The American University women’s soccer team (2-10-3) lost 3-0 to the Navy Midshipmen (9-5-3) on Oct. 15. The game was played on a bright Wednesday afternoon, making stamina key for both teams battling in the hot weather.
The Eagles looked to bounce back from a tough 2-1 loss to Colgate, where they tied the match in the 70th minute before conceding a last-minute winner. This is a crucial stretch of play for the Eagles, who are attempting to secure a top-6 finish in the Patriot League and a tournament berth for the first time in seven years. Qualifying for this tournament would be a major step for the program, or as head coach Marsha Harper would put it, “historic.” The Navy came into the match off a 2-2 draw with Army on Oct. 10 and also needed a win to bolster their postseason chances.
The Eagles started hot with a quick low shot behind the box by Eagles senior defender Phoebe Merrigan. They earned a quick free kick from graduate forward Jennifer McGuire, which was deflected for a corner. Navy then broke through as the Eagles struggled to clear a ball in the penalty box, where Navy’s junior forward Chiara Cosenza eventually scored from close range, giving the Midshipmen an early lead. Eagles sophomore goalie Addison Roemer made one save on the play, but could not prevent an eventual goal.
Navy’s physical style of play could be seen from the first 15 minutes, where they conceded five free kicks to the Eagles, who failed to get any serious chances from the opportunities.
The possession battle was perfectly split in the early stages of the game, but the Midshipmen generated better chances due to good counter-attacking play. American got within inches of a goal as McGuire made a stunning move to fake out a defender before her shot got deflected, turning the ball in the vicinity of Eagles attackers who could not get the ball before the goalie.
According to Harper, that was the reason why Navy won. Harper said the Navy was always first on the ball, which made the later stages of the first half slower and more barren of Eagles chances.
Navy’s defense didn’t budge during the first half, forcing the Eagles to take rushed, long and inaccurate shots, despite stellar midfield play from McGuire. The Midshipmen’s crafty one-touch passing guaranteed them plenty of shots on goal in the first half. The Midshipmen began the second half strong with a couple of near chances, cut out by important last-ditch defending. Navy made a crucial adjustment during halftime — pressuring Eagle wingers when the keeper would boot it, giving them counter-attacking opportunities. They intercepted multiple Eagle long balls to retain possession in Eagles’ territory.
The Midshipmen's Marlee Heaven got the ball on the left side of the box and froze the defense with a hesitation move, giving her enough time and space to shoot the ball. Her shot was a nice spinning ball into the corner of the net, giving Navy a 2-0 lead. Heaven continued her dominance as she put in her 9th goal of the season, the most in the Patriot League.
Navy’s counter-attacking ability continued to excel 10 minutes later. Cosenza firmly delivered a low ball which went through the arms of the unlucky keeper Roemer.
The second half almost turned into a full-blown nightmare for the Eagles as they nearly conceded three times. Cosenza had a close shot against Roemer, who denied her a hat trick with a strong save against a rocket of a shot. The Navy also generated a point-blank header, which was headed wide, and a turning shot from close, which was hit high.
Despite being down, the Eagles never lost their voice and continued to make noise on the bench, pushing their teammates. The Eagles responded well to the Midshipmen’s flurry of attacks by stopping the bleeding and advancing their possessions. The creativity of the Midshipmen’s attacks shone as they generated chances from a wide variety of passes and areas, which forced the Eagles to adapt defensively.
With 11 minutes left, the Eagles had their best chance to score off a cross into the box, which deflected off Eagles freshman forward Jenna Etienne-Valtrin, before Navy goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood awkwardly landed on the ball. Until the end, Navy continued to feed off American’s missed passes, which helped them gain possession deep in American territory.
Despite the rough loss, the Eagles continued to fight until the end. One of the stats that American led in was crosses.
“We earned the crosses and got the ball in dangerous areas,” Harper said. “But at the end of the day, you have to have the desire to go get the ball and put it in the back of the net.”
The Eagles lost at Boston University on Oct. 18 by a score of 6-0. The team needs at least one win between their final two games against Holy Cross on Oct. 25 and Bucknell on Oct. 29 to make the conference tournament.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Ryan Sieve and Ava Stuzin.
