ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A pair of set-piece goals helped the Navy men's soccer team (3-3-4) pick up its first victory over service academy rival Air Force (1-6-2) since 2007, as the Midshipmen posted a 2-1 win over the visiting Falcons Tuesday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
Restarting a rivalry that was last played in 2018, the Mids grabbed an early lead on sophomore Duncan Sullivan's 10th-minute penalty-kick tally and added to it with junior Nate Stewart heading home a 71' corner kick, while senior goalkeeper Robert Eaton and Navy held back a pressing Air Force attack after Marcos Goni cut into the deficit at 76' to seal the victory.
 
With both sides pushing in the opening minutes, Navy got the first shot of the evening with senior Andrew Schug's attempt going wide at 4' while Air Force got its first opportunity when Tucker Kern's shot was blocked at 5'. Continuing to press when freshman Will Cawlfield drew a foul in the box at 10' to get a penalty-kick call, Sullivan went to the PK line and put the shot straight to the right corner and past the diving Brody Smith for the opening goal.
 
Seeking a second goal, senior A.J. Schuetz had a shot go just wide of the top-left corner in the 21st minute and Sullivan's chance from outside the box at 22' was batted away by a diving Smith. Goni almost tied the game at 29' when a close-range shot hit the side of the cage, while Eaton notched his first save of the night in the 42nd minute on Sean Odle's shot through traffic.
 
Air Force garnered a grade-A chance in the opening minutes of the second half, as Kern launched a shot for the top-right corner that Eaton was able to reach out and deflect away at 47', while Joe Bennett's header sailed wide on the ensuing corner kick. Eaton had to stop Kern once again at 57' and the Navy defense continued to force the Falcons' shot off-target as the half wore on, while the Navy attack finally got going again in the 70th minute when a corner kick allowed sophomore JP Torres to loft a pass into the box that Stewart was able to head off the crossbar and in for the Mids' second goal.
 
With the game growing more chippy, Air Force responded in the 76th minute as Maximilian Perez's pass into the box allowed Goni to tap it home on the short side of the right post. With his defense blocking a pair of Falcons' shots as time wound down, Eaton had to make one more save at 87' when he dove and got a hand on Attila Toth's wide-angle chance from distance to preserve the Navy win.
 
Finishing with four saves in the winning effort, Eaton outdueled Smith and his one save.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"This was a great result in a physical service-academy battle. I'm happy for the team and our staff. We played well in that first half and the game became a scrap over the final 20 minute, but that's how the game can go when a team presses forward needing two goals. It was also excellent to get two set-piece goals and continue our momentum heading back into league play on Saturday."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 4-5-3 in the all-time series with Air Force, breaking a three-game winless streak against the Falcons.
• Tuesday marked the Mids' first win over the Falcons since a 1-0 victory on Sept. 2, 2007.
• Sullivan's penalty-kick tally brought his season total to a team-leading three goals.
• Stewart's goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.
• Eaton has now tallied four-or-more saves in each of his last five starts.
• Navy is 2-0-1 when Sullivan scores.
 
Up Next
Navy returns to Patriot League play on Saturday morning, hosting Lehigh at 11 a.m.