ANNAPOLIS, Md. – An unsettled Patriot League postseason picture will have clarity at the end of Wednesday night, Nov. 2, with the Navy men's soccer team (4-4-8, 2-1-5 PL) set to take on American (6-5-5, 3-3-2 PL) to close out the regular season in a 7 p.m. contest at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Both the Midshipmen and Eagles are tied for fourth in the standings with Colgate at 11 points, with the Raiders slated to play eighth-place Lehigh (8 points) on Wednesday night and seventh-place Loyola (10 points) set to face ninth-place Bucknell. Navy controls its own destiny, as a win will guarantee the Mids a spot in the Patriot League tournament, while a tie or loss leaves Navy's fate up to the results of Wednesday's other four league matches.
 
Wednesday is also a rematch of last year's league semifinal, as the Eagles scored a 4-2 win that ended the Mids' season and sent American to the PL championship game against eventual league champion Loyola.
 
Closing the Book on the Regular Season
The Mids are 2-3-1 in regular-season finales under head coach Tim O'Donohue, going 1-1 when the regular-season finale is in Annapolis … Navy has faced American in its last two Patriot League regular-season finales, tying the Eagles on April 10, 2021 before falling 3-1 to American on Nov. 3, 2021, with both games taking place in Washington, D.C. … The past two seasons are the only times in program history where Navy has played American to end the regular season.
 
Midshipmen Discipline
With an average of 8.44 fouls per game, Navy is committing the sixth-fewest fouls in the nation, trailing only American (8.38) for a Patriot League low … The Mids also have the second-fewest amount on yellow cards in the NCAA this season at 15, with only Missouri State having less than Navy at seven yellow cards.
 
Navy Goalkeeping Standing Strong
Sophomore goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook has been a key part of the Midshipmen's defense this season, as the netminder ranks 50th nationally and second in the conference at a .773 save percentage, while his 51 total saves lead the Patriot League … Holbrook (14 starts) and senior goalie Thomas Pearson (two starts) have combined to post a .764 team save percentage that sits 50th in the NCAA, while the duo and the Navy defenders have held opponents to a 1.062 goals against average which ranks 49th in the country.
 
Breaking Even
The Midshipmen's eight draws this season are a program record, eclipsing the previous program high of five (2014, 2011, 1989) … Navy's five ties in Patriot League play are also a program record … The eight draws are tied for second-most in the nation this season with Milwaukee and Saint Joseph's, while Fordham is leading the nation at nine ties … 68 of the 203 teams in Division I men's soccer have posted five-or-more draws this season.
 
Navy Notes
The current Navy senior class have helped the Mids post a 32-16-11 overall record during their four years with the program … Since ending the 2018 season on a four-game winning streak, Navy is 19-9-7 in Patriot League games … Navy is 8-0-2 over the past three seasons when junior forward Baba Kallie records a goal, 7-2-3 when junior midfielder David Jackson scores and 2-0-2 in games where junior midfielder Jason Aoyama registers a tally.
 
Last Time Out
Both teams scored highlight-worthy goals in the final 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, as league rivals Navy and Loyola finished in a 1-1 draw on Senior Day in Annapolis … Loyola came out with an early edge in chances, but the Mids were able to respond with their own push after Kallie subbed in during the 18th minute … Holbrook made three first-half saves, including jumping to tip away an Eddy Rodriguez kick in the 21st minute, while the 31st minute nearly saw freshman defender Jalen Grant knock home a header off a corner kick but a Loyola defender was there to knock away the ball … Navy finally broke through in the 82nd minute when sophomore midfielder Noah Ward passed a ball upfield to Kallie and a rushing Kallie crossed a pass to Aoyama about eight yards out, as Aoyama tapped in the one-timer to the left corner for his second tally of the season … Kelan Swales added to the game's drama in the final minute, as he outraced the Navy defenders in the final 10 seconds, kicked a loose ball over Holbrook and watched as the shot bounced into the net for the equalizer with six seconds remaining in the contest … Holbrook notched four more saves in the second half to bring his game total to a season-high seven saves, while Alex Bobocea registered four saves in the opposing net.
 
Navy vs. American
The all-time series between the schools is 15-11-9 in favor of the Eagles, with American having a 4-1-2 edge since 2016 … American has not played Navy in Annapolis since 2018, a 3-2 Eagles win, with the Mids holding a 7-4-4 record against American at home … The last Navy win in the series was a 4-0 victory in 2019 at American's home field … The two sides closed out the spring 2021 season with a 1-1 tie, as Jacob Williams scored the lone goal for Navy, while Williams' goal in the fall of 2021 could not overcome a 3-1 loss to American in the regular season finale … Navy and American also faced off in the semifinal round of last year's Patriot League Tournament, as Jackson scored on a penalty kick and assisted on another Williams tally, but the Mids fell 4-2 against the Eagles.
 
Scouting the Eagles
American enters Wednesday losing two straight one-goal games to Boston University and Lafayette after registering a seven-game unbeaten streak from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18 … The Eagles hold a 2-2 record in league road games this season, going 4-4 overall away from home … American averages a conference-low 8.28 fouls per game, ranking fifth-lowest in the nation … Robbie Matei has been the Eagles' top scorer with four goals and nine points, also tallying a team-high 27 shots this year … Evan Schweickert is second on the squad with three goals, while Troy Elgersma leads the team with four assists … Three American goalkeepers have started four-or-more games this season, as Dominic Dominquez has made a team-high seven starts and allowed only six goals while making 26 saves and posting three shutouts.
 
Parking / Shuttle / Ticket Information
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles on to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a fee and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the game and will continue running until one hour after the game is completed. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium. Dogs are not permitted inside the Glenn Warner Soccer Complex. All soccer contests at Glenn Warner will be free of charge.