ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's soccer team concluded its 2023 season with a third straight victory as it defeated Lafayette by a 1-0 score on Wednesday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Looking to end their season on a high note and send their senior class out victorious, the Mids (9-7-3, 3-6 PL) leaned out its sophomore class for clutch individual performances as Marlee Heaven (Rockville, Md.) scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second minute, while Jordan Townsend (Marriottsville, Md.) made the game-clinching save from her defensive position as she denied the Leopards' (7-8-1, 3-6 PL) final shot on goal during a frantic corner kick situation in the 87th minute.

In her final collegiate game, Mattie Gallagher (Sr., Gilbertsville, Pa.) made five saves to record her 16th career shutout.

"I'm proud of the fight that we ended the season with," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "Things didn't bounce our way for a while there during the middle of the season, but we kept coming out every day and working hard. We had to overcame some obstacles to get here, but we all wanted to end the season on a high note. With three wins in our last three games, I feel we accomplished that. We played with a lot of heart and passion all year. Tonight, was a great way to end the year and send our seniors out."

The action started fast on Wednesday night as Navy came out from the opening whistle and broke through onto the scoreboard just 120 seconds into the game. The goal came from a quick throw-in from Alexa Riddle (Jr., Tomball, Texas) to Jenna Daunt (Sr., Haymarket, Va.), who ran up onto the ball and two-touched a right-footed cross into the box where Heaven sprinted in front of Lafayette's goalkeeper Lindsay Dewar and flicked a header over her into the gaping net.

"That goal is Marlee Heaven to a T," said Gabarra. "She is very courageous in the air. There was no doubt she was going to get in there and challenge for that cross.

"Getting that early goal helped us settle in a little bit more and play slightly more aggressive when we had the ball."

The Mids kept their foot on the offensive pedal and recorded four of the next five shots, including a dangerous free kick from Kassidy Borden (Sr., Leesburg, Va.) that was launched from 40-plus yards out and bounced high over the goalkeeper into the crossbar in the 16th minute.

After an evenly-matched next 15 minutes, the final third of the first half was action-packed as Gallagher was called upon to make three saves. Navy countered these Lafayette scoring chances with two shots on goal of its own, courtesy of Riddle and Emma Romano (So., Syosset, N.Y.).

Holding a 1-0 lead through 45 minutes of action, the Mids came out from the locker room looking to increase their advantage. The hosts nearly did less than three minutes in when Borden intercepted a blind Lafayette clearance near midfield and dribbled past a pair of Leopards before feeding Riddle, who immediately rifled a cross towards the goal to the charging Daunt, who one-timed a shot just wide of the goal.

Navy continued to keep the pressure on Lafayette with two shots on goal by Romano and Daunt just 40 seconds apart in the 51st minute with Amanda Graziano (Jr., Middlebury, Conn.) adding two more shots on target in the 69th and 73rd minutes, respectively.

Trailing 1-0 in the final portion of the second half and a potential spot in the Patriot League Tournament waiting in the wings, the Leopards did not go down without a fight. The Mids' defense and Gallagher were up to the task as they stopped all three of the visitors' final attempts on goal. Gallagher turned in her best save of the game in the 77th minute when she leapt off her line and sprawled out to her right to bat away Nadia Zaffanella's shot. That save came just 10 minutes before Townsend saved the shutout with a dramatic denial of Zaffanella's shot on goal following a chaotic corner kick situation that saw multiple Lafayette efforts blocked in the 87th. Sticking to the far post as the play unraveled, Townsend stuck her leg out to stop Zaffanella's shot before Gallagher scrambled onto the loose ball. That would be the last offensive opportunity for either side and the game would go final at 1-0.

"We were very strong defensively tonight," commented Gabarra. "They stepped up when we needed them the most. What an effort over the final 15 minutes."

For the game, Navy outshot Lafayette, 24-17 with a 9-6 edge in shots on goal.

Gallagher's final career shutout concludes her award-winning time in Annapolis with 16 clean sheets, a total that ranks fifth all-time in program history. Additionally, she finished her career with the second-most saves in program history with 278.

She was joined on the field for the final time on Wednesday night by her seven other fellow seniors: Kassidy Borden, team captain Jenna Daunt, Chloe Dawson, Sophie Ewing, Kat Healey, Katie Herrmann and Kieffer Williamson. During their four years as Midshipmen, the seniors of the Class of 2024 won 32 games, while helping the program to its fifth Patriot League Tournament title as freshmen in the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season.

"This is a very special senior class," said Gabarra in closing. "We had eight seniors that were so impactful. Not only are they incredible athletes, that have been wonderful for our program on the field, but they've been great in the hall and in the classroom. They're great leaders. Everyone in this program respects them to the highest degree. They're really going to be missed. One of our mantras is 'add to the legacy' and I think they have left a very important chapter in our legacy that won't be forgotten."