ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a matchup of teams separated by just two points at the top of the Patriot League standings coming into the game, the first-place Bucknell Bison held onto their spot with a 1-0 victory over the Navy Midshipmen at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The visiting Bison (8-3-2, 4-1 PL) went ahead in the 30th minute on a Teresa Deda goal and kept the Mids (8-7-1, 2-2-1 PL) off the scoreboard for the remaining 60 minutes to earn the win on Friday night.

"I feel that we started the game well, but then we gave up a goal and we struggled to find that gear again for a while," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "That's a quality Bucknell team with a lot of experience; they know how to win games, they've proven that year-after-year.

"I think we were a little too focused on defending them than finding ways to get numbers out in the attack; we needed to get numbers forward tonight. In the first half, we were organizing too much and getting stuck in our back third. We adjusted some things for the second half and we saw the effects. We really went down with a fight. We created chances, but we needed that will to get forward and create for a full 90 minutes, not just in the end of games when we're trying to come back."

Bucknell was active early-and-often on Navy's home pitch as it recorded two shots on goal versus Natasha Stramrood (Fr., Cypress, Texas) over the opening five minutes with three more corner kicks and two additional shots in the ensuing 10 minutes.

The visitors kept control on both ends as the Mids were only able to muster two errant shots over the initial 25 minutes of play. The Bison used their success on defense to spark their offense as the two-time Patriot League Midfielder of the Year, Teresa Deda struck home the game's first goal at 29:30.

Down 1-0, Stramrood was called upon twice in the final three minutes of the first half with saves on shots by Deda in the 43rd minute and Presley Sutter right as the clock struck zero.

Coming out of the locker room, Bucknell re-engaged its offense quickly with four shots and one corner kick over the first 10 minutes of the stanza. Stramrood turned aside the one shot that made its way on frame in the 51st minute.

Navy's offense started making significant in-roads over the final 30 minutes of play beginning with a long free kick by Amanda Graziano (Sr., Middlebury, Conn.) that had eyes for Tatum Kelly (Sr., Pinehurst, N.C.), but Bucknell's goalkeeper Jess Benattar was active off her line and intercepted the pass in the 60th minute. The Mids continued their quest to draw even as Alexa Riddle (Sr., Tomball, Texas) spun past her defender and ripped a shot that beat Benattar, but rang squarely into the left post in the 62nd minute.

Stramrood was called into action less than minute later with her final save of the game as she leapt up to the left corner of the goal frame and batted away a header attempt by Kelley Francis.

Navy's last push for an equalizer came in the final 10 minutes of action. Hannah Mulholland (So., Chandler, Ariz.) kick-started this run of play when Lucy Gaines (So., Seattle, Wash.) crossed her the ball over to the right wing and she immediately placed a shot on goal at 80:57. Gaines was involved in the last look on goal of the game for the Mids in the 87th minute as she struck a deep, looping shot that forced Benattar to jump up and punch the shot into the crossbar.

For the game, Bucknell out-shot Navy, 15-7 with a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Bison also held an edge in corner kicks by a 7-2 margin. Stramrood finished with six saves in goal for the Mids.

"We cannot play games worrying entirely about our defensive shape; we need to play games to win," commented Gabarra. "Moving ahead, we have to get after teams and throw numbers forward. We must create more."

Navy will turn its attention to American University next, as the Mids and Eagles will go head-to-head in Annapolis beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16.