ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team reaches the midway point of Patriot League play on Friday evening when it goes head-to-head with Bucknell. In a matchup of two teams looking to move up the conference's standings, the Mids (6-4-3, 1-3 PL) and Bison (6-3-3, 1-1-2 PL) have split their past four meetings, two games a piece. The action Friday night in Lewisburg is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Emmitt Field Holmes Stadium.

The Navy-Bucknell game will have live stats provided online, as well as be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform. 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. Bucknell
Friday will be the 36th meeting between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's second year of varsity existence in 1994; all-time the Mids lead the Bison, 20-13-2 with an 11-4-1 advantage over 16 games in Lewisburg ... In that initial Oct. 22, 1994 matchup, the Mids earned a 2-1 victory over the Bison ... Since that contest, the series has gone in multi-year waves numerous times ... From 1995 through 1999, Navy went 4-0-1 before the programs split six games between 2002 and 2007 with Navy winning the first three and Bucknell the later three ... More recently, the Mids won four straight from 2011 to 2014 before going 1-3-1 from 2015 to 2017 and then winning three straight, including a 1-0 victory in Lewisburg on March, 31, 2021 by a score of 1-0 ... Last season, the Bison collected a pair of victories over the Mids; 4-2 in the regular season and 1-0 in the Patriot League Semifinals ... All-time, Navy has outscored Bucknell, 56-36.

Last 5 Matchups
In the last five matchups dating back to the 2019 season, the Mids are 3-2-0 with an 8-5 edge in scoring over that span.
    Sept. 16, 2022 (H): Navy 4 - Bucknell 0
    Nov. 4, 2021 (H): Bucknell 1 - Navy 0, overtime ~ PL Semifinals
    Sept. 18, 2021 (A): Bucknell 4 - Navy 2
    March 31, 2021 (A): Navy 1 - Bucknell 0
    Oct. 19, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Bucknell 0, overtime

Most Recent Matchup: September 16, 2022 in Annapolis
The Navy women's soccer team came out locked in and highly motivated and it showed on the scoreboard as the Mids made a loud statement on Friday night with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Bucknell Bison in a rematch from last year's Patriot League Semifinals. Picked first and second in this year's Patriot League Preseason Coaches' Poll, Navy first and Bucknell second, the Mids scored early and often, while their defense was solid throughout the 90 minutes at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility with their fifth shutout of the season through just nine games.
 
Alexa Riddle got the scoring going with her first goal of the year in the sixth minute as she was followed by Jenna Daunt in the 28th minute, Caitlin Doran in the 56th and Marlee Heaven in the 76th. Though not a goal scorer, Amanda Graziano played a pivotal role in nearly all of those goals as she was credited with three assists.
 
In net, Mattie Gallagher backstopped the Mids to victory with six saves.

The Mids broke onto the scoreboard first at 6:26 when Chloe Dawson and Graziano worked a quick give-and-go off of a throw-in before Dawson whipped a cross into the six-yard box to Riddle, who sprinted in front of a defender and one-timed a shot into the low corner past Bucknell's goalkeeper, Jenna Hall.
 
A little over 20 minutes later, Navy extended its lead to two goals when Graziano spun around a defender, headed in towards the net and ripped a shot towards the far post only to see Hall make a diving save. With an aggressive nose for the goal, Daunt quickly gathered the fortuitous rebound and put away the loose ball at 27:16.

Navy added to its lead in the 56th minute as Graziano played a ball over the top and through the Bucknell defense to Doran, who settled the ball, and almost immediately hit a high arching shot over Hall and into the far upper-90 at 55:01.
 
The final goal of the game came in the 76th minute when Isabella Romano collected a deflected ball off of a Healey pass into the box and quickly played a crisp pass on the ground to the far post to Heaven, who finished the ball into the back of the net at 75:12.
 
Up 4-0, Gallagher turned aside a pair of Bucknell shots over the final 14 minutes to seal the clean sheet.

For the game, both teams recorded 14 shots, though Navy held a slight 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The visitors had a significant 9-3 advantage in corner kicks on Friday night.

Comparing the Teams

2023 Stats	Navy	Bucknell
Record / PL	6-4-3, 1-3-0 PL	6-3-3, 1-1-2 PL
Goals/Gm	2.31	1.67
Assists/Gm	2.15	1.83
Shots/Gm	13.2	15.1
Goals Against Average	1.15	1.25
GK Saves/Gm	3.85	5.67
Common Opponents:         Colgate	L, 0-2	T, 0-0

Statistical Leaders

(2023 Stats)	Navy	Bucknell
Goals	Healey/Riddle, 4	Andican, 5
Assists	Graziano, 6	Deda, 5
Points	Graziano/Healey/Riddle, 10	Andican, 14
Shots	Riddle, 25	Andican, 50
GK Saves	Gallagher, 48	Hall, 68

Last Time Out: October 1 vs. Boston University
A pair of seniors helped the Mids tie the game late, but the Navy women's soccer team could not pull off the Senior Day comeback in a 3-2 loss to Patriot League foe Boston University on Sunday afternoon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Navy seniors Katie Herrmann and Jenna Daunt both used second-half goals to erase a 2-0 deficit, but an 85th-minute tally from the Terriers' Abigail McNulty proved to be the difference maker in a contest that saw all five goals scored in the final 43 minutes of play.

Tied 0-0 at the half, the visitors quickly darted out to a 2-0 lead with goals in the 48th and 55th minutes, respectively. Navy responded right away in the 56th minute when a Boston foul on Marlee Heaven in the box set up a penalty kick. Designated as the penalty kick taker, Herrmann got her first goal of the season by going to the left as the goalkeeper, Celia Braun dove right.
 
Daunt found the equalizer in the 76th minute when an Alexa Riddle cross was stopped by a Terrier, as the ensuing loose-ball scrum saw Daunt pull it out and kick it over a diving Braun. With the two sides again trading chances over the next 10 minutes, Boston ret-ook the lead when it countered a Navy goal kick in the 85th minute and Mackenzie Stickelman passed it to McNulty, who raced in and placed her shot to the far corner away from Mattie Gallagher, notching her second goal of the afternoon. Heaven tried to bring the game even again in the 87th minute when she had a throw-in deflected to her, but her shot sailed high and ended up being the last scoring opportunity for the Mids.
 
Braun closed the day with two saves in the winning effort, while Gallagher registered four saves in the other net. Boston outshot Navy, 18-17, while the Mids had more corner kick attempts, 5-4.