Army Falls in Highly-Competitive Clash with Navy

Saturday, October 16

Annapolis, MD

7 PM

Army West Point

5-7-3, 2-3-2

Navy

9-5-2, 4-2-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Army West Point	0	1	1
Navy	1	2	3

Army Falls in Highly-Competitive Clash with Navy

October 16, 2021 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

MATCH 15
SCORE	Navy 3, Army 1
SCORERS	Navy - Alexa Riddle (15'), Amanda Graziano (55'), Katie Herrmann (58') Army - Trinity Garay (71')
RECORDS	Army (5-7-3, 2-3-2 PL) Navy (9-5-2, 4-2-1 PL)
LOCATION	Glenn Warner Soccer Stadium (Annapolis, Md.)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Army West Point women's soccer team fought until the final whistle, but ultimately suffered a 1-3 loss to Academy rival Navy on Saturday evening.

Though the final score favored the Midshipmen, it was not indicative of how close the match felt. Army was narrowly out-shot by Navy at 12-13 and each side recorded five shots on-frame apiece.

The rivalry was evident at the start of the action, as each team battled to gain possession following the opening whistle. While Navy was the first to record a shot, an on-goal attempt that Sage Strohman stretched out to stop, Lauren Drysdale responded with a test of Navy's keeper just minutes later.

Through the opening minutes of the match, the teams continued to trade shots. Army eventually earned a pair of back-to-back corner kicks which gave the team a solid chance to take the lead, but Navy's counter-attack on the second set piece awarded the Mids a goal and put the home team up 1-0.

Minutes later, the Midshipmen tried to add another goal to their lead but Keira Vesy came up with a huge block to re-direct the ball.

The Black Knights had a few more looks at the net as the first half progressed, and did out-shoot Navy 8-6 in the first 45 minutes, but ultimately went into halftime in the deficit.

Following the break, the fight for possession continued as neither side was able to truly create space. Eventually, Navy earned a corner kick and curled a ball into the back post to score, extending the lead to 2-0. From there, the Mids continued to attack and were able to record their third goal of the game just minutes later thanks to a loose ball in the box.

The game became increasingly more physical as it continued, which awarded Army a pair of free kicks and helped get the ball into Navy's half of the field. Kaelan Bradley fired off a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar, but Trinity Garay was there to collect the ball and booted it past the Midshipmen's diving keeper. Garay's fifth goal of the season ended the shutout and cut the lead down to a two-goal difference in the 71st minute.

As the clock wound down, neither team was able to create any additional chances offensively. Navy made one last run in the final minutes of action, but Strohman came off her line to collect the ball. Ultimately, the Midshipmen were able to hold on for the 3-1 result.

Inside the Box Score

Both Elizabeth Oberhaus and Drysdale led the team with four shots apiece. Three of Drysdale's attempts were on-frame.
Four different Black Knights attempted to score.
Strohman made a pair of stops, while her counterpart was forced to make five.
Army had five cadet-athletes play the full duration of the match.

Coach's Corner
"Overall, this was a great experience for our team as we have so many players that haven't been in the situation of playing against Navy before," head coach Tracy Chao said. "I thought our midfield was absolutely fantastic and our defensive midfield was solid. We really dominated the middle third, but at the end of the day you have to score goals in the final third and we just weren't able to do that today. I thought both Emma Richey and Elizabeth Oberhaus played fantastic and Lauren Drysdale was our connecter. Kaelan Bradley was great tonight and her work rate is really incredible. I also thought that Kaitlin Palaian gave us a great boost off the bench, she changed the game when she stepped on the field. We are still experiencing some growing pains, which is to be expected, but we need to continue to focus on the teachable moments and continue to compete in a way that we can be proud of."

Cadets' Corner
"Proud of the team for working to the final whistle but in the end Navy was able to capitalize on their chances and that won them the night. In soccer and in life, you don't lose you either win or you learn, and tonight, we learned about the intensity and play needed to win a star. Now it's time to build on that and refocus in time for Firstie night next Friday." – Lauren Drysdale

"It was an extremely tough match against a rival team. We fought hard but couldn't find a good enough rhythm. Looking forward to another great opportunity against Bucknell." – Trinity Garay

Up Next
Army will have nearly a week off before hosting Bucknell on Friday, Oct. 22. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. at Malek Stadium and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Prior to the start, head coach Tracy Chao and her staff will honor the five members of the Class of 2021: Maddie Faust, Trinity Garay, Dani Mendoza, Gillian Schiffer and Sarah Rutherford.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point women's soccer, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_WSoccer and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.