BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Charlie Kriel (Fr., Severna Park, Md.) headed home a pass from David Jackson (So., Cypress, Texas) in the 50th minute and Tyler Fahning (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) recorded his 10th shutout of the season to lead the Navy men's soccer team (12-5-1, 5-4-0 Patriot League) to a 1-0 victory over Lehigh (5-11-2, 5-4-0 Patriot League) and a berth in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.

"I'm really proud of the effort from our guys tonight," said head coach Tim O'Donohue. "I challenged the back four to get back to limiting the opponents chances and they stepped up in a big way for us tonight. They put forward a resilient effort against two of the top forwards in the league. We are excited for the opportunity that lies ahead in facing American."

The Midshipmen were led on offense by Kriel, who netted what proved to be the game-winning score at the 49:12 mark on an assist from Jackson, along with Jacob Williams (Sr., Millersville, Md.) who placed a game-high six shots, two being on goal.

Rounding out the top performers on offense for Navy was Sidney Paris (So., Oakville, Ontario) who finished with two attempts on goal.

Leading the Mids' defensive effort was Fahning, who recorded five saves over 90 clean minutes that included a crucial-leaping save in the 78th minute to secure his league-leading 10th shutout of the year.

Navy went on the attack to open the game, placing eight shots including two on goal that were stifled by the Mountain Hawks.

Lehigh placed six shots of its own in the first half, but the Midshipmen defense matched the effort of its counterpart, turning away each of the attempts including two stops by Fahning to send the match to halftime scoreless.

Coming out of the break, Navy continued to put immense pressure on the Lehigh backline including a narrow miss by Williams on a header at the 47:43 mark. Just two minutes later, the pressure resulted in a corner-kick attempt in which Jackson was tasked with taking the try.

The sophomore midfielder placed the attempt perfectly as Kriel leaped and sent a header into the back of the net for his third score of the season, giving the Mids a one-score advantage at the 49:12 mark.

Over the final 41 minutes following the score by Kriel, Navy turned in a stifling effort defensively, defending each of the nine attempts by the Mountain Hawks including a trio of saves by Fahning and a crucial final-minute stop by Matt Nocita (Sr., Porter Ranch, Calif.) during a chaotic scramble in front of the net.

With the stop by Nocita in the final seconds of the contest, the Midshipmen secured a 1-0 victory over Lehigh and a spot in Tuesday's Patriot League Tournament semifinals.

Navy finished with advantages over the Mountain Hawks in total shots (17-15) and shots on goal (8-6) while being tied in corner-kick attempts (6-6).

Lehigh was led on offense by the trio of Stevo Bednarsky, Dawson Berger and Jack Sarkos who finished with three shots apiece. Goalkeeper Blake Koski took the loss after allowing one score and recording seven saves over 90 minutes played.

UP NEXT
Navy will return to action as it travels to take on second-seeded American for the second time in six days. Opening kick of the match is slated for 1 p.m. from the Reeves Athletic Complex in Washington, D.C.

GAME NOTES
MOVING ON: With the quarterfinal round win over Lehigh, Navy advances to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2013 season, the same season when it won the lone Patriot League title in program history.

WINNING WAYS: With the win, the Navy improved its overall record to 12-5-1, marking the second time in the last three seasons that the Midshipmen have won at least 12 games.

STIFLING THE OPPOSITION: The 1-0 victory over Lehigh marks the 10th shutout of the season for Navy, tying the most for a single-season in program history. The Midshipmen also recorded 10 shutouts during the 2013 and 2019 seasons.