Oct. 19, 2007

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy men's soccer team hosts its second-to-last home game of the season on Saturday night as Patriot League contender Holy Cross comes to visit the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Mids are 6-4-2 overall (0-3-0 PL), while Holy Cross comes in with a 5-4-3 overall (1-0-2 PL) record. The game is a key battle for both teams in the race for the Patriot League Tournament.

Both Navy and Holy Cross are coming off stunning results in their respective mid-week games. Navy snapped a three-game winless streak with a 1-0 victory over 20th-ranked and 2006 Big East Champion West Virginia on Tuesday night in Morgantown, W.Va. Junior Adam Pennington tallied his third goal of the season in the 85th minute and goalkeeper Thomas Jenkins recorded his third shutout of the season while running his career record in goal to 8-4-2 in the victory. Holy Cross, meanwhile, tied 11th-ranked Harvard, 1-1, on Wednesday afternoon in Cambridge, Mass.

"We obviously know this is a big game for us as we enter the stretch run in the Patriot League. We have to start getting some points in league play," said Navy head coach Rich Miranda. "We got a big confidence boost on Tuesday night and hopefully that can carry over to the remainder of the season. We now know that we can play with anyone, and I hope we show that from here on out."

Navy, which is 15-8-4 in non-conference games under Miranda following Tuesday's win, boasts a balanced lineup. Four different players (Pennington, Andrew Garcia, Doug DeVuono and Chris Schneider) have scored six points each. Mark Garcia has recorded five points, while Travis King and Eric Gorden have four and three points, respectively. Navy has 10 players with at least two points this year and 12 players have tallied points this year. Defensively, Jenkins owns an impressive 0.41 GAA with a .909 save percentage (20 saves, 2 GA), while Evan Barnes, who has played 227 more minutes than Jenkins, has a 1.22 GAA and a .700 save percentage (21 saves, 9 GA).

As a team, Navy has scored 15 goals in 12 games (1.25 gpg), while giving up 11 (0.92 gpg). The Mids are outshooting their foes, 136-120 (11.3 - 10.0 per game), and have drawn 61 corner kicks to their opponents' 48. Navy has also been whistled for just 139 fouls, compared to 168 for its opponents.

Holy Cross, which was picked eighth in the Patriot League preseason poll but is currently sitting in fourth place, has made a commitment to defense this year and it is paying dividends, allowing just one team (Sacred Heart on Sept. 11) to score more than one goal in a game this year. Thomas Booth has seen the majority of time in goal, registering a 0.69 GAA and a .778 save percentage (28 saves, 8 GA). As a team, Holy Cross has scored 14 goals in 12 games (1.17gpg) to its foes' eight (0.67 gpg). Holy Cross has outshot its foes, 137-104 (11.4 - 8.7 per game) and drawn 53 corner kicks to its opponents' 42. The Crusaders are led by three players with seven points each and three more Crusaders have scored at least four points.

Holy Cross leads the all-time series, 9-7-2. The two teams have alternated wins and losses each of the last five years, winning on their home fields every year since 2002. Navy won the 2005 meeting at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, 3-1, while Holy Cross won last year's game in Worcester, 1-0. Navy is 4-3-1 in Annapolis all-time against the Crusaders, including a 2-0-1 mark at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Fans are reminded that those attending the Navy-Wake Forest football game on Saturday afternoon can gain free admission to the soccer game simply by showing your football ticket stub. It will also be Alumni Night and Group Appreciation Night for Saturday's game. For more information on all the promotions, please call 410-293-8785 and for ticket information, call 1-800-US4-NAVY.

# GO NAVY #