ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The greatest rivalry in college sports hits the pitch this Saturday night at West Point with the 2024 edition of the Women's Soccer Star Match between Navy and Army. In a matchup that promises 90 minutes of gritty, hard-fought action, the Mids (8-8-1, 2-3-1 PL) will be looking to pick up their second star in four years versus a Black Knights (9-4-1, 3-2-1 PL) team that has thrived this season on its home pitch with just two blemishes to their record over 10 games played at Malek Stadium. Saturday night's game will also have significant repercussions in the Patriot League standings as the conference wraps up its schedule at the end of the month. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Saturday night's women's soccer matchup between the service academies will be the eighth Army-Navy competition of the school year as part of the 2024-25 Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. Going into Saturday, Army holds a 4-1 advantage over Navy in the early portion of the 26-contest showdown across the athletic departments. Earlier on Saturday, the men's and women's cross country teams will face off of their respective Stars.

The Navy-Army contest this weekend will have live stats provided online, as well as an accompanying ESPN+ broadcast. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Navy vs. Army
Saturday will be the 37th meeting between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's second year of varsity existence in 1994 ... Over the first 36 matchups, Navy is 18-14-4 versus Army ... Starting on Sept. 20, 1994 and going through Nov. 8, 1997, Army took the first five games of the series ... Games six through 11 went the way of Mids from Oct. 30, 1998 through Oct. 26, 2001 ... Most recently, the teams have split the last six matchups with Navy winning three straight between 2019 and 2021 ... The Mids' senior class of 2025 has secured one Star win (Oct. 16, 2021: 3-1) ... All-time, Navy has outscored Army, 45-32 ... In games played at West Point, the series leans in favor of the Black Knights by a margin of 6-5-4, though over the last ten years its knotted at 1-1-2 ... In dedicated Star matchups, Navy is 15-10-4 over Army.

Last Five Matchups
In the previous five meetings dating back to 2019, the Mids are 3-2 and have outscored the Black Knights, 7-6
    Oct. 14, 2023 (H): Army 2 - Navy 1
    Oct. 15, 2022 (A): Army 2 - Navy 0
    Oct. 16, 2021 (H): Navy 3 - Army 1
    Nov. 11, 2019 (H): Navy 2 - Army 1 (PL Championship)
    Sept. 27, 2019 (A): Navy 1 - Army 0

Most Recent Navy-Army Matchup: October 14, 2023 in Annapolis
The 2023 Women's Soccer Star was on the line Saturday night and the fans that braved the rainy conditions in Annapolis were treated to a thrilling 90-minute 2-1 battle between service academy rivals Army and Navy. The visitors from West Point ended up on the victorious side of the ledger on the strength of a pair first half goals as the Mids were only able to find the back of the net once against the Black Knights at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Navy's team captain Jenna Daunt supplied the second half fireworks for the Mids as she cut their deficit to one in the 76th minute. Her goal was assisted upon by Marlee Heaven and Katie Herrmann.

Alexa Riddle was active on the attack for Navy early and often as she took aim at Army's goal just 21 seconds into the contest. She took two more shots over the initial 11-plus minutes, including the Mids' third shot on goal of the game at 11:09.

Surviving that opening blitz by Navy, Army quickly flipped the field and immediately registered a shot on goal as Brigid Duffy tested Mattie Gallagher low and to her right. Turning aside that attempt, the Black Knights lined up for a corner kick. Cami Silvestro's curling cross spelled trouble as Elizabeth Oberhaus connected for a shot on goal that was denied by Gallagher, but saw Madison Niebish bang home the rebound at 12:06.

With the score 1-0 in favor of the visitors, the next 20 minutes was evenly matched with Army holding a slight 4-2 edge in total shots with each side tallying a shot on goal. Navy had a pair of high-percentage scoring chances during this span with the first coming in the 17th minute when Herrman came in control of bounding ball off a Kassidy Borden free kick and flicked a shot towards the goal where Daunt re-directed it past the Black Knights' goalkeeper Sage Strohman, but wide of the net. Five minutes later, Riddle caught a high arching ball and snapped off a volley towards the near side, but Strohman leapt into action and dove horizontally to snag the shot.

The game continued at a 1-0 margin as halftime drew closer. With just under four minutes left in the opening stanza an Army cross into the box accidentally made contact with a Navy defender's arm and the referee blew his whistle for a hand ball. Unfortunately for the Mids, Kaelan Bradley converted the Black Knights' penalty shot and they went up 2-0 at 41:01.

Coming out of the locker room following the halftime intermission, Navy immediately took aim at cutting into its deficit. The hosts' persistence finally paid off in the 76th minute when Rylee Rives lofted a deep throw-in into the box. Without hesitating, Heaven received the ball and quickly re-directed it towards the penalty stripe where Herrmann knocked the ball down for Daunt, who controlled the pass and blasted a right-footed side past Strohman at 75:11.

Trailing by one, the Mids left it all out on the field, but the Black Knights withstood each and every strike over the final 14-plus minutes and the game went final with a 2-1 score.

For the game, Navy out-shot Army, 17-16 with both teams recording seven shots on goal. The Mids also held an advantage in corner kicks, 5-3.

Comparing the Teams

2024 Stats	Navy	Army
Record / League	8-8-1 / 2-3-1 PL	9-4-1 / 3-2-1 PL
Home / Away	6-5-0 / 2-3-1	7-2-1 / 2-2-0
Goals/Gm	1.94	1.57
Assists/Gm	1.82	1.50
Shots/Gm	12.9	13.0
Goals Against Average	1.65	1.14
GK Saves/Gm	4.82	5.21
Common Opponent(s):	Lehigh - W, 3-0 Loyola - W, 4-3 American - L, 0-1 Bucknell - L, 0-1	Lehigh - W, 1-0 Loyola - L, 0-3 American - W, 4-1 Bucknell - W, 1-0

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Army
Goals	Heaven/Riddle, 5	Three Players, 4
Assists	Graziano, 6	Four Players, 3
Points	Graziano, 14	Bradley, 11
Shots	Riddle, 35	Duffy, 30
GK Saves	Stramrood, 74	Strohman, 70

Last Time Out: October 16 vs. American in Annapolis 
The Navy women's soccer team fell victim to an early own goal and dropped a Patriot League contest to American University on Wednesday night by a score of 1-0. In a nip-and-tuck game throughout the 90 minutes of action at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, a deflected shot off a Midshipmen (8-8-1, 2-3-1 PL) defender allowed the Eagles (5-5-2, 1-4-1 PL) to collect an important three points in the crowded Patriot League table.

The visiting Eagles came out with an aggressive attacking brand of soccer to start Wednesday night as they took three shots over the opening six minutes, including attempts by Lailah Stewart and Izzy Kadzban that forced the Mids' goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood into action with saves. A little over four minutes from that initial rush of offense at 10:36, American's pressure resulted in a goal as a wide shot by Stewart was re-directed off a Navy defender and into the back of the net.

Ahead 1-0, the Eagles kept their pedal on the offensive gas and nearly made it 2-0 in the 16th minute when Jennifer McGuire found herself open at six-yard box for a one-touch shot on goal that required Stramrood to dive to her left for the save.

Navy started its comeback efforts shortly there after with two shots in a matter of four minutes by Hannah Mulholland in the 18th minute and Isabella Romano in the 22nd, though both were slightly off frame. The Mids' looks honed in on the Eagles' goal down the stretch of the first half with four attempts over the final six minutes. Alexa Riddle recorded their first shot on goal as she ripped a shot that was initially saved by Addison Roemer, but immediately deflected out to Marlee Heaven, who pushed her shot wide. Emma Romano tallied the second shot on goal during this span with a dart that had eyes for the lower left corner of the goal mouth in the 43rd minute, but was denied by Roemer.

With the score 1-0 coming out after halftime, American took aim at extending its lead with a corner kick, two shots and a dangerous cross during the first 15 minutes of action. The cross in the 52nd minute saw Stramrood sky up over a host of Eagle attackers and punch the ball away from danger before crashing down to the ground.

Stramrood continued to keep American at bay with her second save of the period in the 64th minute. A little over eight minutes later, Emma Romano did her part in backing up Stramrood and keeping it a one-score contest as she sprinted in and swept away a shot by Brooke Steel that was inches away from crossing the goal line.

Navy's offense kept up its attack over the final 15 minutes of play as Chiara Cosenza ripped a free kick that saw American's new keeper Julia Kato leap up from her position and push the shot over the cross bar in the 75th minute before Jordan Townsend headed a free kick on frame in the 89th minute for the Mids' final look.

For the game, American out-shot Navy, 14-11 with an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. The Eagles also held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.