ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team begins its 31st season of collegiate competition this Thursday night with a home tilt against Charleston Southern ('22: 5-8-4) at 7 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The contest against the Buccaneers is part of a busy opening four-day stretch that will round out with a Sunday matinee showdown against St. John's ('22: 7-5-7) at 1 p.m. also at home. Overall, Navy fans will have the chance to watch their home team in action in Annapolis on 10 different occasions during the 2023 regular season.

All of the women's soccer action this week will have live stats provided online, as well as ESPN+ broadcasts. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

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. 

Navy vs. Charleston Southern | Navy vs. St. John's
Thursday marks the fourth meeting between the Mids and Bucs in a young series that began in 2010 and most recently saw the teams face off in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 2, 2019 ... In that meeting four years ago, Navy controlled the majority of the action with a substantial 18-6 advantage in total shots and an 8-2 edge in shots on goal over Charleston Southern. Though leading in all of the statistical categories the game stayed scoreless into the 70th minute before Hannah Miller found the back of the net for the eventual game-winner in the 1-0 contest ... Prior to that 2019 matchup, the Mids and Bucs split a home-and-home series in 2010 and 2011 with CSU winning in overtime in Annapolis, 2-1 on Sept. 10, 2010 before Navy returned the favor with a 1-0 result in Charleston on Sept. 2, 2011 ... All-time, the series sits at 2-1 for Navy.

The series between Navy and St. John's is much more brief as the two squads have only met on the pitch one previous time during non-conference play last season ... In that matchup on Sept. 2, 2022 in Queens, N.Y., the Red Storm grabbed the lead on the scoreboard early on with a goal in the 16th minute before adding an insurance goal in the 74th minute. The hosts outshot the Mids, 11-5 with eight shots on goal versus two for Navy. Overall, 26 Midshipmen appeared in the contest. Mattie Gallagher highlighted the individual performers for Navy as she turned aside six shots.

Returning Leaders

(2022 Stats)	Navy	CSU	STJ
Goals	Daunt/I. Romano, 3	Knight, 6	Garziano/Gordon, 4
Assists	Graziano, 5	Fiedler, 3	Garziano, 5
Points	Graziano, 9	Knight, 16	Garziano, 13
Shots	Riddle, 23	Knight, 48	Garziano, 38
GK Saves	Gallagher, 88	Curtis, 66	Bower, 2

Season Outlook: Veteran and Experienced Core to Lead Navy in 2023 Campaign
Coming off its 12th straight Patriot League Tournament berth in 2022, the Navy women's soccer team has its eyes securely another postseason bid, but more importantly a return to the top of the conference standings in 2023. Led by an experienced and veteran core, that includes 13 upperclassmen, the Mids under the guidance of Head Coach Carin Gabarra will partake on a 19-game schedule beginning on Thursday, August 17.  The returning quartet of 2022 All-Patriot League honorees, Jenna Daunt, Mattie Gallagher, Amanda Graziano and Alexa Riddle, as well as multi-year starters Kassidy Borden, Chloe Dawson, Tatum Kelly and Katie Herrmann will be at the forefront of Navy's drive this season. Additionally, seniors Sophie Ewing, Kat Healey and Kieffer Williamson have provided strong performance and leadership to the program during their first three season and promise to do more of the same in 2023.
 
Position-by-Position Breakdowns
Forwards
A youthful group made up of three juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen, Navy's forwards will look to build on the game action they experienced in 2022 and improve on the team's standing of the fourth-most goals in the Patriot League. The junior duo of Amanda Graziano and Alexa Riddle will spearhead the forwards' effort as both players have been two-year starters over the first half of their career with Navy; they're joined by classmate Emma Frommelt at the position. The talented trio of sophomores in the form of Mimi Abusham, Marlee Heaven and Isabella Romano all received important game game reps last fall and appear ready to continue making an impact on the scoreboard for Navy. A trio of freshmen will be introduced to the collegiate game this season as they'll look to translate their skills from across the country into Patriot League competition. Chiara Cosenza hails from New Jersey, while Madison Whitworth joins the program from Tennessee and Hannah Mulholland is a native of Arizona.

Midfielders
Navy's most experienced unit with four seniors among nine listed midfielders on its 2023 roster, team captain Jenna Daunt, Sophie Ewing, Kat Healey and Katie Herrmann will set the tone for the Mids' two-way performers. Rylee Rives adds to Navy's upperclass as she returns with two years of collegiate action under her belt. The most active freshman player in 2022 with over 1,000 minutes of field time, Jordan Townsend is joined in the group of sophomore midfielders by Sarah McCarthy and Mori Sokoloff. ClaraJane Williams will add a freshman touch to the midfield corps after a strong high school career in Georgia.
 
Defenders
Nearly as experienced as the above mentioned midfield, the 2023 Navy defense will return four upperclass starters from last season. The senior trio of Kassidy Borden, Chloe Dawson and Kieffer Williamson combined to play 3,891 minutes in the defensive third last year. Junior Tatum Kelly was just as integral to Navy's success and eight shutouts in 2022 with a team-high 1,410 minutes of field action. With such a veteran feel to their defensive unit, the Mids' underclass should have time to integrate into the collegiate game this year as sophomore Emma Romano will look to build on her four games action from 2022, while Ali Barrow and Lucy Gaines will aim to translate their success from both coasts as Barrow was a standout from Virginia and Gaines the same in the state of Washington.

Goalkeepers
Led by two-time All-Patriot League goalkeeper senior Mattie Gallagher, Navy returns 1,656 of 1,710 minutes in goal from 2022. Gallagher, a third team honoree last season, backstopped the Mids in 17 contests and all nine Patriot League tilts, while posting a 1.07 goals against average. Gallagher comes into her senior season 27 saves shy of moving into second all-time in the program's record book for saves. Sophomore Talley Applewhite provided Gallagher with strong back-up as she saw 135 minutes of action and didn't allow a goal. Freshman Cadence Yeats is the newest member of Navy's vaunted goalkeeper union and joins the program after honing her craft in Southern California.