ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Following a 26-day break from competition due to a campus-wide restriction of movement mandate, the Navy women's soccer team will take to the pitch on Saturday, March 27 at Loyola in its second Patriot League contest of the 2020-21 season. Experienced with dealing with long breaks in between action during its three-game non-conference slate in the fall, the Mids will go head-to-head with the Greyhounds in a key Patriot League South Division game. These two squads met twice in a matter of a weeks late in the 2019 season, tying each game. Fortunately for Navy (0-4, 0-1 PL, 0-0 PL So.), the top-seeded Midshipmen advanced over the Greyhounds (2-0, 2-0 PL, 1-0 PL So.) in the tournament semifinals via penalty kicks, 4-3. Navy would later go on to win the tournament and capture the league's automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Saturday's action at the Ridley Athletic Complex is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Attendance Policy for Saturday
Loyola has an extremely limited fan attendance policy currently in-place. Only two family members of each Loyola student-athlete is allowed to attend outdoor sporting events;
no Navy family or fans will be admitted with this policy ... Further information is available
here.
Navy vs. Loyola
In a series that dates back to the first-ever NCAA Division I game for Navy on Sept. 4, 1993, the Mids are 8-3-4 all-time against the Greyhounds ... After dropping the first two games of the series in 1993 and 1994, Navy has fallen to Loyola only one time, a Sept. 24, 2016 meeting by a score of 2-1 in double overtime (8-1-4 record) ... Since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013, Navy is 4-1-3 in six regular season meetings ... The teams have only met four times in Baltimore with the Greyhounds holding a slim 2-1-1 advantage.
Last 5 Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2016, Navy is 2-1-2 and has outscored Loyola, 8-4
Nov. 8, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Loyola 1 (Patriot League Semifinals, Navy advances 4-3 on PK)
Nov. 1, 2019 (H): Navy 0 - Loyola 0
Sept. 21, 2018 (A): Navy 2 - Loyola 1
Sept. 22, 2017 (H): Navy 4 - Loyola 0
Sept. 24, 2016 (A): Loyola 2 - Navy 1 (2ot)
Most Recent Matchup: Nov. 8, 2019 ~ Patriot League Semifinals
In the first Patriot League Semifinal game of the 2019 tournament, top-seeded Navy and fourth-seeded Loyola battled for over 110 minutes and were forced to decide who advances in the single-elimination tournament via penalty kick shootout. At the end of five nerve-wracking rounds of penalty kicks, the Mids deposited four of its attempts versus three for the Greyhounds to move along to the championship final on Sunday afternoon. Officially, the final score of the semifinal contest was a 1-1 draw.
Navy's victory came from a variety of sources as Gina Peraino scored the Mids' only goal in regulation for her first career marker, while Navy's go-ahead penalty kick came from Emily Keast in round five. As Navy's goalkeeper, Sydney Fortson held Loyola to one goal in regulation, in addition to making a save on the Greyhounds' Nicole Rivas in the penalty kick portion of the contest.
Scoreless through 42 minutes, the Mids earned a corner kick opportunity as Loyola deflected an Alex Jackson shot out wide past the end line. With that corner, Baseley McClaskey lofted a soft floating ball that passed over the hands of Loyola's Paige Sim to the elevated foot of Peraino. All the sophomore forward needed to do was redirect the ball into the back of the net to put Navy up 1-0 at 42:35.
Deep into the second half with the score still 1-0 and Loyola holding onto a glimmer of life, the visitors started putting together a focused attack for that game-tying goal. As the clock ticked under 12 minutes, Hannah Hoefs, the Patriot League Midfielder of the Year, struck a deep, curling corner kick that bounded into the back of the net at 78:02.
Still tied and in need a victor to advance to the Patriot League Championship Finals, the game moved onto penalty kicks. Navy found itself in a quick 1-0 deficit in the five-round shootout as Sim made a save on Peraino's attempt. The second round saw Jackson put the Mids on the scoreboard, though the Greyhounds' Sabrina Daglish answered in the bottom of the frame to make it 2-1. After Gabby Gordon pulled Navy even in the top of the third round, Fortson flexed her All-Patriot League First Team acumen with a save on Nicole Rivas' shot. Knotted at 2-2, both McClaskey and Loyola's Kate Reese made their shots to send it to the fifth round tied at 3-3. Keast was first up and calmly deposited the ball into the back of the net to go up 4-3. With the chance to extend the shootout, Julia Gray hit her shot straight into the crossbar and with that the Mids charged in from midfield to rejoice with Fortson in their goal box.
Comparing the Teams
|
Navy |
Loyola |
| Record |
0-4, 0-1 PL |
2-0, 2-0 PL |
| Goals/Gm |
0.75 |
1.50 |
| Assists/Gm |
1.25 |
1.50 |
| Shots/Gm |
10.5 |
10.5 |
| Goals Against Average |
2.10 |
0.50 |
| GK Saves/Gm |
4.75 |
0.50 |
Individual Leaders
|
Navy |
Loyola |
| Goals |
3 Players, 1 |
Tempert, 2 |
| Assists |
5 Players, 1 |
3 Players, 1 |
| Points |
Tran, 3 |
Tempert, 4 |
| Shots |
3 Players, 6 |
3 Players, 3 |
| GK Saves |
Gallagher, 14 |
Sim, 1 |
What 2 Watch 4
- Back in Action: How will the 26-day break affect the Mids. Their first practice after ROM was Monday.
- Patriot League South Opener for Navy: In the unique north/south divisional alignment for women's soccer this spring, Saturday is Navy's first against a southern opponent.
- Patriot League Tournament Semifinal Rematch: Mids and Greyhounds battled to a 1-1 tie in their 2019 postseason matchup with Navy advancing on PKs, 4-3.
- Familiar Faces: Loyola's Head Coach Joe Mallia was an assistant coach with Navy from 2016-18.
- Familiar Faces (Part 2): Loyola's All-Patriot League junior midfielder Kaleigh Gallagher is the older sister of Navy's starting freshman goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher.
- Playing at Ridley Athletic Complex: The Mids lead the all-time series with the Greyhounds, 8-3-4, but have won just 1 of 4 matchups in Baltimore (1-2-1).
2020-21 Preseason All-Patriot League Honorees
Accompanying the Patriot League's preseason poll announcement, team captain
Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan and
Victoria Tran were selected as 12 of the players that were selected to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
