ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Marlee Heaven proved the hero for the Navy women's soccer team (3-0) on Thursday night, as her last-minute tally gave the Midshipmen a 1-0 victory over Wofford (0-3) at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Scoring her third game-winning goal in as many contests to back up Natasha Stramrood's four-save clean sheet, Heaven's 90th-minute score earned Navy its first 3-0 start since the 2009 season and its third shutout to begin the campaign.
 
Settling into a goalkeeper battle during the first half, Stramrood made the first save of the game at 12' while the Terriers' Elizabeth Navola denied Emily Clay in the 27th minute to register her first save.
 
Stramrood then collected a pair of saves late in the half when she scooped up Julia Grier's 41st-minute chance and swallowed up Ines Obradovac's free-kick shot through traffic at 44'. Navola matched Stramrood by making a stop on Faith Graziano in the dying seconds of the half to keep it scoreless at the break.
 
Navy turned up the pressure as the second half wore on, outshooting Wofford 13-1 in the second frame, but Navola continued to keep the Mids at bay with saves on Chiara Cosenza at 59' and Mackenzie Morrow at 72' before stopping Graziano again in the 78th minute. Navola then had her biggest save of the day when a foul in the box sent Cosenza to the penalty line at 81', with the Terrier goalkeeper guessing right and making a diving stop on the Navy forward.
 
After Navola and Stramrood traded saves at 87' and 89', the Mids finally broke through with 58 seconds left in the game when Lucy Gaines launched a long cross from next to the Navy bench into the box, with Heaven jumping above the Wofford defender just outside the goal box and heading the ball into the top right corner.
 
With Heaven's goal giving Navy the late edge, the Mids closed out the final minute and remained undefeated three games into the season for the fourth time in the last five campaigns.
 
For Stramrood, the four-save clean sheet marked her second shutout of the year and the fifth of her career, while Navola garnered seven saves in the losing effort.
 
Head Coach Carin Gabarra Remarks
"We did not play our style of soccer with the tempo and mentality we showed in earlier games. However, we did show resilience and discipline in the second half, along with persistence to keep attacking and throwing numbers forward. It was fantastic that this paid off with a late goal, and a win at home. Wofford defended really well with numbers behind the ball and kept us from getting behind them, but our attacking players were determined and focused on finding a way to score a goal. Our defensive unit was also very sound tonight, giving up limited chances and being dominant in the air. Many different players contributed tonight and our depth really provided a spark."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 2-0-0 in the all-time series with Wofford.
• Navy's 3-0 start is the program's best since a four-game winning streak to begin the 2009 campaign.
• Heaven's three-game goal streak is the first for Navy since Alexa Riddle scored in three-straight games from Oct. 8-16, 2021.
• Heaven's three-straight game-winners are the most by a Navy player since Ash Fairow scored the game-winning goal in three consecutive games from Sept. 27-Oct. 7, 2017.
 
Up Next
Navy will continue the homestand when it hosts Delaware in a 4 p.m. match on Sunday, Aug. 24.