ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Fresh off clinching a spot in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, the Navy men's soccer team (6-7-4, 3-2-3 PL) will look to secure home-field advantage in Saturday's league quarterfinals when it hosts Lafayette (8-5-4, 4-2-2 PL) in the regular-season finale Wednesday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Set for a 7 p.m. contest on ESPN+, the Midshipmen and Leopards each boast one of the league's top scorers, as Navy senior David Jackson and Lafayette's Hale Lombard share the league lead with 23 points entering the final game of the regular season.
 
Postseason Scenarios
Navy has the chance to host a Patriot League Tournament game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history if it can lock up either the third or fourth seed … A win by Navy on Wednesday would secure the Mids a home game in Saturday's quarterfinal round as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, while a draw or a loss would still give Navy a chance at hosting, dependent on other results in the league:
- Can clinch the No. 3 seed with a win and an American loss or tie.
- Can clinch the No. 4 seed with a win and an American win.
- Can clinch the No. 4 seed with a tie, an American loss and a Colgate loss or tie.
- Can clinch the No. 4 seed with a loss, an American loss and a Colgate tie IF Loyola is the No. 1 seed.
- Can clinch the No. 5 seed with a loss, an American loss and a Colgate tie IF Boston is the No. 1 seed.
- Can clinch the No. 5 seed with a loss IF Colgate loses.
- Can clinch the No. 5 seed with a tie IF Colgate ties.
- Can clinch the No. 6 seed with a loss or tie IF Colgate wins.
 
Back in the PL Tourney
With the victory over Colgate on Saturday in addition to American's win over Army and Lehigh's win over Holy Cross, the Mids secured a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the third consecutive season …  Navy's three-straight Patriot League Tournament berths match a program record set in 1995-97 … The postseason berth also means Navy will play in its 14th overall Patriot League Tournament and its fourth league tournament over the last five seasons.
 
Veterans of the Patriot League
Since the start of the 2022 season, the Mids have posted an 8-3-9 record against Patriot League opponents, including a 6-3-8 mark in the regular season … Navy was undefeated in 10 straight matches against Patriot League schools before an Oct. 7 loss at Boston University, going 5-0-5 between Oct. 7, 2022 and Oct. 7, 2023 … Over three-plus seasons, the current Navy senior class has posted a 17-9-10 record against Patriot League competition … With 61 career points, David Jackson has accrued 30 of those points against Patriot League competition … Baba Kallie has tallied 10 of his 25 career points against Patriot League teams with four goals and two assists … Jason Aoyama has had 16 of his 20 career points come against league foes.
 
Jackson and Holbrook in Rare Air
David Jackson's nine goals are the most by a Navy player since Jamie Dubyoski's nine scores in 2014, while Jackson's 23 points are the most by a Mid since 2014 when Dubyoski racked up 24 points … With one more goal, Jackson would join Dubyoski's 10-goal campaign in 2013 and John Moraytis' 11-goal effort in 1984 as the only three Navy players to reach double-digit goals in a season since 1967 … Jackson is also among elite company in point totals, as his 20-plus points in 2023 are only the eighth 20-point season by a Midshipman since 1969 … Pierce Holbrook's 60 saves this season and 69 saves in 2022 makes him the first Navy goalkeeper with back-to-back 60-save seasons since Mac Burke in 2016-17 (64, 92) … Additionally, Holbrook is the seventh Navy goalie since 1975 to have back-to-back 60-save seasons.
 
Navy Notes
The current Navy seniors have helped the Mids post a 29-20-15 overall record during their four years with the program … Navy is 8-0-2 over the past three seasons when Baba Kallie records a goal, 12-4-5 when David Jackson scores, 4-1-2 in games where Jason Aoyama registers a tally and 2-0-2 when Zach Wagner finds the net.
 
League Leaders
Navy paces the Patriot League with 209 total shots this season, while the Mids' 86 corner kicks and 60 saves are both tied for second in the conference … David Jackson ranks second in the league in goals (9), assists (5) and points (23), while his 1.06 shots on goal per game are tied for third in the league … Andrew Schug's five goals are tied for fifth in the Patriot League and his 0.93 shots on goal per game rank sixth, while A.J Schuetz is second in the league at 2.88 shots per game and third with 1.06 shots on goal per contest … Pierce Holbrook leads the league with 60 total saves and his 3.53 saves per game, while his six shutouts are tied for second in the PL.
 
Navy in the National Ranks
One of the nation's best, David Jackson's 23 points rank 24th among Division I leaders, while his nine goals are tied for 31st nationally … Jackson's 1.35 points per game stands 47th in Division I … A.J. Schuetz is 47th in the country with 2.88 shots per game … Pierce Holbrook's 60 saves ranks 24th in the nation, while his 1505:23 minutes played stands 13th and his six shutouts rank 22nd nationally … As a team, the Mids' 0.412 shutout percentage ranks 27th in the nation.
 
Last Time Out
With David Jackson scoring the eventual game-winner Saturday evening Hamilton, N.Y., Navy used a 1-0 victory over Colgate to help itself secure a berth in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament … Navy stepped up defensively by turning away six Colgate chances over the final 20 minutes of the first half, highlighted by Holbrook stonewalling Drew Stephans on a shot to the right post in the 36th minute … The Mids were able to make a push offensively in the final minute of the half, as Jason Aoyama beat a Colgate defender and raced down the sideline before crossing a pass over to Jackson, who finished the play with a shot towards the left post from just outside the six-yard box … Colgate tried to answer in the second half, but Holbrook once again made the stop with a diving save off Alejandro Coury's free kick at 52' … Baba Kallie looked to extend the Mids' lead in the 62nd minute off a Connor Walcott free kick, but Colgate's Andrew Cooke made the save to keep the game at 1-0, while Cooke did the same to A.J. Schuetz at 68' … Picking up his sixth shutout of the campaign, Holbrook also grabbed his fourth clean sheet in league play by making two saves, while Cooke made a pair of saves himself on the other end.
 
Scouting Lafayette
The Leopards began the season undefeated in their first five matches before suffering a three-game losing streak that included a 1-0 loss to Colgate in the league opener … Lafayette has rattled off a 5-2-2 mark since ending that three-game slide, including putting together a five-game unbeaten streak in Patriot League play before its Oct. 21 loss at Loyola … Last week saw the Leopards notch a 3-2 non-conference win at Stony Brook and post a scoreless draw with Bucknell … In addition to Lombard and his league-leading 10 goals that sit 22nd in the country, Lafayette's second-leading scorer has been Lawrence Aydlett with three goals and two assists for eight points … Benji Grossi paces the team with four assists, as five Leopards have recorded multiple assists this season … Eric Axtman leads the team with 20 saves, but Griffin Huff has seen a majority of the action in net, making 15 saves over 11 starts for a 0.64 goals against average.
 
Series History
The Mids maintain a 26-17-4 record against the Leopards in an all-time series that dates back to 1923 … Navy is on a five-game winning streak against Lafayette, having won 10 of the last 11 meetings … Navy is 18-10-3 at home when facing Lafayette, winning three-straight home contests and six of its last seven home matches against the Leopards … The two sides met twice last season, with both games ending in a 1-0 Navy victory … The regular-season matchup between the teams on Sept. 28, 2022 in Easton featured a 52nd-minute goal from David Jackson that extended his scoring streak to five games, the longest by a Mid since Mike Flanagan scored in seven-straight games during the 1968 season, while Pierce Holbrook made a then-career high of six saves … In the Patriot League Quarterfinal in Annapolis on Nov. 5, Jason Aoyama's tally in the 25th minute propelled Navy to victory, while Holbrook notched five saves for the shutout, including diving to deflect a Hale Lombard shot over the crossbar in the final minute.
 
Up Next
Navy will play in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 4. The opponent, time and location of that game are to be determined.