ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Tallying season highs with 12 shots on goal and 20 total shots, the Navy men's soccer team (5-4-1, 2-0-1 PL) used its offensive prowess to notch a 2-0 win over Lehigh (2-6-2, 1-3-0 PL) in Patriot League action on Saturday afternoon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
Using goals from sophomore
Andrew Schug and senior
David Jackson, the Midshipmen helped junior
Pierce Holbrook pick up his third-straight shutout, as Navy extended its winning streak to three-straight games and its unbeaten streak to four-straight.
An early offensive push from Lehigh saw the Mountain Hawks record three shots in the opening five minutes, but Navy responded by outshooting Lehigh 7-3 over the final 40 minutes of the first half. The Mids' first true chance came in the 18th minute when sophomore
A.J. Schuetz lasered a shot that went off the foot of Lehigh goalkeeper Ryan Gross and off another defender before Gross caught it. Gross then made a diving stop on Schug in the 22nd minute, but the Navy forward buried his next chance in the 28th minute when junior
Noah Ward beat a defender and sent a cross into the box that Schug headed towards the top left corner and in.
Navy continued the offensive pressure in the second half, outshooting Lehigh by a 13-5 margin, and nearly extended the lead in the 55th minute when a Schug shot was blocked and Schuetz's rebound chance went off the post before Ward's shot was also blocked. Continuing to pepper Gross, Navy struck again in the 81st minute when freshman
Nate Stewart's cross was deflected to Jackson, who tapped home the ball for his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign. Lehigh attempted a comeback with a pair of shots in the final six minutes, but the Navy was able to turn aside both chances to preserve the shutout.
Holbrook made one save for his fourth clean sheet of the season, while Gross ended his day with nine saves.
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"I'm really proud of our group for a complete performance. We created a lot of good chances and were really good in the possession battle, as we made good decisions when to go forward on the attack. Lehigh is a dangerous team on the counter-attack with dangerous wingers and I thought we dealt with that very well today. This should give us confidence rolling into next week as we have two big games at UMBC and Boston University."
Match Notes
• Navy now leads the all-time series with Leigh by a 33-23-9 margin, holding a 24-13-5 home record against the Mountain Hawks.
• Jackson's 16 points on the season are tied for the Patriot League lead.
• Navy's 20 shots are the most by the Mids since 22 shots in last season's 2-2 draw at Lehigh.
• Navy's 12 shots on goal match the Mids' season high from the Sept. 1 win over Howard and are the most for the Mids in a Patriot League contest since at least 1997.
Up Next
Navy begins a four-game road trip with a 7 p.m. contest at UMBC on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
