ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Early season Patriot League action for the Navy women's soccer team continues on Friday with a road conference tilt at Colgate. Coming up short versus the Raiders (3-3-4, 0-0-1 PL) in their past two meetings, the Mids (8-3, 1-0 PL) will be looking to carry over the momentum of their current three-game winning streak. Kickoff between the squads is set for 5 p.m. at Beyer-Small '76 Field on Colgate's campus.

The Navy-Colgate 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. Colgate
Friday will be the 45th meeting between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's second year of varsity existence in 1994 ... In that Oct. 16, 1994 matchup, Colgate took the contest by a 3-0 margin ... The Raiders would build up a 6-0 lead in the series over the first four years before extending the margin out to 9-1 following a postseason win over the Mids in 1999 ... Navy started leveling out the series in the second half of the 00's with five straight wins between 2006 and 2008, including two victories in tournament action ... Since 2013, Navy has posted an 8-4-3 record  ... All-time, the Mids lead the series, 19-18-7, though the Raiders have used their home field advantage for a 9-8-5 edge ... Colgate leads the scoring margin category, 57-47.

Last 5 Matchups
In the last five matchups dating back to 2021, the Mids are 1-2-2 versus the Raiders ... Colgate outscored Navy, 8-4 during this span.
    Sept. 28, 2024 (H): Colgate 3 - Navy 0
    Sept. 23, 2023 (A): Colgate 2 - Navy 0
    Sept. 30, 2022 (H): Navy 2 - Colgate 1
    Oct. 2, 2021 (A): Navy 1 - Colgate 1
    April 17, 2021 (A): Navy 1 - Colgate 1 (Patriot League Finals; Navy earns title 4-1 in penalty kicks)

Most Recent Navy-Colgate Matchup: September 28, 2024 in Annapolis
Coming off an offensive-charged 4-3 victory over Loyola on Wednesday night, the Navy women's soccer team was unable to find that same spark on Saturday afternoon as it allowed a goal in the fourth minute to the visiting Colgate Raiders and trailed for the remaining 86-plus minutes. At the conclusion of the contest at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, the Raiders earned its first Patriot League win of 2024 with a 3-0 decision over the Mids.

Colgate's offense was clicking early as on its first shot of the game the visitors found itself up 1-0 when Ari Bezanson ripped a well-struck shot from outside the 18-yard box at 3:27. The Raiders kept its foot on the offensive pedal with six of the next seven shots over the ensuing 22 minutes. The Mids' goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood was busy during this run with three saves.

The constant pressure by Colgate quickly turned into a second goal at 26:26 when Nikki DiCaprio hit Ellie Stokes streaking into space for another well-struck shot.

Navy's first shot on goal of the first half came in the 34th minute when Alexa Riddle received a long throw-in and backed her defender down close to the six-yard box before spinning and getting a shot off. The Mids' final look at breaking onto the scoreboard came in the 44th minute when Isabella Romano lofted a cross into the box that had eyes for Paige Kush, but Ella Poppinga was active off the goal line and batted the pass away.

With the score 2-0 coming out of the locker room, Colgate recreated its quick-strike start from the first half as just 3:20 into the second period, Ari Bezanson played a ball up to Paige Foa, who deked a Navy defender and netted the Raiders' third goal of the game at 48:20.

The Mids were relentless in their hunt for a goal on Saturday, but unfortunately all quests came up empty. In a span of six-plus minutes from 50:59 through 57:27, Navy registered four shots and five corner kick chances. The best look came from Ande Swan in the 58th minute when she recovered a loose ball after a corner kick and rocketed a shot on frame that forced Colgate's new goalkeeper Alli Popham to leap up from her position and punch the ball over the crossbar.

The final 32 minutes of action was dominated by midfield play as the teams combined for just five shots, three for the Raiders and two for the Mids.

For the game, Colgate out-shot Navy, 16-10 and held a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Midshipmen out-numbered the Raiders in corner kicks, 7-2. Stramrood made four saves in 67 minutes of action in goal.
 

Comparing the Teams

2025 Stats	Navy	Colgate
Record / League	8-3-0 / 1-0-0 PL	3-3-4 / 0-0-1 PL
Home / Away	6-1-0 / 2-2-0	1-1-2 / 2-2-2
Goals/Gm	2.18	1.40
Assists/Gm	1.82	1.10
Shots/Gm	13.0	9.1
Goals Against Average	0.64	1.30
GK Saves/Gm	3.45	5.00
Common Opponent(s):	n/a	n/a

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Colgate
Goals	Heaven, 7	Bezanson, 3
Assists	Cosenza, 4	Childers/Howitt, 2
Points	Heaven, 15	Bezanson, 7
Shots	Heaven, 16	Bezanson, 26
GK Saves	Stramrood, 34	Poppinga, 50

Last Time Out: September 20 vs. Boston University in Annapolis 
Faced with opening Patriot League play against the defending conference champions, the Navy women's soccer team showcased a well-rounded brand of deep, team soccer on Saturday and came away with a 3-1 victory over Boston University at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Mids leaned on their defense in the first half before unleashing a trio of dynamic strikes in the second half to turn a scoreless contest into a 3-1 win versus the Terriers.

Natasha Stramrood led Navy's defensive effort with six saves in goal, while the trio of Helen Bonner, Marlee Heaven and Jessica Black all sniped in goals over a 19-minute span of play in the second half.

The visitors from Boston controlled the majority of the early action as Olivia Avellar and Helene Tyburczy put shots on goal within the first six minutes of play on Saturday afternoon. Stramrood was up to the task and corralled both attempts. After three Navy shots went wayward off frame, Kayana Adlam had the Mids' first strong look as she spun off her defender at the top of the 18 and ripped a low line drive shot that forced BU's goalkeeper Susan Shobeiri to dive and deflect the shot away off the near post.

Stramrood continued to bolster her team's effort with her third save of the half in the 27th minute when she turned aside a Giulianna Gianino shot on goal.

The play of the first half came in the 40th minute. On the receiving end of a bounding ball off of a corner kick, Boston's Samantha Aronson one-timed a shot that had eyes for the top right corner, but the duo of Stramrood and Lizzie Emerson had different plans as Stramrood got a finger tip on the ball and Emerson denied the shot with her body. On the ensuing loose ball, Stramrood grabbed a dangerous cross to keep it a 0-0 contest.

Coming out of the locker room scoreless, the fans at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility had little inkling of the offensive explosion that lied ahead in the final 45 minutes. It didn't take long as Navy darted into the lead at 52:06 when Bonner took a Cosenza square pass and dribbled in from 40 yards out with ease before unleashing a missile from outside the box into the far upper-90.

The Mids' lead didn't age well as just over five minutes later, Olivia Avellar drew the Terriers back even at 57:47 with a goal of her own.

The scoreboard operator stayed busy courtesy of a Heaven goal only 5:09 later at 62:56. The dynamic senior striker netted her seventh score of the year with a blistering free kick that swung around BU's wall of defenders and into the back of the net.

Playing in her first Patriot League contest, Black put the icing on the Navy victory with a quick strike off a Bonner throw-in at 70:58. The freshman connection saw Black receive the pass from Bonner take one step away from her defender and without hesitating rip a right-footed shot into the far upper-90 to give the Mids a 3-1 lead.

Trailing by a pair of goals, the defending league champions went down swinging with back-to-back shots on goals by Gianino and Tyburczy in the 76th and 77th minutes of play. Stramrood kept up her high level of play and made those stops for her fifth and sixth saves of the game.

Navy's fresh legs and suffocating defense held BU to just one off-target attempt for the final 13 minutes of play to seal the victory.

For the game, Boston out-shot Navy, 14-10 with an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal. The visiting Terriers also held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks.

Stramrood was credited with six saves as she improved her year-long save percentage to 83 percent.