BALTIMORE – The Navy women's soccer team had an emphatic answer to a tough Patriot League result this past weekend at Bucknell as the Mids came out Wednesday night and netted two set piece goals, while holding Loyola without a shot on goal in a 2-0 victory at the Ridley Athletic Complex. Unfazed by a 30-minute delay due to lightning in the Baltimore area, the Mids (5-4-1, 1-1 PL) came out and played a vintage brand of Navy Women's Soccer with purposeful quick-strike offense and stifling team defense against a Greyhound (4-5-1, 1-1 PL) team, that they have met in each of the past two Patriot League Tournaments. Caitlin Doran (Jr., Queens, N.Y.) and Kassidy Borden (So., Leesburg, Va.) spearheaded Navy's offensive efforts with goals in the 28th and 75th minutes of play, respectively.

"We focused on defending this week because it truly hasn't been up to the standard of Navy Women's Soccer recently," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "We had meetings with the players, found some little things that weren't quite right and we really locked in on improving that during our preparation. We turned it around tonight and I'm really proud of that. We had a complete 90-minute effort tonight. We used a lot of people and everyone that stepped on the field did their job really well; they pressed, they sold out, they brought energy and they left it all out there. We had a really quality effort across the board tonight. We didn't miss a beat regardless of our personnel, shape or strategy, that's a credit to this team. We did a good job of creating chances, getting in the box, connecting tight passes under pressure and defending hard. This is good for our confidence moving forward. We have a long way to go in conference play, but this is a good start."
 
As expected in a matchup of competitive local rivals, who have played three one-goal games and two more double overtime draws over their last five meetings, the majority of the early action between the Mids and Greyhounds was in the midfield with just four combined shots over the opening 25 minutes of play with two shots credited to each side. The game's first swing of momentum took a turn in the visitors' favor less than three minutes later. Entering the game off the bench at 26:29, Doran immediately left her mark as she flicked in a low line drive corner kick from Sadie McCaleb (Jr., Loganton, Pa.) at 27:11.
 
With Navy ahead 1-0, the Mids' defense helped hold the Greyhounds off the scoreboard the rest of the half as Chloe Dawson (So., Fairfax, Va.) made a sliding block of a Kelly Hutton shot in the 31st minute before Mattie Gallagher came off her line to intercept a curling cross in the 40th.
 
At the half, Navy held a marginal 5-3 advantage in total shots and a 1-0 edge in shots on goal.
 
Coming out of the locker room trailing by one, the Greyhounds took aim at the Mids' goal as within the first five minutes of the second half they struck a deep looping corner kick that forced Gallagher to leap into the scrum of bodies at the six-yard box and snag the cross before the Greyhounds could square up a shot.
 
Not willing to rest on its one-goal lead, Navy tested Loyola's goalkeeper Paige Sim with a pair of shots towards the upper half of the goal. Jenna Daunt (So., Haymarket, Va.) was the first Midshipmen to record a shot on goal in the 62nd minute before Dawson nearly snuck her shot under the crossbar if not for Sim leaping up and pushing the shot over in the 67th.
 
Navy's third shot on goal of the period left its mark when Borden lined with a free kick a few yards inside the midfield stripe and ripped a shot the bounced just inside the six-yard box and one-hopped Sim into the back of the net at 74:57.
 
Up 2-0, the Mids suffocated all of the Greyhounds' remaining offensive looks as Loyola was unable to muster any shots over the final 15 minutes of play.
 
In the victory, Navy outshot Loyola, 12-5 with a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal. The host Greyhounds earned seven corner kicks versus three for the Mids.

"The belief in ourselves improved this week," said Gabarra in closing. "We went back to who we are and our roots. We're a team that defends with passion and are relentless in our pursuit. When we change gears and get into transition we connect passes and do so with composure. We did all of that tonight. It wasn't just our backs that defended, but our entire team throughout the field. That's a big part of who we are and what we pride ourselves on. Putting that all together breeds confidence and helps our attack when we're moving all as one unit."

Navy will continue its early season Patriot League action this weekend with a Saturday tilt versus Boston University. The Mids and Terriers are set for a 12 p.m. kickoff at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.