ANNAPOLIS, Md. - In a season marked by competitiveness and parity throughout the conference, the 2024 Patriot League Tournament will be set Wednesday night after the ninth and final round of games are in the books. The Navy women's soccer team finds itself squarely in the conversion for a playoff spot and potentially a home quarterfinal game depending on the outcomes of its matchup at Lafayette and a variety of other results across the league. Looking to make the Patriot League Tournament for the 13th time in 14 seasons, the Mids (9-9-1. 3-4-1 PL) come into the road contest against the Leopards (5-6-3, 2-3-3 PL) ranked fifth in the table, one point behind fourth-place Colgate (3-3-2), but only one point ahead of Loyola (2-3-3) and Lafayette, who are tied for sixth. Kickoff at the Leopards' Oak Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The Navy-Lafayette contest will have live stats provided online, as well as an 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.

Patriot League Standings & Final Matchup (as of Oct. 29)
  1. Bucknell (6-2; 18 pts)  -- vs. Lehigh (10/30)
  t2. Army (5-2-1; 16 pts)  -- at Boston (10/30)
  t2. Boston Uni. (4-0-4; 16 pts)  -- vs. Army (10/30)
  4. Colgate (3-3-2; 11 pts)  -- at Holy Cross (10/30)
  5. Navy (3-4-1; 10 pts)  -- at Lafayette (10/30)
  t6. Loyola (2-3-3; 9 pts)  -- vs. American (10/30)
  t6. Lafayette (2-3-3; 9 pts)  -- vs. Navy (10/30)
  8. American (2-4-2; 8 pts) -- at Loyola (10/30)
  t9. Lehigh (2-5-1; 7 pts)  -- at Bucknell (10/30)
  t9. Holy Cross (2-5-1; 7 pts)  -- vs. Colgate (10/30)

Navy vs. Lafayette
Wednesday will be the 33rd meeting (26-4-2) between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's first year of varsity existence in 1993 ... In that Sept. 26, 1993 matchup, Lafayette took the contest by a 7-1 decision ... Over the next 17 meetings between the Mids and Leopards, Navy went 17-0, including a postseason victory in 2001 ... After tying in 2010 and losing in the regular season in 2011, Navy then rattled off four straight wins (2011-PL Semis, 2012, 2013 and 2014) before Lafayette posted consecutive 1-0 shutout victories in 2015 and 2016; since then the Mids are 5-0-1 ... All-time, Navy has outscored Lafayette, 73-22 and hold an 12-3-0 mark in games played in Easton.

Last Five Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2018, the Mids lead 4-0-1 with a 7-2 edge in scoring 
    Oct. 25, 2023 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 26, 2022 (A): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 27, 2021 (H): Navy 3 - Lafayette 1
    Oct. 2, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 1
    Oct. 17, 2018 (A): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0

Most Recent Navy-Lafayette Match ~ October 25, 2023 in Annapolis
Navy concluded its 2023 season with a third straight victory as it defeated Lafayette by a 1-0 score on Wednesday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Looking to end their season on a high note and send their senior class out victorious, the Mids leaned out its sophomore class for clutch individual performances as Marlee Heaven scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second minute, while Jordan Townsend made the game-clinching save from her defensive position as she denied the Leopards' final shot on goal during a frantic corner kick situation in the 87th minute.

In her final collegiate game, Mattie Gallagher made five saves to record her 16th career shutout.

The action started fast on Wednesday night as Navy came out from the opening whistle and broke through onto the scoreboard just 120 seconds into the game. The goal came from a quick throw-in from Alexa Riddle to Jenna Daunt, who ran up onto the ball and two-touched a right-footed cross into the box where Heaven sprinted in front of Lafayette's goalkeeper Lindsay Dewar and flicked a header over her into the gaping net.

The Mids kept their foot on the offensive pedal and recorded four of the next five shots, including a dangerous free kick from Kassidy Borden that was launched from 40-plus yards out and bounced high over the goalkeeper into the crossbar in the 16th minute. After an evenly-matched next 15 minutes, the final third of the first half was action-packed as Gallagher was called upon to make three saves. Navy countered these Lafayette scoring chances with two shots on goal of its own, courtesy of Riddle and Emma Romano.

Holding a 1-0 lead through 45 minutes of action, the Mids came out from the locker room looking to increase their advantage. The hosts nearly did less than three minutes in when Borden intercepted a blind Lafayette clearance near midfield and dribbled past a pair of Leopards before feeding Riddle, who immediately rifled a cross towards the goal to the charging Daunt, who one-timed a shot just wide of the goal. Navy continued to keep the pressure on Lafayette with two shots on goal by Romano and Daunt just 40 seconds apart in the 51st minute with Amanda Graziano adding two more shots on target in the 69th and 73rd minutes, respectively.

Trailing 1-0 in the final portion of the second half and a potential spot in the Patriot League Tournament waiting in the wings, the Leopards did not go down without a fight. The Mids' defense and Gallagher were up to the task as they stopped all three of the visitors' final attempts on goal. Gallagher turned in her best save of the game in the 77th minute when she leapt off her line and sprawled out to her right to bat away Nadia Zaffanella's shot. That save came just 10 minutes before Townsend saved the shutout with a dramatic denial of Zaffanella's shot on goal following a chaotic corner kick situation that saw multiple Lafayette efforts blocked in the 87th. Sticking to the far post as the play unraveled, Townsend stuck her leg out to stop Zaffanella's shot before Gallagher scrambled onto the loose ball. That would be the last offensive opportunity for either side and the game would go final at 1-0.

For the game, Navy outshot Lafayette, 24-17 with a 9-6 edge in shots on goal.

Comparing the Teams

2024 Stats	Navy	Lafayette
Record / PL	9-9-1 / 3-4-1 PL	5-6-3 / 2-3-3 PL
Home / Away Record	7-5-0 / 2-4-1	3-1-2 / 2-5-1
Goals/Gm	1.79	0.93
Assists/Gm	1.63	0.71
Shots/Gm	12.8	7.6
Goals Against Average	1.68	1.14
GK Saves/Gm	4.79	5.86

Statistical Leaders

	Navy	Lafayette
Goals	Heaven, 6	Santelli, 4
Assists	Graziano, 6	McDonald, 3
Points	Graziano, 14	Santelli, 9
Shots	Riddle, 37	Jindal, 19
GK Saves	Stramrood, 82	Apker, 75

Last Time Out: October 25 vs. Holy Cross
Navy rounded out the home portion of its 2024 regular season schedule with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Holy Cross on Friday afternoon. In day meant to honor its senior class, it was junior Marlee Heaven, who came through with the late fireworks as she slotted home the game-winning goal in the 84th minute at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Important playoff position for the upcoming Patriot League Tournament was up for grabs on Friday between the Mids (9-9-1, 3-4-1 PL) and Crusaders (5-11-1, 2-5-1 PL) as both teams came into the game tied for seventh place in the league table. Following the result of the contest, Navy has moved into fifth place for the moment with four more games around the league scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

The action in the first half was quite even with the teams combining for just nine shots, five for Navy and four for Holy Cross. The Crusaders recorded their first and only shot on goal of the opening stanza just 82 seconds in as Adi Botet re-directed a cross onto frame, though Natasha Stramrood was up for the task and snagged the shot. Holy Cross increased its advantage in shots taken with two back-to-back attempts that were blocked by Navy defenders in the 10th minute. The Mids' recorded their first shot on goal of the half in the 20th minute when Chiara Cosenza put a mid-range free kick into the waiting arms of Julia Walsh, the Crusaders' goalie. The visitors continued to pester Navy's defense with their fourth and fifth corner kicks in quick succession in the 29th and 30th minutes, though Stramrood was active off her line and punched both crosses away from danger.

The Mids' best build and look at breaking the scoreless deadlock came in the 37th minute when Cosenza crossed the ball towards the goal mouth and Rylee Rives headed a shot just off-target.

Coming out of the locker room knotted at 0-0, Navy flipped a switch and dominated the possession and scoring opportunities throughout the second 45-minute period. Right off the bat, Emma Romano and Cosenza tested Walsh with respective shots on goal in the 47th and 50th minutes of action. This duo nearly connected for the host's first goal ten minutes later when Romano whipped a cross into the box, that Cosenza headed over the crossbar.

With less than 20 minutes of action left in regulation, the pace picked up for both sides and Holy Cross had consecutive strong looks at netting the go-ahead goal denied. In the 70th minute, Kayana Adlam was the hero as a broken play in the middle of the field resulted in the Crusaders' Ava Graham with over 45 yards of clear space to the goal and not a Midshipmen defender in sight before Adlam caught her at the top of the 18-yard box after finding that next gear in an all-out sprint. Stramrood matched her fellow classmate's clutch demeanor and batted away Sydney Baldwin's shot on goal two minutes later.

With Holy Cross held at bay offensively for the final 15 minutes of the contest, Navy was locked in on finding that go-ahead score. In a chaotic possession in the 78th minute, the Mids cracked back-to-back shots on goal as Amanda Graziano's initial effort was saved by Walsh before Heaven quickly put the rebound back on frame, though a Crusader defender deflected the ball away from the gaping goal mouth for a team save.

The host's constant pressure finally found a crack at 83:22 when a series of ping-pong passes and defensive ricochets ended with Heaven in control of a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box. Once in her possession, the junior calmly flicked her shot past Walsh for the go-ahead score. Holy Cross was unable to muster an equalizer over the final 6:38 of action and Navy earned a massive three points in the Patriot League standings with a 1-0 victory on Senior Day.
 
For the game, Navy out-shot Holy Cross, 17-6 with a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Crusaders had a substantial 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Stramrood finished her second career shutout with two saves.