ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Playing at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility for the first time since Feb. 28, the Navy women's soccer team will begin a brief two-game homestand on Saturday to close out its 2020-21 regular season. Winners of two straight 1-0 games and sitting in first place in the Patriot League South Division, the Mids (2-4, 2-1 PL, 2-0 PL So.) will welcome the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (1-1-2, 1-1-2 PL, 1-0-1 PL So.), who currently stand in a tie for second in the division with four points. At the conclusion of the abridged Patriot League regular season next weekend, the top two teams in each of the North and South divisions will qualify for the league's postseason tournament. A win by the Mids on Saturday will clinch the South title and give them semifinal hosting duties on April 14. Already important for playoff purposes, Saturday's game will also act as Navy's Senior Day for its Class of 2021. Prior to the contest, the trio of Emily Keast, Molly Swiger and team captain Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan will be honored by the program. Saturday's action at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Attendance Policy for Saturday
Attendance is limited to those that reside on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. No members of the general public, alumni, parents or sponsors will be permitted unless they fall into the category of academy residents.

Navy vs. Lehigh
Saturday will be the 30th meeting between the two schools in a series that began on Sept. 18, 1993 ... Navy leads the series 21-4-4 and has outscored Lehigh, 55-17 all-time ... After going 0-2-1 over the teams' first three meetings, Navy has kicked the series into gear with an 21-2-3 mark beginning in 1996 ... Navy has lost just once in 16 games played in Annapolis (13-1-2) ... The Mids are currently in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, in which they have outscored the Mountain Hawks, 18-1.

Last 5 Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2015, the Mids are 5-0 and have outscored the Mountain Hawks, 9-0.
   Oct. 5, 2019: Navy 1 - Lehigh 0
   Sept. 29, 2018: Navy 2 - Lehigh 0
   Sept. 30, 2017: Navy 2 - Lehigh 0
   Sept. 28, 2016: Navy 3 - Lehigh 0
   Sept. 30, 2015: Navy 1 - Lehigh 0

Most Recent Matchup: Oct. 5, 2019 in Annapolis
Navy continued playing its strong brand of well-rounded team soccer on Saturday, Oct. 5 as the Mids knocked off the Lehigh Mountain Hawks by a score of 1-0 in a Patriot League showdown at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Scoreless through 79 minutes of play, the Mids' constant pressure finally resulted in a goal when Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan banged home a deflected Jeana Freeman shot on goal at 79:33. Navy's defense was equally as impressive on Saturday night as it held Lehigh to just six shots and two on goal.

With strong winds whipping towards the Lehigh goal in the first half, Navy was anxious to take advantage of the little extra zip that all of their crosses had. That was noticeable to those in attendance as the Mids' best looks at net were off of corners or free kick restarts. Twice Navy saw attackers crash the net in hopes of connecting on headers, but unfortunately both attempts, the first by Avery Fries and the second by Alex Jackson missed their target. The Mids' final corner kick of the first half was whipped into the box and recovered by Lexie Silva, who's shot was blocked, but bounced to Fries, who immediately ripped a shot on goal that was denied by the Mountain Hawks' goalkeeper, Miranda Royds.  

Scoreless at the half, Navy was outshooting Lehigh by a 10-2 margin with a 4-1 advantage in shots on goal.

The action switched up a bit in the second half as the visiting Mountain Hawks were able to muster up more offense with the wind at their backs. Bending, but not breaking the Mids only allowed one of the Mountain Hawks' four shots to test Sydney Fortson in goal, a Ryelle Shuey header in the 87th minute. Fortson also came up clutch earlier in the half as she punched away a dangerous Lehigh corner kick in the 58th minute.

With Navy playing into the wind, the 0-0 stalemate continued late into the contest before a quick series of shots on goal resulted in the game's first and only score. After Freeman's initial shot on goal was stopped by Royds, Dzhandzhapanyan found the deflected ball at her feet for the easy tap-in from inside the six-yard box at 79:33.

For the game, Navy outshot Lehigh, 15-6, while holding a 7-2 mark in shots on goal. The host Midshipmen also recorded more corner kicks, 6-4.

Comparing the Teams

	Navy	Lehigh
Record	2-4, 2-1 PL	1-1-2, 1-1-2 PL
Goals/Gm	0.83	0.50
Assists/Gm	1.33	0.50
Shots/Gm	10.0	9.5
Goals Against Average	1.42	0.45
GK Saves/Gm	4.00	4.00

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Bucknell
Goals	Doran, 2	Casey/Van Siclen, 1
Assists	Gillcrist/Tran, 2	Murphy/Sapp, 1
Points	Doran/Tran, 4	Casey/Van Siclen, 2
Shots	3 Players, 8	Van Siclen, 6
GK Saves	Gallagher, 19	Royds, 16

Last Time Out: March 31 at Bucknell
Playing its second Patriot League road game in four days, the Navy women's soccer team came out fast on Wednesday night with a goal in the second minute versus Bucknell and never looked back as it posted its second straight 1-0 shutout victory. The Mids received strong efforts from a pair of freshmen as Chloe Dawson scored her first career goal, while Mattie Gallagher backstopped the visitors' clean sheet effort against the Bison with three saves in net. Wednesday's win at Emmitt Field helped move Navy into first place in the Patriot League South Division.

Navy's offense came out ready to go as the visiting Mids tested the Bison almost immediately as Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan drove to the net and ripped a shot towards the near upper-90 where Bucknell's goalkeeper Kaylee Donnelly deflected it away just 62 seconds into the game. On the ensuing corner kick, Molly Gillcrist played a short corner to Victoria Tran, who swung a cross towards the back side of the box to a charging Dawson, who powered a corner off the hands of Donnelly and across the goal line at 1:52.

With the clock in the first half advancing under 15 minutes to go in the first half, Gallagher was on the move as she leapt off the line and punched away a dangerous cross on a Bison free kick from 30 yards out. The hosts continued generating looks in their offensive third as Gallagher made her second save of the half in the 40th minute. That was the sixth of seven shots for Bucknell in the first half. On the opposite side of the ledger Navy finished the opening 45-minute period with three shots.

Similar to the first half, the Mids' offense was clicking early as they recorded two shots and three corner kicks in the first seven minutes of action. Navy's second shot was extra dangerous as Avery Fries played a deep set piece into the box where Tran collected the ball and tried to square up a shot on goal only to see a Bison defender dart in late and block the shot before it reached the frame.

After that initial of offensive action by Navy, the next 20 minutes played out with back-and-forth play, but only one combined shot, a wide attempt by Carolyn Mang in the 62nd minute.

The Mids' defense held the Bison without a second-half shot until the 74th minute when Claire Mensi took a lengthy strike that required Gallagher to dive off her line and smother the attempt. Over the final 16 minutes, Navy withstood Bucknell's final push for the tying goal with four total shots, including shots in the 84th and 90th minute that were blocked.

For the game, Bucknell outshot Navy, 12-9, though the Mids held a slight 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. The visiting Mids also held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.

What 2 Watch 4

• Sprint to the End: After missing 3+ weeks of action, Navy is in the midst of playing four games in a span of 13 games to close the regular season.
• PL South Competition for Navy: In the unique north/south divisional alignment this spring, Saturday is Navy's third against a southern opponent. The Mids are 2-0 and sit atop the division.
• Streaking: The Mids are currently on a nine-game winning streak against the Mountain Hawks; last lost was Oct. 9, 2011.
• Reaching a Round Number: The Navy women's soccer program sits at 349 career wins going into Saturday; a victory over the Mountain Hawks would be #350 for the Mids. Head Coach Carin Gabarra has been in charge of Navy's program from its inception in 1993.
• Sending the Seniors Out Strong: Navy honors its Class of 2021 on Saturday with Senior Day.