WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy men's soccer team (12-6-1, 5-4-0 Patriot League) dropped a 4-2 decision to American (9-4-4, 6-2-1 Patriot League) in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament Tuesday at the Eagles' Reeves Athletic Complex.

With the win, American advances to the Patriot League Championship game where it will take on the winner of Tuesday's second league semifinal game between top-seeded Loyola and the No. 6 seed Army.

Navy ends its 2021 season with 12 wins, marking its second double-digit win total in the last three years, along with reaching the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2013.

The Midshipmen also finish the season with 33 goals scored, the most by a Navy men's soccer team since the Mids scored 37 times in 2013. Additionally, the 10 shutouts by Navy this season are its most since tallying 10 in 2019.

"It was not our day," said head coach Tim O'Donohue. "I am proud of the effort from our group. We battled back after a less than stellar first half and pushed to tie the score and they caught us. I am proud of the effort of the players, you have to give credit to American who played well and had some excellent finishes along with being clinical in the box.

"We have a lot to build on for the future and we appreciate the great contribution to the program from all our seniors."

Jacob Williams (Sr., Millersville, Md.) led the Midshipmen offense with a game-best five shots, four being on goal, along with recording his seventh score of the season. David Jackson (So., Cypress, Texas) converted on a penalty-kick try in the 42nd minute for his fourth goal of 2021, along with adding an assist, while Bayne Bentley (Sr., Austin, Texas) recorded two attempts on goal to round out the top-offensive performers for Navy against the Eagles. In goal, Tyler Fahning (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) tallied two saves while allowing four goals over 90 minutes.

Navy went on the attack to open the match, placing a pair of shots along with a corner-kick attempt in the fifth minute that were stifled by the American defense. Following their defensive stand in the opening minutes of the match, the Eagles converted on their first score of the day in the 11th minute as David Coly netted a pass from Ethan Boyle to give American a one-score lead.

A defensive battle ensued after the score by AU, with the Midshipmen holding the Eagles without a shot over the next 25 minutes. American matched the effort of the Mids' back line, limiting Navy to just one shot over that same span along with defending a corner-kick try in the 24th minute to maintain its one-goal lead.

American broke the defensive stalemate in the 37th minute as Max Wright headed home a well-placed service from Mattias Cooper, giving the Eagles a two-score edge with eight minutes to play in the first half.

Less than five minutes later, the Navy offense came to life as it was awarded a penalty-kick try that was converted by Jackson to cut the AU lead to 2-1 in the 42nd minute.

However, American brought its lead back to two scores after the conversion by Jackson as Evan Schweickert played a rebound off a shot by Cooper into the back of the net with just three seconds remaining before the break.

Coming out of halftime, Navy immediately went on the attack seeking a momentum shift, recording three shots along with three corner kicks. On the third corner-kick try, Jackson sent a perfectly-placed pass into the box that was headed in by Williams for his seventh goal of the season, cutting the Eagle lead to 3-2 in the 59th minute.

The American defense responded following the score by Williams, limiting the Mids to just one shot along with defending a corner-kick attempt in the 71st minute. Sparked by the effort of the defense, the Eagles regained their two-score lead at the 74:13 mark as Boyle played a short pass from Cooper into the back of the net.

Despite adjustments from the Navy defense and a pair of shots on goal from the offense, American maintained possession throughout the majority of the final 15 minutes of play that included placing an additional three shots and a corner-try en route to securing a 4-2 victory over the Midshipmen.

American was led on offense by Boyle who finished with a goal and an assist while Cooper recorded three assists on the afternoon. In goal, Dominic Dominguez allowed two scores while recording four saves to earn the win.

Navy's Senior Class of 2022 consisting of Bentley, Fahning, Williams, Joe Alex (Sr., Lockport, N.Y.), Collin Armstrong (Sr., Vestavia, Ala.) Tyler Collins (Sr., Crofton, Md.), Ben Huynh (Sr., Everett, Wash.), Matt Nocita (Sr., Porter Ranch, Calif.), Nick Sigman (Sr., Frisco, Texas) and Ryan Teuschl (Sr., Oakton, Va.) round out their careers with two Patriot League Tournament appearances, a Star Match victory over Army that occurred earlier this season and a four-year record of 33-23-4.