ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's soccer team (8-1-1, 3-1-0 Patriot League) is back in action Saturday night as it takes on rival Army (6-3-1, 3-1-0 Patriot League) in the 10th edition of the Army-Navy Cup at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. Opening kick of the contest is set for 7 p.m.
Saturday's match is a Star Match within the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. Navy currently leads the series, 2-1, after winning the Star in men's golf and sprint football while Army earned a Star victory in volleyball.
Additionally, the contest will have free, live statistics via NavySports.com along with being broadcasted on ESPN+, a subscription-based streaming service that requires viewers to sign-up for a monthly or yearly plan prior to tuning into the game.
TICKET/PARKING INFORMATION
Tickets for Army-Navy Cup X are still on sale and can be purchased
HERE. Parking for the event at Subaru Park is free. For more information on Subaru Park, home of the Philadelphia Union, please visit
philadelphiaunion.com/stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, Navy secured a convincing victory over Holy Cross, 3-0, in a Patriot League match hosted at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The trio of
Joe Alex (Sr., Lockport, N.Y.),
Baba Kallie (So., Coatesville, Pa.) and
Jacob Williams (Sr., Millersville, Md.) provided the offense with one score apiece in addition to
Jason Aoyama (So., Narberth, Pa.),
David Jackson (So., Cypress Texas) and
JD Wagner (Jr., Medford Lakes, N.J.) each recording an assist.
The Midshipmen backline also turned in a stellar performance, with goalkeeper
Tyler Fahning (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) recording his sixth shutout of the season on a defensive effort that saw the Crusaders tally just four shots, two being on goal, securing the three-score Patriot League win for Navy.
SERIES HISTORY
In a series that dates back to the 1938 season, Navy has a 40-31-16 edge over the Black Knights that includes owning the longest win streak in the series at six-straight games from the 1959 season until 1964.
LAST MATCHUP
During the truncated 2021 spring season, Army came away with a 2-0 victory over Navy in Army-Navy Cup IX. In the two-score decision, both teams finished with 12 shots, six being on goal, while the Mids held an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks over the Black Knights. The contest finished with 40 combined fouls, 24 for Army and 16 for Navy with the Black Knights also being assessed five yellow cards.
John Poncy and Oscar Pereira each tallied a score for Army while Jackson led the offensive effort for Navy, posting three shots on goal.
NAVY PRIMER
Overall Record: 8-1-1
Conference Record: 3-1-1
Home Record: 6-0-0
Away Record: 2-1-1
Neutral Record: 0-0-0
Streak: W3
Head Coach: Tim O'Donohue I 16th Season (201-61-33), Sixth Season at Navy (36-40-10)
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
LEADING THE CHARGE: Sidney Paris (So., Oakville, Onatrio) leads the way for the Midshipmen offense through 10 games with 12 points on four goals and four assists. Jackson ranks second on the team in points (9) on three goals and three assists. Kallie, who has eight points this season, is tied with Paris for the team lead in goals while being tied for second in shots (23) with Aoyama.
Williams leads the way in shots with 47 while also having a team best 17 shots on goal and two game-winning scores. The senior forward also ranks fourth on the team in points with five on two goals and one assist.
KEEPER COUNT: Fahning, one of the top goalkeepers in the Patriot League this season, has allowed just six goals while recording 28 saves for a 0.57-goals against average and an .824-save percentage. The senior has played every minute (945:22) in net for the Mids this season, starting all 10 games.
WINNING WAYS: With its win over Holy Cross last time out, Navy improved to 28-7-3 over its last 38 games, the best record in the Patriot League over that span. Additionally, its .850-win percentage this season is the best among Patriot League teams this season.
ON THE ATTACK: The Midshipmen offense has proven to be one of the most formidable offensive units in the Patriot League in 2021, outscoring opponents 19-6 (+6) in addition to outshooting those opponents 164-92 (+72) and shots on goal, 68-36 (+32). Navy is averaging scoring 1.9 goals per game on an average of 16.4 shot attempts per contest.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Along with being one of the most productive offensive units in the Patriot League this season, the Navy offense has proven to be a versatile attack as well. The Midshipmen are the only team in the Patriot League this season to have 10 different players score a goal in addition to six players having scored at least one goal in addition to recording an assist.
PATRIOT LEAGUE RANKINGS: Navy sits atop the Patriot League team statistical rankings in several categories entering play against Army. The Midshipmen rank first in total shots and shots per game average while ranking second in goals scored and goals per game. On the defensive end, Navy has allowed a league best six goals along with being first in team goals against average at 0.60 and shutouts (6).
In the individual rankings, Williams is first in shots and shots per game average in addition to being tied for first in game-winning goals. Kallie and Paris are tied for the second-most goals in the Patriot League this season while Paris is also tied for the fifth-most assists in the league. Defensively, Fahning has proved to be one of the top goalkeepers in the Patriot League, ranking first in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts.
NATIONAL STANDING: In addition to its standing in the Patriot League rankings, Navy also stands among the top teams in the NCAA Division I men's soccer statistical rankings. The Mids rank 11th in win percentage, 13th in shots per game, 15th in team goals against average and save percentage along with being 35th in goals scored.
Among the individual leaders at the national level, Williams ranks second in the nation in shots per game, 26th in shots on goal per game and 44th in game-winning goals. Fahning's six shutouts rank third among Division I goalkeepers while being 13th in goals against average and 20th in save percentage.
FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE: Entering Saturday, both Navy and Army have recorded nine points in the Patriot League standings with each having a 3-1 mark in league play, respectively. The Midshipmen sit in first place with the better overall record at 8-1-1 while Army has an overall record of 6-3-1.
STIFLING THE OPPOSITION: Equal to the efforts of its offense this season has been the production of the Navy defense. The Midshipmen backline has yielded an average of just 0.60-goals per game on 9.2 total shots.
MULTI-SCORE AFFAIRS: Scoring two or more goals has proven to be a lethal formula for Navy this season, having an undefeated record of 6-0-1 in games when it scores two or more times. Additionally, under the direction of
Tim O'Donohue (since 2016), the Mids have a record of 26-3-1 when tallying a multi-score effort.
ARMY-NAVY CUP BREAKDOWN: Saturday's contest will mark the 10th installment of the Army-Navy Cup, hosted by the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Since the first contest in the series was played in 2012, Army has a narrow 4-2-3 advantage over the Midshipmen.
The rivalry match has ended in a tie three times (2012, 2017 and 2019) while Navy picked up back-to-back victories in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Black Knights secured wins in 2015, 2016 and 2018 along with winning the last match between the two service academies, 2-0, in April of 2021.
ARMY PRIMER
Overall Record: 6-3-1
Conference Record: 3-1-0
Home Record: 5-2-0
Away Record: 1-1-1
Neutral Record: 0-0-0
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Brian Plotkin I First Season (6-3-1)
SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS
LAST TIME OUT: Army is coming off a 2-1 road loss at Lehigh last time out, tallying its first Patriot League loss of the season. Poncy netted the long goal for the Black Knights in the 84th minute, but saw their comeback effort fall short as Euan Forrest recorded what proved to be the game-winning score for Lehigh in the 90th minute.
ON THE ATTACK: Pereira leads the Army offense with 15 points on five goals and five assists this season. Pereira also leads the team in total shots (32), shots on goal (14) and game-winning goals (2). Andrew Guerra ranks second on the Black Knight attack with nine points on four goals and one assist.
IN NET: Goalkeeping duties have been by committee for Army this season with Jacob Suppiah seeing the majority of the action. Suppiah has allowed 10 goals while recording 27 saves for a 1.44-goals against average and a .730-save percentage. Also seeing time in goal is the duo of Josh Taylor and Tomas Hut. Taylor has appeared in three games with two starts, tallying a 1-1-1 record. Hut recorded a shutout in his lone start of the season against Longwood.
UP NEXT
Following its Star Match against Army, Navy will continue Patriot League play October 16 as it travels to take on Loyola. Opening kick of the contest is set for 5 p.m.
