ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Looking to break a three-game slump, the Navy men's soccer team (1-4-2, 0-1-0 PL) is set to face Patriot League foe Lafayette (3-2-2, 0-1-0 PL) on Saturday afternoon in Easton, Pa., with the Midshipmen and Leopards kicking off at 1 p.m. from Gummeson Grounds.
 
After both teams dropped their league opener, Navy used a full week of rest in preparation for its second league game while Lafayette bounced back with a 2-1 midweek victory over non-conference opponent UAlbany on Tuesday night.
 
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 seven matches and scoring three goals (second-most in the Patriot League) … 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 31 saves made and eight goals allowed across Navy's first seven 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 12th most among active Division I goalies while his .759 career save percentage is 17th 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
A comeback effort over the final 15 minutes by Navy was not enough to beat Bucknell in the opening game of Patriot League play, as the Midshipmen fell to the Bison, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at Emmitt Field … Following a tough first half where Bucknell scored a pair of goals in the opening 22 minutes, Navy regained its composure and battled back as the second half drew on, culminating with junior Andrew Schug scoring his first goal of the season in the 87th minute and giving the Mids a chance to erase the deficit in the dying seconds … A Bison rush in the 12th minute saw Cohen Weaver cross a ball to Cade Whitmire at the 18-yard mark and a volley on goal was deflected past Holbrook for the first goal of the afternoon … Bucknell then attacked the Navy end again at 21' when David Krumov's shot was blocked out, while the restart saw Lucas cross to Weaver, who one-timed a shot to the top right corner of the net … Navy finally broke through in the 87th minute when sophomore Victor Saade sent a free kick into the box, where junior Jalen Grant headed it down and Schug buried it.
 
Navy Notes
The current Navy seniors have helped the Mids post a 26-23-17 overall record over their four seasons in Annapolis, going 11-8-9 in Patriot League matches … The Mids are 3-0-3 when junior A.J. Schuetz records a point, while Navy has tallied a 3-1-1 mark when Schug scores and a 2-0-5 record when senior Noah Ward tallies a point … Senior captain Charlie Kriel has started all 66 of Navy's games during his time with the Mids.
 
Scouting Lafayette
The Leopards got off to a hot start by going undefeated in their first four games, as a draw at UMass-Lowell in the season opener preceded wins over Siena and Fairfield before posting another draw at Villanova … A loss to Binghamton followed and Lafayette dropped its Patriot League opener at Colgate, 2-1, before notching the 2-1 win against UAlbany … Roy Biegon and Andrey McIntyre pace the team with two goals, while a goal and four assists from Beaux Lizewski give the midfielder a team-best six points … 2023 All-Patriot League Third Teamer Carter Houlihan has one goal on seven shots this season … Another all-league third-team selection, Griffin Huff has backstopped the Leopards in five games this season, making 18 saves while allowing five goals … The Leopards' 0.529 shots-on-goal percentage ranks 12th in the country.
 
Series History
The Mids lead the all-time series with the Leopards, 26-17-5 … Navy is undefeated in its last six matchups with Lafayette and has won 10 of its last 12 meetings against the Leopards … Posting a 8-5-1 record in Easton, the Mids are unbeaten in their last five trips to Lafayette, including winning the last four games … A five-game winning streak over Lafayette was snapped by a scoreless draw between the teams last season … That 0-0 tie on Nov. 1, 2023 saw Holbrook make two saves for the shutout while Schuetz recorded four shots.
 
Up Next
Navy returns to Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to face non-conference foe UC San Diego, with the 7 p.m. match kicking off a three-game homestand for the Mids.