ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy men's soccer team (1-3-2) opens its Patriot League schedule on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Lewisburg, Pa., as the Midshipmen are set to face Bucknell (2-2-0) in a 1 p.m. match at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
 
With the Mids and Bison meeting for the 51st time, Navy is seeking to start off the league slate strong as its tries to post its sixth-straight winning season in league play.
 
Navy in Patriot League Openers
The Mids are 3-3-2 in Patriot League openers under head coach Tim O'Donohue, including posting a 3-1-1 record over their last five league-opening contests … Under O'Donohue, Navy has outscored opponents by an 11-7 margin in its league openers … Navy is 12-17-3 overall in Patriot League openers since joining the league in 1992, going 5-4-2 since the current configuration of PL schools formed in 2013.
 
Stevens Shining
After shining during the Mids' exhibition slate, Stevens has carried his success into the regular season, making the starting lineup in each of Navy's first six matches and scoring a Patriot League-leading three goals … With the game-tying tally against Stonehill, the rookie forward became the first Navy freshman to score the Mids' first goal of a season since Phillip Gustafson on Aug. 31, 2017 against Campbell … Stevens is also the first Navy freshman with three goals in a season since Charlie Kriel's three tallies during the 2021 campaign.
 
Pierce Between the Posts
With 27 saves made and just six goals allowed across Navy's first six games, senior goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook has picked up right where he left off from the past two seasons … Holbrook's 17 career shutouts are the second most by a Navy goalkeeper since 1983, three shy of Brian Steckroth's 20 clean sheets from 1998 to 2001 … The 17 career shutouts are also the 10th most among active Division I goalies while his .762 career save percentage is 13th compared to other active DI keepers … Holbrook's 64 saves last season and 69 saves in 2022 made him the first Navy goalkeeper with back-to-back 60-save seasons since Mac Burke in 2016-17 (64, 92) … Additionally, Holbrook became the seventh Navy goalie since 1975 to have back-to-back 60-save seasons … League- and nation-wise, Holbrook led the Patriot League with 1,685:23 minutes played (28th in the country) and 64 total saves (39th in the country) last year, also ranking second in the league with seven shutouts (19th in the country) and 3.37 saves per game.
 
Last Time Out
Navy was on the losing end of a defensive battle Tuesday night, falling to George Washington by a 1-0 score at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility … The Mids dominated possession but suffered an early goal by the Revolutionaries before pressuring their visitors for the final 70 minutes to no avail … A GW counter-attack at 21' led to an Alex Nicholson cross that reached Louis Crofts at the 16-yard mark, who rifled a one-time shot to the right of Holbrook … Holbrook finished the night with four saves.
 
Navy Notes
The current Navy seniors have helped the Mids post a 26-22-17 overall record over their four seasons in Annapolis, going 11-7-9 in Patriot League matches … The Mids are 3-0-3 when junior A.J. Schuetz records a point, while Navy has tallied a 3-0-1 mark when Schug scores and a 2-0-5 record when Ward tallies a point … Kriel has started all 65 of Navy's games during his time with the Mids.
 
Scouting Bucknell
The Bison have played just four non-conference matches to start the campaign … After opening the season with back-to-back 2-0 wins over Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's, Bucknell has dropped its last two games at George Mason, 1-0, and at home against Saint Francis, 3-0 … With four different goal-scorers this season, the Bison have been led offensively by Jack Lucas' four points (1 goal, 2 assists) while David Krumov has also tacked on two assists … Freddie Lapworth has played every minute in goal, making 12 saves with four goals allowed … Of 11 newcomers, Bucknell has welcomed four transfers for this season including former Penn State midfielder Cohen Weaver and Tulsa product Cade Whitmore.
 
Series History
The Mids lead the all-time series with the Bison by a 31-15-4 margin … Navy enters Sunday on a four-game winning streak over Bucknell, as the Mids have won six of their last seven matches against the Bison … Navy is 6-7-2 all-time when facing the Bison in Lewisburg … The Mids' last trip to Lewisburg in 2022 saw Navy notch a 2-0 win in its league opener, as Baba Kallie and David Jackson scored while Holbrook made five saves … Last year's meeting saw Jackson score in the 87th minute to secure a 1-0 victory for the Mids in Annapolis, while Holbrook collected the shutout on three saves.
 
Up Next
Navy continues league play on Sept. 21 with a trip to Lafayette, as opening kick is set for 1 p.m. in Easton, Pa.