ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Looking to get back to its winning ways before Patriot League play kicks off next weekend, the Navy men's soccer team (2-2-0) is set to host Longwood (2-0-1) on Friday, Sept. 8 at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
The Midshipmen and Lancers will square off at 7 p.m. on ESPN+, closing out a four-game homestand for Navy that has seen the team score 10 goals over its first three home contests.
Jackson's Big Week
Senior midfielder
David Jackson racked up nine points last week over three games, earning himself Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday … The 2022 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year, Jackson has started the 2023 season on fire, tallying points in each of the Mids' first four games for 11 total points … After scoring in the season opener at UNC Asheville, Jackson started last week by notching a pair of penalty-kick goals against VMI for his first collegiate brace … The senior then tallied three assists in a blowout win over Howard, becoming the first Navy player with a three-assist game since Michael Paisant racked up a trio of assists against LIU on Sept. 1, 2000 … Jackson finished out the week with another goal in the Mids' contest against Liberty, making successful on his last nine penalty-kick attempts dating back to 2021.
O'Donohue Nearing the Half-Century Mark
Head coach
Tim O'Donohue is one win away from capturing his 50th career victory at Navy, as he enters Friday with a 49-52-19 record with the Midshipmen across eight seasons … The Mids are 37-19-12 over the last four-plus seasons, including four-straight winning seasons from 2019-22 … For his career, O'Donohue holds a 214-73-42 coaching record, posting a 165-21-23 mark in 10 seasons at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Newcomers Getting Early Looks
Through four games, three members of the Mids' freshman class have gotten a crack at the starting lineup, as defender
Victor Saade has started every contest this season while midfielders
Ben Leisegang and
Nate Stewart have both earned a start apiece … Seven of Navy's eight freshmen have seen action this season as well, with
Piercen Fisher,
Alex Galloway,
Luc Ramalho and
Ryan Skandalis all making their debut last Friday against Howard … Leisegang and Stewart have each appeared in three games this season, while Saade is the lone freshman to record a point with an assist against Howard.
A Nationally-Ranked Offense
Entering Friday, Navy is top-10 nationally in multiple offensive categories, showing an increased emphasis on the attacking end … The Mids' 11 total goals ranks sixth in Division I, while the team's 2.75 goals per game ranks seventh in the nation … Navy's 8.25 shots on goal per game is the fifth-most nationally … Individually, Jackson's 2.75 points per game ranks second in the nation and his 11 total points is tied for the most in Division I, while his 1.00 goal per game average sits seventh in the NCAA and his four total goals stands sixth … Jackson's three penalty-kick goals this season also lead the nation … Sophomore
A.J. Schuetz is 48th in the country with 1.67 points per game.
Navy Notes
The current Navy senior class have helped the Mids post a 25-15-11 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, 9-4-3 when Jackson scores, 4-0-2 in games where
Jason Aoyama registers a tally and 2-0-2 when
Zach Wagner finds the net.
Happy to be Home
After opening the season with a 3-1 road loss at UNC Asheville, the Mids returned to Annapolis for a 3-0 home-opening victory over VMI last Monday to begin a four-game homestand, following it with the 6-0 drubbing of Howard … The Sunday loss to Liberty snapped a five-game home winning streak and 11-game home undefeated streak dating back to last season, Navy's first home loss since a 1-0 defeat to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 2, 2022 … The Mids sport a 33-19-11 home record in eight seasons under O'Donohue … Since it opened in 2001, Navy has gone 91-58-29 when playing at Glenn Warner.
Scouting Longwood
The Lancers arrive in Annapolis on a three-game undefeated streak, beating Hampden-Sydney, 3-0, to open the season before posting a 2-1 win over Mount St. Mary's and a 1-1 draw against William & Mary … Scoring twice against Hampden-Sydney, Emilio Segovia leads the team with five points, while five other Lancers are tied for second on the team with two points … Max Hinke has started all three games in net for Longwood, making seven saves and averaging 0.67 goals against per game … Longwood finished last season at 2-10-5, ending the season on a 1-2-2 run that included defeating George Washington.
Series History
Navy leads the all-time series over Longwood by a 7-4-0 margin since the teams first played each other in 2007, with Navy winning the last four meetings between the schools … The Mids have gone 3-2-0 against the Lancers in Annapolis, outscoring Longwood in those five contests, 7-5 … Last season's meeting in Farmville, Va., ended in a 1-0 Navy win, as a second-half goal from Jackson on a penalty kick propelled the Mids to their third game in what would become a seven-game undefeated streak … It marked the first of three-straight games where Jackson would record a penalty-kick goal … Then-sophomore goalkeeper
Pierce Holbrook also made five saves in last year's contest at Longwood, registering his second career shutout.
Up Next
Navy starts a three-game road stretch on Monday, Sept. 11, heading to Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason … The Mids and Patriots are set for a 7 p.m. contest at George Mason Stadium.
