ANNAPOLIS, Md. – An equalizer from freshman Luke Parker with 12 seconds left helped give the Navy men's soccer team a 3-3 senior-day draw against Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Getting first-half goals from junior Alex Galloway and freshman Nick Gallucci along with Parker's last-minute tally, the Midshipmen (3-6-5, 0-4-2 PL) were able to erase a pair of deficits against the streaking Leopards (5-5-4, 2-1-3 PL) and snap Navy's own three-game losing skid.
 
An early strike got Lafayette on board in the opening minutes of the game, as Nicholas Liebich headed home Samir Dishnica's crossing free kick into the top-right corner at 5'. After senior goalkeeper Robert Eaton stopped Riley Martin at 8' to keep the deficit at 1-0, the Mids turned on the offense with four shots before Alex Galloway was able to bury his own rebound off an initial shot at 14' next to the left post, giving Navy the quick equalizer.
 
Surviving a pushback from the Leopards, the Mids grabbed the lead in the 30th minute when Parker finished a rush by shoveling a pass to Gallucci just outside the 18-yard box, who placed a kick past a diving Eric Axtman into the left side of the net.
 
Continuing to trade chances that saw both Eaton and Axtman make saves at 33', the Leopards evened the score in the 40th minute when Roy Biegon crossed a pass to Oliver Gordon right at the penalty-kick marker, with Gordon tapping the shot past a leaning Eaton at the right post.
 
With Eaton turning away shots from Nicholas Liebich at 57' and James Melnick at 60', Lafayette regained the lead in the 64th minute when Biegon intercepted a Navy pass in the Mids' own end and put a long-range looping shot over Eaton into the top-left corner. Eaton answered back by denying Dishnica with a pair of diving stops in the 71st and 74th minutes before stuffing Dishnica again at 76' and catching Thomas Clark's rushing shot at 85', keeping the Mids' hopes alive.
 
After senior Jalen Grant headed a corner kick wide at 87' and fellow senior Andrew Schug just missed on a shot wide in the 89th minute, Navy got a last chance when sophomore Keane Brown was fouled with 17 seconds left. With sophomore Stephen Nelson sending a free kick into the box that Grant knocked out, Parker got the loose ball and ripped a shot under a falling Axtman into the net with just 12 ticks left on the clock.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"It was an up-and-back game. I thought we played well in the first half and created some good chances. They came out strong in the second half but we fought to the end and I'm proud of our guys' effort. It was also great to honor our senior class before and after the game, they've done so much for the program and our culture in their four years here on and off the field."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 27-17-6 in the all-time series with Lafayette, extending the Mids' unbeaten streak over the Leopards to eight-straight games.
• Navy also moved its home unbeaten streak against Lafayette to five games.
• The three Navy goals are the most by the Mids since a 3-2 win over Loyola on Oct. 5, 2024.
• The three goals are the most by Navy against Lafayette since a 3-2 double-overtime win over the Leopards on Sept. 2, 2021.
• Saturday is the first time two Navy freshmen have scored in the same game since Jacob Williams and Bayne Bentley tallied goals in a 2-1 win over Boston U. on Oct. 20, 2018.
 
Up Next
Navy is set to close the homestand with its final non-conference game of the season, hosting Longwood at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.