ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Navy men's soccer team could not overcome some defensive missteps in the first half, as the Midshipmen lost to UNC Asheville, 2-1, in the 2023 season opener Thursday night at the Greenwood Soccer Field in Asheville, N.C.
 
Despite some highlight-reel saves from junior goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook and a quick goal in the second half from senior David Jackson, Navy was unable to break through further and dropped its first season opener since the 2018 campaign.
 
After a slow start to the match, a miscue in transition in the 10th minute by the Mids allowed Seth Hammond to feed a pass to Sergio Baguena for a wide-open shot from outside the box, putting home the Bulldogs' first goal of the season.
 
Navy responded with a handful of chances, but UNC Asheville's Charlie Farrar made three saves before his teammate, Aysa Hamid, put the Bulldogs up, 2-0, with a rebound opportunity that got past Holbrook's right side in the 42nd minute after Holbrook made the initial stop. Two more Navy chances materialized in the closing minutes of the first half, but Farrer stopped Jackson on a free kick while a header from freshman Victor Saade on a corner kick went just wide as the clock winded down.
 
Navy was quick to strike in the second half, as Jackson raced in and corralled his own rebound off a diving Farrar save just over one minute into the second frame. The Bulldogs wasted no time answering the Mids' tally, as a rush into the Navy end finished off with Sam Pitts-Eckersall's shot from the top of the box finding the top-right corner of the net off a Roger Sanguinetti pass in the 48th minute.
 
Holbrook kept the score at 3-1 with a pair of big saves on the same sequence in the 63rd minute, ending the threat with a diving stop on a Conor Behan shot at the top-left corner. The Navy goalie then made another diving stop on a long-range attempt from Edvin Grolimund just three minutes later, keeping the Mids' hopes alive.
 
 
Navy then went on the offensive with a flurry of chances over the final 20 minutes, including a pair of shots from freshman Ben Leisegang, but UNC Asheville was able to stave off the attack and seal its two-goal victory.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"We were able to play well in stretches tonight, but we happened to make some mistakes in transition on the back side that led to their goals. Asheville is a tough place to play at and we have to fix a couple things defensively, but I am confident that we will come back strong with a packed week at home coming up."
 
Match Notes
• Thursday's outcome evened the all-time series between Navy and UNC Asheville at 1-1.
• O'Donohue is now 3-4-1 in season openers at Navy, as Thursday snapped a four-game winning streak in season openers for the Mids.
• Navy is now 70-19-14 in season openers all-time.
• Jackson's tally is the 14th of his career, giving him 40 points in 43 career games.
• Jackson has had in Navy's first goal of the season in each of his four years with the program, notching an assist on the Mids' opening goal to start the 2020, 2021 and 2022 campaigns.
• Jackson has now tallied three goals and three assists over the Mids' last four season-opening matches.
• With four saves on Thursday, Holbrook has tallied three-or-more saves in seven of his last nine matches.
 
Up Next
Navy returns to Annapolis for its home opener against VMI on Monday, Aug. 28 to kick off a four-game homestand. The 7 p.m. contest begins a stretch of three games in seven days for the Mids, as the team then hosts Howard on Friday, Sept. 1 and Liberty on Sunday, Sept. 3.