June 7, 2012

• 2012 Schedule | 2012 Roster (as of June 7)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Coming off its first Patriot League Tournament appearance in 10 years, the Navy men's soccer team faces another daunting schedule in 2012, squaring off against three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago and seven teams that finished in the top 100 in the NCAA's final RPI rankings. Navy will play a total of 18 games during the season, with eight of them coming at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Navy will open the 2012 slate on the road on Aug. 25 against national power Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The two teams were scheduled to play last year, but that match was canceled due to Hurricane Irene that blew through the area in late August. Old Dominion went 12-6-2 last year, lost in the finals of the CAA Tournament and were defeated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Indiana, 3-0. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2004 and the Monarchs own a 4-2-2 series lead over the Midshipmen.

The Midshipmen return to Annapolis for a home-opening three-game stint, beginning on August 30 when Robert Morris comes to town for the Holiday Inn Express BWI Classic, co-hosted by UMBC. Robert Morris went 4-12-1 a season ago and this will be the first meeting between the two teams.

On September 1, Navy hosts VCU for the final game of the Holiday Inn Express BWI Classic. The Rams went 11-9-0 overall last year and 6-5-0 in the CAA. VCU defeated Navy last year, 4-1, in the season opener for both teams. It will be just the fourth meeting between the two squads with the series tied at 1-1-1.

Navy closes out the homestand on September 8 with its first meeting against High Point. The Panthers were 9-9-3 last year and 4-4-1 in the Big South Conference, falling in the Big South semifinals.

On Sept. 12, Navy will head over the Bay Bridge to the DelMarVa peninsula to face Delaware for the 18th time in series history. The Blue Hens are coming off their best season in school history with a 13-6-4 record, a CAA Tournament championship and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance where they eventually lost to fourth-ranked and national semifinalist UCLA, 1-0. The Blue Hens topped Navy, 5-3, last year in Annapolis, but Navy leads the series 9-6-2.

Navy will return to Annapolis to face Richmond on Sept. 15. The Midshipmen topped the Spiders a year ago, 2-1, on a David Jackson (Forest, Va.) goal in the 89th minute and lead the overall series, 7-3-0. Last year's meeting was the first since 1992 between the two schools.

Resuming a series that hasn't been contested since 1991, Navy travels to Fairfax, Va., on Sept. 18 to face George Mason. The Patriots were 7-8-3 last year and went 4-6-1 in the CAA. George Mason leads the series, 7-2-2 and Navy's wins came during the 1980 and 1987 seasons.

Navy opens Patriot League play on Sept. 22 with a visit to Annapolis from Lafayette. The Leopards went 9-5-4 overall last year and finished in a fourth-place tie with Navy in the league standings with a 3-2-2 record. Lafayette returns three players that earned all-Patriot League distinction a year ago, the second most in the league behind American's four. The two teams tied in last year's meeting, 0-0, in Easton, Pa. The contest will be part of a football-men's soccer doubleheader as the football team hosts VMI at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium earlier in the day.

Navy returns to the road for three straight games beginning on Sept. 25 at Big East member Pittsburgh. The Panthers were 4-13-1 overall and 2-7-0 in the Big East race. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1959 and Navy holds a 5-0-0 series advantage. It will be the first opponent from the Big East since 2007, a stirring 1-0 victory over 20th-ranked West Virginia in Morgantown.

The Army-Navy series will return to the pitch for the 79th time on Sept. 30 when the Midshipmen and Black Knights hook up for the 75th consecutive season. Navy leads the all-time series, 38-27-13, and have won three matches in a row by identical 1-0 margins. Navy's three-game winning streak in the series is the longest for the Midshipmen since winning 10 straight contests from 1955 to 1964. Army posted a 7-10-1 overall record and finished sixth in the Patriot League with a 2-4-1 mark in 2011.

The following weekend on Oct. 6, Navy will be looking to snap a 10-match winless streak against Bucknell when the Mids travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to face the Bison. Bucknell edged Navy last year, 3-2, and the Bison haven't lost to Navy since the 2001 season. Navy does hold a 22-11-2 series advantage against the Bison. Bucknell was 7-9-2 last year and 2-5-0 in league play, but returns two players that received all-Patriot League honors a year ago.

Navy returns to Annapolis for two straight games, starting Oct. 13 against Lehigh and concluding Oct. 16 against UMBC. Lehigh went 8-4-6 last year and finished third in the Patriot League with a 4-2-1 mark. The Mountain Hawks topped Navy, 2-0, a year ago but Navy leads the series between the two squads, 29-17-7.

Navy and UMBC will face off in Annapolis on Oct. 16 with Navy holding a 16-3-4 series advantage after last year's 1-1 draw in Baltimore. The Retrievers went 7-8-3 last year and finished 4-3-0 in the America East Conference.

The Midshipmen will then begin their toughest stretch of the season, embarking on a four-game roadswing to be played in three different states. On Oct. 20, Navy travels to the nation's capital to face the defending Patriot League regular-season champion, American. American went 7-12-2 overall but managed to win the Patriot League with a 5-2-0 mark. The Mids went 1-0-1 against the Eagles a year ago, defeating American in the regular season, 2-1, before tying in the Patriot League semifinals, 0-0. American would advanced to the finals by topping Navy in penalty kicks, 4-3. American returns four first-team all-Patriot League honorees from a year ago. American leads the all-time series, 9-8-7.

Navy remains on the road for an Oct. 23 contest at Longwood in Farmville, Va. The Lancers were 11-6-3 a year ago and defeated Navy in Annapolis, 2-1. It will be the fifth meeting between the two squads with the Lancers holding a 3-1-0 advantage.

Navy will travel to Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., for its final Patriot League game on the road on Oct. 27. Holy Cross was 2-13-2 last year and 1-6-0 in Patriot League play, but hope first-year head coach Marco Koolman can turn around its fortunes. Navy topped the Crusaders, 2-1, in overtime a year ago in Annapolis and have won two straight against the Crusaders for the first time since 1991-92. Holy Cross leads the series, 13-8-2.

Navy's last regular-season non-conference game will take place on Oct. 30 at Howard in Washington, D.C. Navy topped the Bison, 3-0, last year and Howard went just 3-13-2 on the season. Howard does hold a 12-10-4 series lead, but Navy is 2-0-1 in the last three meetings with the Bison.

The Midshipmen close out the regular-season on Saturday, November 3, when the Mids host Colgate at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Colgate was last year's Patriot League Tournament champion with an 11-5-6 overall record and 4-1-2 league mark, while reaching the NCAA Tournament, where it fell to Rutgers, 4-2, in the first round. Navy and Colgate battled to a scoreless draw last year and the Raiders owns a slim 10-9-5 series advantage. Over the last six meetings, the two teams have played four draws, three of them coming via scoreless contests. The match will be part of a football-men's soccer doubleheader that day, as the football team hosts Florida Atlantic at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium earlier in the day.

The Patriot League Tournament will be held at the site of the regular-season champion from November 9-11. The semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 9, with the finals being held Sunday, Nov. 11.

Season tickets for all Navy men's and women's soccer games (21 total; 8 men, 13 women) will be available for purchase later this summer.

Last year's squad went 7-7-5 overall and head coach Dave Brandt will return 17 letterwinners and nine starters from that squad.

# GO NAVY #