ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Five weeks of preparation and 10 games during the non-conference portion of its schedule has brought the Navy women's soccer team to the kickoff of its Patriot League season. The Mids (7-3, 0-0 PL) dive immediately into the proverbial deep end on Saturday afternoon with a matchup against the defending league champions and preseason favorites, the Boston University Terriers (3-3-2, 0-0 PL). Navy comes into this home showdown riding high with a 7-3 overall record and back-to-back shutout victories, while BU is in search of its first win since Aug. 28, as the Terriers have gone 0-2-2 in their last four games. First touch at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Navy-Boston contest this weekend will have live stats provided online, as well as an accompanying ESPN+ broadcast. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Navy vs. Boston University
Saturday will be the 15th meeting between the two schools in a series that began with Boston joining the Patriot League for the 2013 season ... Since Sept. 20, 2013, the Terriers lead the series 10-3-1 and have outscored the Mids, 18-8 all-time ... After winning the first-ever matchup at home in 2013 by a 1-0 score, the Mids dropped six straight, including three postseason bouts before flipping the script in 2017 with a 1-0 victory in Annapolis ... 11 of the 14 contests between the schools have had one-goal margins of victory, while the other three were by two goals (Nov. 7, 2014, Oct. 29, 2016 and Sept. 25, 2021) ... All three of Navy's wins in this series have come in Annapolis (Sept. 20, 2013, Oct. 7, 2017 and Oct. 26, 2019)

Last Five Matchups
Dating back to 2019, the Mids are 1-3-1 and have been outscored by the Terriers, 8-5
    Oct. 5, 2024 (A): Navy 1 - Boston 1
    Oct. 1, 2023 (H): Boston 3 - Navy 2
    Sept. 24, 2022 (A): Boston 1 - Navy 0
    Sept. 25, 2021 (H): Boston 3 - Navy 1
    Oct. 26, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Boston 0, 2 OT

Most Recent Navy-Boston Matchup: October 5, 2024 in Boston
In a matchup of teams fighting for the top spot in the Patriot League, the women's soccer squads from Navy and Boston University ended 90 minutes of nip-and-tuck competition with a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon. Close throughout the action at BU's Nickerson Field, the Terriers scored in the 33rd minute before the Mids immediately fired back with the game-tying goal by Isabella Romano in the 36th minute.

The Terriers came out of the gates fast as the host squad put the game's first shot on frame just 1:48 into the contest on Saturday afternoon. Freshman goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood was up to the task as she easily collected the attempt by Giulianna Gianino.

After that initial shot on goal, the action over the next 25 minutes saw Boston control the majority of the action, but fail to make significant in-roads in Navy's final third as the Terriers earned four corner kick opportunities, but were unable to register a single shot. On the opposite side of the ledger, the Mids weren't able to build either long-standing possessions on offense or connect on potent quick-strike through balls and were held without a shot during the opening 30 minutes of play.

The scoreboard saw its first activity in the 33rd minute when Juliana Osterman crossed a ball into the box and hit the on-coming Jaiden Schultz in the knee for a deflected shot on goal that snuck into the upper-90 past Stramrood at 32:20.

Trailing by one goal, Navy immediately took aim at drawing even. In short order, Stramrood made a save and punted the ball up the pitch. After the punt bounced off a BU defender near mid-field, Chiara Cosenza possessed the ball and quickly lofted a ball over the top, hitting a sprinting Isabella Romano in stride. Going one-on-one with the final Terrier defender, Romano dribbled into the box and curled a shot towards the far corner past the out-stretched arms of Bridget Carr for the tying tally at 35:35.

After an action-packed opening run of play to start the second half, Navy and Boston slowed the action down a bit as their respective midfielders and defenders took over. The Mids were the first to re-engage their offensive attack. In the 74th minute, Hannah Mulholland forced a turnover on the Mids' side of midfield and after a clash of bodies, Cosenza came in control of the lose ball, quickly turned and fed Mackenzie Morrow, who dribbled to the top of the 18 and blasted a shot on goal that Carr grabbed at the last second.

Navy's offensive pressure continued as in the 79th minute when Riddle hit an out-swinging cross from the right that was met by both a Navy and BU player and popped straight up; when the ball finally came down, Cosenza volleyed the ball out of the air, though her shot rang off the far post.

With the score still deadlocked at 1-1 and the clock under four minutes both teams took to their final swings at registering the go-ahead goal though both came up empty. Stramrood denied BU's attempt in the 87th minute when she stopped a Gianino free kick from 25 yards out before a Cosenza one-timer strike skipped wide in the 89th minute.

For the game, BU out-shot Navy, 10-8, including a 5-2 edge in shots on goal. The host Terriers also held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks. Stramrood finished her day in goal with four saves.

Comparing the Teams

2025 Stats	Navy	Boston U.
Record / League	7-3-0 / 0-0-0 PL	3-3-2 / 0-0-0 PL
Home / Away	5-1-0 / 2-2-0	1-1-1 / 2-2-1
Goals/Gm	2.10	1.50
Assists/Gm	1.80	1.25
Shots/Gm	13.3	14.0
Goals Against Average	0.60	1.50
GK Saves/Gm	3.20	2.38
Common Opponent(s):	n/a	n/a

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Boston U.
Goals	Heaven, 6	Gianino, 4
Assists	3 Players, 3	Gianino, 4
Points	Heaven, 13	Gianino, 12
Shots	Heaven, 14	Gianino, 30
GK Saves	Stramrood, 28	Shobeiri, 17

Last Time Out: September 14 vs. UMBC in Annapolis 
Navy concluded the non-conference portion of its 2025 schedule with a dominant 3-0 win over UMBC on Sunday. With Patriot League competition staring down the Mids (7-3) next Saturday, they gave their home fans a strong performance that saw them tally three first half goals against the Retrievers (4-3-3) and cruise in the second half at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Navy had three individuals enter their name in the scoring column on Sunday with Chiara Cosenza netting the first goal before Mimi Abusham and Katia Katsari-Hoefer went back-to-back within three minutes of each other late in the first half. In goal, the duo of Natasha Stramrood and Talley Applewhite earned the combined shutout as Stramrood turned aside four shots on goal over the first 64 minutes before Applewhite clinched the clean sheet with two stops in the final 26 minutes of action.

UMBC put Navy on its heels early as the visitors came out and tested Stramrood with three shots in the first 12 minutes of action, two of which were on frame.

Surviving that initial rush by the Retrievers, the Mids took over in the ensuing 33 minutes with a strong run of play. Kayana Adlam led Navy's successful retort as she worked a two-man game with Jessica Black that resulted in Adlam putting a shot towards goal that was deflected just wide of the net in the 17th minute. Adlam's aggressive attack paid dividends a little over two minutes later at 18:41 when she laid off an overlapping pass to Hannah Mulholland, who dribbled up the right wing and played a cross into the box to Cosenza. Once in possession of the ball, Cosenza ripped a low line drive shot that UMBC's keeper Kalli Williams got a hand on, but there was too much pace on it and the ball skidded into the back of the net. Cosenza's goal was her second of the season and 10th of her career through 46 games.

Adlam was back at it in the 27th minute, when she dribbled through multiple defenders crossed a pass into the box to Marlee Heaven, who one-timed a shot on goal that was saved at the doorstep.

With the score still 1-0, Navy's depth shined down the stretch of the first half. Emmalea Sidorsky nearly increased the Mids' lead to two in the 35th minute as she rocked the crossbar with a lengthy shot before Abusham collected the rebound and pushed her volley over the net. Abusham got her redemption in the form of her first goal of 2025, four minutes later when she was on the receiving end of an Isabella Romano corner kick at 39:07.

After Stramrood denied UMBC's Delainey Proctor's shot on goal at 41:18, the action quickly moved to the opposite end of the pitch with Ali Barrow leading the fast break up the left wing. Romano was the final facilitator once again as she took a lead pass from Barrow into the corner before whipping a curling cross into the box to the on-coming Katsari-Hoefer, who volleyed the ball into the back of the goal at 41:56.

Coming out of the locker room up 3-0, Navy kept UMBC off the scoreboard and controlled the majority of the action in the second half. Not overly preoccupied with the search for additional goals, the Mids recorded five shots versus four for the Retrievers; both teams put three of those attempts on frame. UMBC's best chance came in the 77th minute when Payton Schenning put a dangerous corner kick into the box and forced Applewhite to leap and punch the pass away from a pack of hungry Retrievers. Likewise, Navy's most threatening look also came off a set piece as Faith Graziano chipped a free kick into the box and ClaraJane Williams snapped off a header that forced Williams into a diving stop in the 84th minute.

For the game, Navy out-shot UMBC, 16-8 with a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Mids also held an advantage in corner kicks, 5-3.

The shutout was Navy's sixth of the season through 10 games and surpasses 2024's season-mark (21 games) and ties the 2023 team's total.