10-4-1
Patriot League Record: 4-3-0
Patriot League Standings: Fourth
Home Record: 7-1-0
Away Record: 2-3-1
Neutral Record: 1-0-0
Streak: L2
Head Coach: Tim O'Donohue I 16th Season (203-64-33), Sixth Season at Navy (38-43-10)
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
LEADING THE CHARGE: Sidney Paris (So., Oakville, Ontario) leads the way for Navy on offense with 14 points on four goals and a team-best six assists. Jackson is tied for second on the team in points (13) with
Jacob Williams (Sr., Millersville, Md.), the sophomore midfielder ranks second for the Mids in assists along with scoring four times. Williams' 13 points have come on five goals, tied with
Baba Kallie (So., Coatesville, Pa.) for the team lead, and three assists.
KEEPER COUNT: Tyler Fahning (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) ranks as one of the top goalkeepers in the Patriot League entering the final week of the 2021 regular season. The senior goalkeeper has allowed just 13 goals while recording 40 saves for a 0.83-goals against average and a .755-save percentage. Additionally, Fahning has tallied eight shutouts this season, tied for the most among NCAA Division I goalkeepers this season.
BOUNCE BACK: Coming off its fourth loss of the season, Navy has found success in games immediately following a defeat this season. Following a loss, the Mids have 2-1-0 record in addition to outscoring opponents over those three games, 7-2.
ON THE ATTACK: The Midshipmen have gone wire-to-wire in proving to be one of the best offensive units in the Patriot League in 2021, outscoring opponents 28-13 (+15) along with averaging 1.87-goals per game. The Mids are also averaging 15.8-shots per game in addition to recording an average of 6.4 shots on goal per game on a 237-147 (+90) total-shot advantage.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS: The 2021 Navy men's soccer team is moving its way up the program record book, led by Fahning who is tied for third in program history for shutouts in a single season.
Ian Bramblett (Easley, S.C.) and Gavin Snyder (Severna Park, Md.) are tied for the most clean sheets in a single season by a Midshipmen goalkeeper with 10. Additionally, Fahnings' 21 goals allowed in his career ranks first among goalkeepers who have played at least 1,500 minutes in their career at Navy.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Along with being one of the most productive-offensive units in the Patriot League this season, Navy has also proven to be a versatile attack with 11 different players scoring at least one goal. The Mids are the only team in the Patriot League to accomplish the feat in 2021 with Lafayette being next with 10 players scoring at least once. Additionally, eight Midshipmen have tallied at least one goal and once assist through 15 games.
STANDINGS UPDATE: With two games remaining in the 2021 regular season, Holy Cross and Loyola are tied atop the Patriot League standings with 15 points on five league victories apiece. American is third with 13 points followed by Navy in fourth with 12 points. Army is next, also having 12 points, in fifth followed by Lafayette in sixth with 10 points. At the end of the regular season, the top-six teams in the league standings will advance to the Patriot League Tournament to compete for a league championship.
PATRIOT LEAGUE LEADERS: Entering the weekend, Navy is first in the Patriot League in total shots, shot per game average, goals scored, goals allowed (11), team goals against average (0.76) and shutouts while being second in the team rankings in points (72) and goals per game average.
Among the individual leaders in the Patriot League this season, Williams is first in shots (62) and shots per game average (4.43) and game-winning goals (3) while ranking tied for sixth in goals scored (5).
Jason Aoyama (So., Narberth, Pa.) ranks third in the league in shot attempts along with fourth in shots (35). Rounding out the Midshipmen's offensive leaders in the Patriot League is the duo of Jackson and Paris who are tied for the fifth-most assists in the league. Among Patriot League goalkeepers, Fahning ranks first in goals against average and shutouts along with being second in save percentage.
NATIONAL STANDING: In addition to its standing in the Patriot League, Navy has ranked among the national leaders in several categories throughout the 2021 season. The Midshipmen enter the weekend ranking third in shutouts, 29th in goal differential, 34th in win percentage (.700), 36th in team-save percentage, 36th in goals scored and 42nd in scoring offense.
Individually, Williams is sixth in the nation in shots per game, 24th in game-winning goals and 33rd in shots on goal per game while Fahning ranks third in shutouts, 22nd in goalie minutes played, 27th in goals against average and 49th in save percentage. Paris is 48th nationally in assists per game while being 50th in total assists.
ROUNDING OUT THE ATTACK: Rounding out the top-offensive performers for the Midshipmen through 15 games is the quartet of Aoyama,
Cristian Coelho (So., Katy, Texas),
Charlie Kriel (Fr., Severna Park, Md.) and
Matt Nocita (Sr., Porter Ranch, Calif.). Each of the four players have totaled five points on the season with Coelho, Kriel and Nocita having tallied two scores apiece.
BUCKNELL PRIMER
Overall Record: 4-8-3
Patriot League Record: 2-3-2
Patriot League Standings: Eighth
Home Record: 1-3-1
Away Record: 3-5-2
Neutral Record: 0-0-0
Streak: T1
Interim Head Coach: Matt Brown I Second Season (11-16-4), First at Bucknell (4-8-3)
SCOUTING THE BISON
LAST TIME OUT: Bucknell played to a scoreless draw against Boston University in a Patriot League match last time out. The Terriers finished with a 16-12 edge in shots over the Bison, although Bucknell tallied a 6-1 edge in shots on goal. Neither side yielded an inch defensively, particularly in the second half and overtime where the two sides turned away eight shots, respectively, over the final 65 minutes to maintain the scoreless match en route to a draw.
ON THE ATTACK: Jordan Miller leads the Bison attack with 12 points on a team-best six goals while Patrick O'Hara is second with five points on one goal and three assists. Rounding out the top-offensive performers for Bucknell this season is Eddie Perez-Pelaez with four points on one score and a pair of assists.
IN NET: Bennett Schwartz has seen the majority of action in net for the Bison in 2021, appearing in 15 games with 14 starts. The junior keeper has allowed 23 goals and recorded 53 saves for a 1.50-goals against average and a .697-save percentage. Also seeing time for Bucknell is goal is the duo of Aiden Perry and Logan Kinajil-Morgan who have combined to appear in two games with one start this season.
UP NEXT
Following its Senior Day match against Bucknell on Sunday, Navy will return to action Wednesday for its final regular-season contest of the 2021 season as it travels to Washington, D.C. for a match against American with opening kick slated for 1 p.m.
