CHESTER, Pa. – The Navy men's soccer team (4-2-4, 2-0-2 PL) is set to make the trip up to Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., on Friday night, Oct. 7 at 7:05 p.m. to take on its most historic rival, Army (4-3-3, 2-1-1 PL).
 
The Midshipmen and Black Knights will kick off Army-Navy Cup XI presented by Leidos with both sides having a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings by the end of the game.
 
Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, Navy enters Friday in a tie with Colgate at the top of the PL table with eight points, while Army is right behind their rival at seven points in league play.
 
The match also has the third star in the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA on the line, with the season series between the two athletic departments tied at 1-1.
 
Staving Off Defeat
Navy has not suffered a loss since falling 1-0 to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 2, as the Mids enter Friday having not lost in over a calendar month … During that seven-game unbeaten streak, the Mids have posted a 3-0-4 mark that includes going a perfect 3-0 away from the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility … Juniors David Jackson and Baba Kallie have scored seven of the team's 11 goals in that span, while sophomore goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook has registered three of his four shutouts on the season in that span … Army was also riding a six-game unbeaten streak before losing to American on Sunday, 1-0.
 
Jackson's Goal Streak Snapped, Point Streak Continues
While his scoring streak has halted at five games when Boston University held him out of the goal column on Saturday, Jackson did pick up an assist on fellow junior Jason Aoyama's first-half goal, extending his points streak to six games … The midfielder's five-game goal streak is the second longest in the NCAA this season, with LIU's Emil Jaaskelainen and UCF's Lucca Dourado having currently scored in six-straight contests … Jackson's five-straight games with a tally was the longest goal streak by a Navy player since Mike Flanagan scored in seven-straight games during the 1968 season … Jackson's five goals and 12 points both sit third among Patriot League players entering the week … The midfielder is one of 12 Division I players to score three-or-more penalty-kick goals this year …Jackson is one of only two players in the nation this season to score PK goals in three-straight games, alongside SMU's Knut Ahlander.
 
Navy in the NCAA Stats Rankings
As a team, the Mids have committed the 12th-fewest amount of fouls per game in the nation (9.00), while Navy's .791 save percentage is 29th nationally … Pierce Holbrook's .805 save percentage ranks 23rd in the NCAA, while his four shutouts are tied for 20th.
 
Another Homecoming for Union Academy Quartet
The Midshipmen's probable starting lineup on Friday at Subaru Park will feature four players who all came out of the host Philadelphia Union's development program … Aoyama, Kallie, senior defender and captain JD Wagner and his brother, junior defender Zach Wagner, are all products of the Philadelphia Union Academy teams and attended YSC Academy, a soccer-specific school for elite soccer players from grades 6 through 12 that is partnered with the Union … Aoyama also saw practice time with the MLS Union, while the elder Wagner was briefly called up the 2019 active roster for the Union II in the USL.
 
Last Time Out
Despite Aoyama's tally in the 35th minute, Navy could not hold the lead in the final half as Boston University was able to score an equalizer at 73' salvage a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis … The Mids had the edge in the first half, as multiple chances early allowed the team to finally break through at 35' when the Terriers committed a turnover off a throw-in … Jackson eventually centered the ball to fellow junior midfielder Jake Granados, who then passed the ball up to Aoyama about 20 yards away from the net, and Aoyama let a shot rip at the 18-yard line after getting through two defenders, beating the BU keeper … The Terriers finally broke through at 72:34, as Diego Rived's shot was blocked by a Navy defender near the left post and the rebound found Andrew Rent inside the 6-yard line, who tapped it in for the equalizer … Navy senior goalkeeper Thomas Pearson made his collegiate debut with the starting nod in place of an injured Pierce Holbrook, making one save.
 
Navy vs. Army All-Time
Going into the 89th all-time meeting between the two programs, the Mids hold a 41-31-16 advantage over their rivals from West Point … Navy has posted a 10-9-6 record against the Black Knights in the past 25 matchups, but are only 1-2-2 against Army in the past five contests … Army has a 6-4-3 edge over Navy in neutral-site matches … The longest winning streak in the series from either side was a 10-game win streak by Navy from 1955 to 1964, with draws making it a 13-game unbeaten streak for the Mids against Army from 1954 to 1966.
 
Army-Navy Cup History
While Army and Navy had faced off in two neutral-site contests in the 1960s, the first iteration of the Army-Navy Cup at the Philadelphia Union's home stadium came in 2012 … The Black Knights have a 4-3-3 edge over the Mids through the first 10 meetings at now-Subaru Park … After the 2012 game ended in a 1-1 tie, the Mids won the 2013 and 2014 meetings by a 1-0 score each time before Army rattled off two-straight victories in the event, while a scoreless draw in 2017 set up an Army win in 2018 … A tie in 2019 match built momentum for the 2020 meeting, but COVID-19 forced the ninth edition of the Army-Navy Cup to be played on April 25, 2021, as Army grabbed a 2-0 win … Just 166 days later, Navy got revenge on Oct. 9 thanks to a hat-trick from Jacob Williams, the first hat-trick in the Cup's 10-year history, as Navy picked up a 3-0 shutout.
 
Scouting the Black Knights
Army has turned around its season after a 0-2-1 start, posting a six-game unbeaten streak with four wins before suffering a 1-0 home loss to American on Sunday … After victories over FAU and Sacred Heart and a draw with Seton Hall, the Black Knights defeated reigning Patriot League champion Loyola Maryland to open league play, 2-1, before tallying a 3-2 win at Holy Cross and playing to a 2-2 tie at Boston … Gage Guerra is tied for second in the Patriot League with six goals this season, while Cooper Warren is tied for the league lead at five assists … Guerra's 0.75 goals per game ranks 14th in the nation, while 1.75 points per game in 12th nationally … Tomas Hut and Josh Taylor have split goaltending duties, with Hut posting 23 saves (.719 save percentage) in six starts and Taylor recording 18 saves in four starts (.783 save percentage).
 
Army-Navy Star Series Update
The contest will mark the third of 24 Star Games between Army and Navy teams in the 2022-23 Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA, with Army Volleyball earning the first star for the Black Knights on Sept. 17 and Navy Sprint Football grabbing the first star on the Midshipmen's side on Sept. 23 ... The men's soccer Star match will be followed the next day, Oct. 8, by the men's golf Star match in West Point, N.Y.
 
Up Next
Navy continues Patriot League action on Saturday, Oct. 15, heading to Lehigh for a 5 p.m. showdown at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethleham, Pa.