ANNAPOLIS, MD. – With both sides scoring late, the Navy men's soccer team (1-2-4, 0-0-1 PL) battled back to salvage a 1-1 draw with Holy Cross (1-3-2, 0-0-1 PL) in their Patriot League opener Saturday afternoon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Despite both the Midshipmen and Crusaders generating chances in the opening half, the scoring did not come until the midway point of the second half when Archie Hatcher gave Holy Cross the lead at 68', but sophomore JP Torres notched his first collegiate goal in the 77th minute for the equalizer and helping Navy pick up its first point in the league standings.
 
A balanced start found Navy senior goalkeeper Robert Eaton diving to stop Kevin Cull's deep shot at 8', while freshman Will Cawlfield's line drive went just over the crossbar in the 12th minute and Mateo Buyu turned away senior Andrew Schug's shot after beating a defender at 15'.
 
A long-range bender from sophomore Keane Brown on the wing nearly snuck in under the post at 22', but Buyu denied the sinking shot, and Eaton then made another diving save at 40' to stifle Hatcher and scooped up Hatcher's shot off a free kick seconds later.
 
A slow start out of halftime quickly changed when junior Alex Galloway redirected a cross into the box just wide of the cage at 54', but Holy Cross struck first at 68' when Adric Rosato got a takeaway just outside the box and unleashed a short-hop shot that forced Eaton to knock it down, with Hatcher crashing past a Navy defender into the goal box to put home the afternoon's first goal.
 
Turning on the offensive pressure, Navy answered back at 77' when senior Bryce Robisch put a pass through three defenders to Torres, who then drilled a shot from 16 yards out past Buyu and inside the right post.
 
Continuing to pressure, Navy had opportunities to grab the lead when sophomore Jorge Mayorga put a long-range rifle high at 80' and freshman Nick Gallucci send a shot wide left at 86', with the Mids' final chance coming in the final minute of the contest when Sullivan put a shot on-target just outside the box that a diving Buyu barely turned away.
 
The draw saw Eaton finish with four saves, while Buyu ended the day with three saves on his ledger, as Navy closed with the 10-7 shot advantage.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"Our team dominated territory for most parts of the game and we had about 60- to 65-percent of the possession throughout, but we particularly played with better attacking urgency in those last 30 minutes. It was very unfortunate and a big mistake to give up the rebound goal, however, JP had a great finish to even the score and we had our chances to win after that as well. The Patriot League is a battle each time and every game is tight. All of our goals are still within reach."
 
Game Notes
• Navy is now 14-16-7 in the all-time series with Holy Cross, winning or tying five of its last six meetings with the Crusaders.
• Navy extended its home unbeaten streak over Holy Cross to nine games.
• Torres is the fourth different Navy player to score this season.
• Navy has won or tied five of its last seven league openers.
 
Up Next
Navy hosts regional non-conference rival UMBC in a 7:00 p.m. match on Tuesday, Sept. 16.