ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's soccer team continued its strong run of defensive play to start the 2022 season with a 0-0 draw versus Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Mids (1-0-1) and the Catamounts (0-0-2) battled for 90 minutes in a matchup that was contested for the majority of the time in the midfield and as such scoring opportunities were few and far between. Goalkeepers from both teams came through in the clutch late in the game to ensure the tie.
 
Navy's junior goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher (Gilbertsville, Pa.) left her mark on the ultra-competitive match with a penalty kick save in the 81st minute.
 
"That is a very good team that is really well coached; we knew they'd be prepared and motivated," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "I think they'll have a very good season. They work hard. I think we matched that work rate today. Our back four were very tight and had a lot of pressure on them. It was a real north-south game and required a strong effort from our back four and keeper. Mattie saving that penalty kick was tremendous, what a clutch play! Keeping that team [WCU] scoreless is a good result.
 
"We had a lot of players step up today. We continue to rotate a lot of players into the game and we're searching for the best places and situations to play them. Moving forward, we have to find ways to score goals in different settings, every team isn't going to play us the same so we have to be able to adapt and get those hard-to-find goals. We need to capitalize on our chances better."
 
The action on Sunday started with both teams working in the mid-section of the field and struggling to breakthrough with dangerous scoring opportunities for much of the first half. Navy had the first solid look at goal in the 20th minute when Alexa Riddle (So., Tomball, Texas) swung a cross in off the right wing that eventually found Jordan Townsend (Fr., Marriottsville, Md.), who hit a strong left-footed shot on goal, that was denied by Western Carolina's goalkeeper Melody Mezzina.
 
While each team took two shots each over the ensuing 25 minutes, the Mids' attempt in the 38th minute was the most threatening as Rylee Rives (So., Arlington, Texas) headed a Kat Healey (Jr., King George, Va.) free kick just wide of the Catamounts' goal.
 
The game opened up a bit more offensively in the second half as the teams combined for nine shots versus just five in the first half. Navy had the first look to crack the 0-0 deadlock in the 55th minute when Healey fed a lead pass up to Amanda Graziano (So., Middlebury, Conn.), who dribbled into the 18-yard box and got hold of a shot that was swiped away by the oncoming Mezzina, who slid at Graziano's feet.
 
Western Carolina quickly changed the field less than a minute later as Milla Syska had a potential breakaway opportunity get short-circuited by a clean slide tackle from the side by Sadie McCaleb (Sr., Loganton, Pa.).
 
Both defenses continued to stand strong as a Mimi Abusham (Fr., Los Alamitos, Calif.) shot attempt off of a free kick restart in the 74th minutes was blocked in a cluttered six-yard box.
 
The play of the game came in the 81st minute when Gallagher made her first and only save of the contest. Western Carolina's Rea Syska calmly lined up to take a penalty shot and put the ball on goal, but it wasn't far enough to the lower right corner as Gallagher leapt off her line and pushed aside the shot.
 
In the 0-0 draw, Navy outshot Western Carolina, 9-5 with a 2-1 edge in shots on goal. The Mids held a slight advantage in corner kicks, 3-2.
 
"We had some heavy touches on offense," said Gabarra. "When we were getting out of pressure, we weren't attacking in transition enough. We need better connections on those first passes. We weren't connecting forward quickly or accurately enough today."
 
Individually, the shutout was the second of the season for Gallagher and the ninth of her career. As a unit, Navy's defense has posted 180 minutes of scoreless action over the first weekend of the 2022 season.
 
"Our back four and our holding midfielders have been solid and Mattie has done a great job in goal, making stops and keeping control," commented Gabarra about her team's defense. "They've really come together over these first two games. They have a real strong connection that's working well. We can put anyone in any spot on the backline and they'll contribute and execute. They've been really good this first weekend."
 
Navy will be back in action on Tuesday with another non-conference tilt in Annapolis. Starting at 5 p.m., the Mids will host the Marymount Saints at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.