ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Highlighted by an early penalty-kick save from senior goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook, the Navy men's soccer team (0-1-2) played its way to a 0-0 draw against non-conference foe Fairleigh Dickinson (2-0-1) on Friday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
The scoreless affair saw two of the country's best goalkeepers shine, as both Holbrook and the Knights' Spencer King recorded five saves in the contest to each earn their first shutout of the 2024 season, while Navy senior captain Charlie Kriel paced both sides with three shots.
 
The Midshipmen made an early push on the attacking end, as Kriel had a pair of shots within the opening five minutes including a chance from 15 yards out that King barely turned away with his left hand. King made another pair of stops less than 10 minutes later when he denied freshmen Wyatt Stevens and Duncan Sullivan in the 13th and 14th minutes, leaping to punch away Sullivan's shot just below the crossbar. Holbrook countered on the other end when a foul in the box gave Alex Kryazhev a penalty-kick attempt in the 17th minute, diving left to save the low shot and keep the game scoreless.
 
Navy kept the pressure on as the first half drew on, with sophomore Nate Stewart's shot from 20 yards out at 31' and a Bryce Robisch header off a corner in the 39th minute forcing two more stops by King. FDU was able to generate its own offense in the final five minutes of the half, but Navy turned aside both shots to keep the game even.
 
The Knights carried that momentum into the second half by outshooting the Mids, 6-1, with Gabriel Le Guen putting a wide-angle shot on cage in the 58th minute that forced another diving save by Holbrook, while several offsides calls spoiled promising chances for the Mids and an open Stevens fired a long-range shot high in the 82nd minute. FDU made a late surge in the closing eight minutes that saw Holbrook deny Damian Naumoski with a jumping save at 83', turn away Matt Giraldo's shot from just outside the goal box at 89' net and stop Kevin Leonhard with 38 seconds remaining to preserve the scoreless draw.
 
Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"Tonight was a battle. FDU is a good team and it turned into a tale of two halves. We are making progress and seeing big improvements from a young group that includes five underclassmen in the starting lineup. We have to get ready and rested for Monday now and go from there."
 
Match Notes
• The all-time series between Navy and FDU moved to 2-2-1, with the Mids snapping a two-game losing streak to the Knights.
• Holbrook's 16 career shutouts now sit in sole possession of second in program history (since 1983), needing four more to match Brian Steckroth's 20 career clean sheets.
• Holbrook has now recorded three-or-more saves in nine of his last 12 contests.
• Kriel's three shots marked a career high for the senior.
• The Mids' 10 corner kicks are the most for the team since 12 corners against VMI on Aug. 28, 2024.
 
Up Next
Navy hosts Niagara on Monday, Sept. 2, with the Labor Day contest set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.