ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A game that's been circled on the calendar since the schedule was released over the summer lies ahead for bitter rivals Army and Navy this weekend in Annapolis. The 2023 Star will be on the line this Saturday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility with the Army-Navy Women's Soccer match presented by USAA. The matchup featuring two teams fighting from annual bragging rights will also play a role in the makeup of the field of the upcoming 2023 Patriot League Tournament as the Mids (6-6-3, 1-5 PL) will be looking to move up the standings, while the Black Knights (6-6-3, 3-2-1 PL) will aim to hold steady their spot in the top half of the table. In a weekend chock-full of matchups between the two service academies, the 7 p.m. contest will be the final of four Army-Navy matchups this weekend. Currently, the 2023-24 Army-Navy Series presented by USAA sees the Black Knights holding an early 2-0 lead.
The Navy-Army contest will have live stats provided online, as well as an ESPN+ broadcast. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.
Navy vs. Army
Saturday will be the 36th meeting between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's second year of varsity existence in 1994 ... Over the first 35 matchups, Navy is 18-13-4 versus Army ... Starting on Sept. 20, 1994 and going through Nov. 8, 1997, Army took the first five games of the series ... Games six through 11 went the way of Mids from Oct. 30, 1998 through Oct. 26, 2001 ... Most recently, Navy has gone 4-2 over the past six matchups ... The teams did not meet during the 2020-21 season due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ... The Mids' senior class of 2024 has secured one Star win (Oct. 16, 2021: 3-1) ... All-time, Navy has outscored Army, 44-30 ... In games played in Annapolis, the series leans the way of the Mids by a 12-5 margin with seven wins over the last eight matchups at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility ... In dedicated Star matchups, Navy is 15-9-4 over Army.
Last 5 Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2018, the Mids are 3-2 and have outscored the Black Knights, 6-5
Oct. 15, 2022 (A): Army 2 - Navy 0
Oct. 16, 2021 (H): Navy 3 - Army 1
Nov. 11, 2019 (H): Navy 2 - Army 1 (Patriot League Championship)
Sept. 27, 2019 (A): Navy 1 - Army 0
Oct. 30, 2018 (H): Army 1 - Navy 0 2OT (Patriot League Quarterfinals)
Most Recent Army-Navy Contest: Oct. 15, 2022 at West Point
The 2022 Women's Soccer Star Match went the way of the host Army Black Knights on Saturday night by a score of 2-0. Playing before a standing-room only crowd at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field, the Mids struggled to build long, controlled possessions and were unable to produce many successful scoring opportunities, while the Black Knights used goals in each of the halves to earn the Star and end the Mids' three-game winning streak in the heated service academy rivalry.
Mattie Gallagher was an individual standout of Navy on Saturday night as she stopped seven shots on goal, including numerous sprawling saves.
Energized by the stakes of the game, both teams came out with active offensive attacks early. Army had the first look as Elise Urkov volleyed a shot towards the left side of the net in the second minute only to see Gallagher stretch out and dive through the air to snag it. On the ensuing possession,
Alexa Riddle took aim for the Black Knights' goal, though her shot sailed wide right. Army took two more shots over this initial 10-minute run of play.
The host Black Knights recorded the next four shots, including a Keira Vesy free kick that challenged Gallagher to leap up and make a save in the 16th minute. With the game still scoreless, Army broke through in the 42nd minute as Brigid Duffy threaded a lead pass to Kaitlin Palaian, who didn't miss her chance and deposited the ball in the back of the net.
Down 1-0 coming out to start the second half,
Sadie McCaleb tried to spark Navy's offense and even the score with a curling shot on goal from the top of the 18-yard box in the 55th minute. Unfortunately for the Mids, the Black Knights' goalkeeper Sage Strohman was up to the task and snagged the shot. Less than three minutes later, Gallagher made sure the deficit stayed at just 1-0 as she denied Duffy's point-blank look with an all-out dive to her right. She continued aiding Navy's comeback attempt with two more saves, a Madison Niebish shot on goal in the 67th minute and a Palaian attempt in 70th.
Army's consistent pressure eventually resulted in an insurance marker in the 76th minute as Kaelen Bradley put away a rebound off of Elise Urkov' original shot.
Navy kept trying to break onto the scoreboard and showed a strong effort to the final whistle as the Mids took three shots in the four minutes following the Black Knights' second goal and four shots overall in the final 14 minutes.
In the 2-0 defeat, Navy was out-shot by Army, 19-13. The Black Knights held a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal and a slight 7-6 edge in corner kicks.
Comparing the Teams
| 2023 Stats |
Navy |
Army |
| Record / PL |
6-6-3, 1-5-0 PL |
6-6-3, 3-2-1 PL |
| Goals/Gm |
2.00 |
1.47 |
| Assists/Gm |
1.87 |
1.47 |
| Shots/Gm |
12.9 |
11.8 |
| Goals Against Average |
1.20 |
1.07 |
| GK Saves/Gm |
3.80 |
3.53 |
Common Opponents:
American
Bucknell
Lehigh
Loyola |
L, 0-1
L, 0-2
W, 1-0
L, 0-1 |
L, 1-2
W, 3-1
L, 0-1
W, 2-0 |
Statistical Leaders
| (2023 Stats) |
Navy |
Army |
| Goals |
Healey/Riddle, 4 |
Duffy, 5 |
| Assists |
Graziano, 6 |
Bradley, 6 |
| Points |
Graziano/Healey/Riddle, 10 |
Duffy, 13 |
| Shots |
Riddle, 29 |
Duffy, 32 |
| GK Saves |
Gallagher, 57 |
Strohman, 53 |
Last Time Out: October 11 at American
The Navy women's soccer team dropped a midweek matchup at American on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 1-0. Tied through the first 82 minutes of action at Reeves Field, the Eagles received a goal by Brooke Steel at 82:29 to down the Mids and gained an important three points in the Patriot League standings.
The first half was extremely evenly matched and saw 45 minutes go by without either side finding their way onto the scoreboard. Mattie Gallagher turned aside the host Eagles' first shot on goal of the stanza just 78 seconds into the game when she grabbed Bella Vozar's header attempt.
Navy's lone shot on goal of the half came just over 10 minutes later when Kassidy Borden found Alexa Riddle on a throw-in. After receiving the pass, Riddle spun around the American defender that was draped over her and ripped a low line drive shot from just outside the 18-yard box though Julia Kato leapt into action and dove on the shot.
Coming out of the locker room knotted at 0-0, Navy was extremely active in the attacking third during the initial run of play in the second half, but the visitors were unable to tie together their final passes for a shot on goal. After withstanding that early blitz by Navy out over the first four minutes of the second half, American registered the first shot on goal of the period when Phoebe Merrigan launched a free kick on goal towards the upper 90, though Gallagher was able to jump up and snatch it.
The Mids' offense continued aggressively looking for the first goal of the game and in the 53rd minute, Riddle curled a cross to the opposite side of the field to Emma Romano. After controlling the pass, Romano slid the ball back towards the penalty spot and Jenna Daunt, who unleashed a pair of shots, but unfortunately for the Mids' captain an Eagle defender was in front of both efforts. Only two shots were officially recorded over the ensuing 15 minutes, both for American.
Navy's offensive builds picked right back up soon after and Amanda Graziano slipped a lead pass through American's defense for the on-coming Riddle, but similar to the first half, Kato was active off her line and sprinted outside the box to meet Riddle head-on and interrupted the one-on-one opportunity without a shot being taken in the 82nd minute.
Thriving off that defensive stand, the Eagles put away the first and only goal of the contest at 82:29 when Eliza Fisher found Brooke Steel for the eventual game-winner.
Down 1-0 with less than eight minutes to go, the Mids went down swinging as a four-part constructed play in the 87th minute saw Borden loft a ball over the top to Mimi Abusham, who quickly flicked on the pass to Rylee Rives and eventually Graziano. With the Eagles' defense on their heels, Graziano took aim at the net only so see a defender dive in late and block the shot away from the goal.
For the game, American out-shot Navy, 12-7 with a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Mids' pressure on the attack, while not resulting in official shots, garnered the visitors a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
Saturday's Promotions
Saturday's game is presented by USAA. USAA is a proud sponsor of Navy Women's Athletics!
"As part of Saturday's Army-Navy Women's Soccer match presented by USAA ...
- The first 100 midshipmen to arrive will receive a free small (8") Ledo Pizza
- The first 100 fans to arrive will receive a free Navy T-shirt
- The first 100 fans to arrive will receive a Navy Women's Soccer commemorative mini-poster"
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 Facility. All soccer contests at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility will be free of charge.
