WASHINGTON, D.C. – Looking for a win to secure its spot in the postseason, Navy men's soccer (4-1-1, 3-1-1 Patriot League, 2-1-1 PL South Division) fell short of the win and played to a 1-1 draw with American (2-1-2, 2-1-2 Patriot League, 2-1-1 PL South Division) on Saturday afternoon from Reeves Field. Following Saturday's results within the South Division, the Midshipmen finished their season with four wins over their six-match season.
 
With the draw, Navy and American finished tied in the South Division with seven points each, but American holds the tiebreaker over the Midshipmen with a +2 goal differential in divisional matches, compared to Navy's +1 goal differential. With Navy sitting behind American in the standings after the tiebreaker, the Midshipmen needed a Loyola loss to earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament but Loyola edged out Bucknell, 2-1, on Saturday as Loyola earned the No. 1 seed in the South Division and American the No. 2 seed.
 
"I thought it was a really good performance for us. I thought we played really well and dominated the game. We outshot them 16-4 and had 10 corner kicks. We had good possession and really good effort today" head coach Tim O'Donohue commented. "It is disappointing to give up a set-piece goal. But that is what happens in the game sometimes at the end when they throw everything forward. It is disappointing to tie, but it was one of our best performances we have had this season.
 
"The guys have had to be resilient all year and I am really proud of the group. I thought it was a fantastic effort and I thought we dominated the game in every way. I was not happy with the performance on Wednesday and I think that was the only game this season we did not play well. I thought we were really good today and just disappointed we did not finish a few more chances."
 
Navy got out on the attacking front early and often in the first half with Jacob Williams (Jr., Millersville, Md.) recording the first two shot attempts of the game but neither could find the target in the first 10 minutes of the contest. In the 16th minute, the Midshipmen looked to break the ice, after Sidney Paris (Fr., Oakville, Ontario) found Williams in front of the net, but American cleared the ball away from the goal.
 
The lone shot of the first half for the Eagles came in the 31st minute where Ian Bramblett (Sr., Easley, S.C.) stopped Jason Bouregy's shot from the top of the penalty area. Navy's substitutes kept the pressure on the American defense as Bayne Bentley (Jr., Austin, Texas) forced Jake Agnew into his first save of the day in the 38th minute. Just two minutes later, Nicko West (Sr., Mansfield, Texas) and Joe Alex (Jr., Lockport, N.Y.) each had shots stopped by Agnew, then a minute later, West had a scoring chance off the left wing but his shot missed the right post.
 
Navy kept searching for the opening goal in the first half but the American defense kept the game scoreless heading into the break. The Midshipmen had seven shots in the opening stanza with three on goal compared to American's one shot.
 
Navy continued to control the pace of play in the second half, but could not crack the Eagles defense. After Bramblett made a big stop against Damian Searchwell in the 65th minute to keep the game scoreless, the Midshipmen had a flurry of chances from the 70th minute through the 74th minute. During that span, Navy registered four corner kicks and three shots.
 
Williams broke the scoreless affair in the 74th minute to put Navy ahead late in the contest. After a corner kick from Paris got kicked to the top of the 18-yard box, Williams ripped a left-shot into the back of the net to give the Midshipmen a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the 85th minute, the Eagles were awarded a free kick in their attacking third and American tied the match with a goal from David Coly.
 
The score remained tied at one after regulation to push the match into overtime. During the first overtime period, Williams recorded the only shot for either team but his shot missed the frame. With Navy continuing to pressure American in the 10 minutes of the game, the Midshipmen could not find the game-winning goal as the contest ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
The Midshipmen dictated the pace of the match throughout as they outshot the Eagles 16-4 for the match. Navy also had 10 corner kicks in the match compared to American's five.
 
The Midshipmen conclude their 2020-21 season with a record of 4-1-1 and finished tied for second in the Patriot League South Division.