ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a hard-fought Patriot League battle on Senior Night, the Navy men's soccer team (5-6-4, 2-2-3 PL) gained a point in the league standings with a scoreless draw against Holy Cross (5-8-3, 2-3-2 PL) Saturday evening at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Backed by junior goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook in his fifth shutout of the campaign, the Midshipmen used a wide shot margin in the second half to outshoot the Crusaders, 17-10, but neither side could find the back of the net in the third-to-last league match of the season.
 
Despite both teams creating shot opportunities in the opening six minutes of action, the Mids were the first team to put a shot on goal, as junior Charlie Kriel's chance near the left post in the 20th minute forced Tristan Stephani to make the kick save while a rebound shot from senior Cristian Coelho was blocked seconds later. The Crusaders then got a pair of headers off corner kicks in the 27th and 30th minutes, but Holbrook stopped both Nick Hupe and Ethan Gill to keep it scoreless.
 
In the second half, senior David Jackson fired a low shot in the 68th minute when a failed throw-in clearance found him just inside the 18-yard box, but a Crusader was there to block the chance. Holbrook followed by diving to stop Liam Coffey's one-timer off a free kick in the 78th minute and then stopped Gill once again in the 80th minute, while sophomore Andrew Schug put the last Navy chance on net in the 90th minute with a sliding kick that Stephani scooped up to preserve the 0-0 draw.
 
Holbrook wrapped up his night with four saves, while Stephani picked up three saves in his fourth clean sheet of the season.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"It was a good performance in every way but the end result. Our goal was to have 60-percent of the possession, record 17-19 shots and hold them to 10 shots or less – all of which we accomplished – but we have to finish our chances. The margins get very small this time of the year as we learned last season, and we are very much in it. The seniors have been exceptional, so I am disappointed to not get the result on Senior Night, but we will be ready for the next three games."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 14-15-6 in the all-time series against Holy Cross, as the Mids extended their unbeaten streak over the Crusaders to four games.
• Navy is also now undefeated against Holy Cross in the Crusaders' last eight trips to Annapolis.
• Sophomore A.J. Schuetz recorded a game-high five shots on Saturday, his third match this season with five-or-more shots.
• Saturday marked the seventh game for Navy this season in which the offense tallied 15-or-more shots.
 
Up Next
Navy finishes non-conference play on Tuesday, Oct. 24 when it travels to Maryland for a 7 p.m. contest at Ludwig Field in College Park.