Oct. 31, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Riding a season-best 10-game unbeaten streak, the Navy women's soccer team (13-3-3, 4-0-2 PL) visits Colgate this Saturday with a golden chance to secure the program's seventh Patriot League regular season title.

The Midshipmen women, who clinched their third-straight postseason berth with Sunday's 3-2 overtime victory at Holy Cross, enter the weekend tied atop the Patriot League standings with archrival Army (11-4-2, 4-0-2 PL).

Both teams share identical 4-0-2 league marks, but Navy holds the upperhand in the battle to host next weekend's Patriot League Tournament thanks to its three-goal advantage in league scoring differential (Navy: +8 [10g, 2ga]; Army +5 [5g, 0ga]).

While it appears likely that the four-team league playoffs will be contested at one of the two service academies, both Colgate (7-9-1, 4-2-0 PL) and Bucknell (10-6-2, 4-2-0 PL), each currently tied for third with 12 points apiece, do still remain alive for the No. 1 seed. The Raiders and Bison need at least a tie this weekend to guarantee a postseason spot. American (5-8-4, 2-1-3 PL) currently sits outside the playoff picture with nine points.

While four teams enter the weekend in the mix for a share of the regular season crown, by the time the Mids and Raiders take the field Saturday evening in upstate New York, the playoff picture should be much clearer as Army hosts Lehigh on Friday night and Bucknell hosts American at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

"We will continue to focus on our next competition and are excited to play at Colgate," said 16th-year Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "We have always had close and competitive games with Colgate, and enjoy playing a team with the talent they possess. The level of play of all teams tends to get better toward the end of the season, and I expect both teams will be playing near their best. We expect the first-class to step up and shine for the remainder of the season."

Navy boasts a remarkably well-balanced offense that features five double-figure scorers and 19 different players with either a goal or assist.

Senior Kristen Laraway (Long Valley, N.J.) and sophomore Carissa Youker (Potomac, Md.) pace the Mids' attack with 16 points apiece (career-high totals for both players). Youker has a team-leading seven goals, including five game-winners, to go along with two assists, while Laraway has six goals and four assists to her credit.

Junior Brittany White (Carmel, Ind.), sophomore Christine Calderon and senior CiAnna Weikle (Lakeville, Minn.) have contributed 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Calderon, a second-year forward from Yorktown, Va., leads Navy and ranks second in the Patriot League with seven assists.

Junior Brittany White has matched her collegiate-best point total with 13 points this season (5 g, 3 a)

The Mids boast both the league's highest scoring offense (37 goals in 19 games) and its least scored upon defense (0.65 g/gm). Senior netminder Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.) and junior defender Shelly Moeller (Milford, Ohio) headline Navy's heralded defensive corps.

Barnes, Navy's career record holder in goals-against average (0.67) and shutouts (27), leads all league goalkeepers in GAA (0.72) and has posted six shutouts. Over her four-year career, the 5-foot-10 keeper has been at her best against Patriot League competition. This fall, she has surrendered only two goals and owns a .917 save percentage in six league games. Additionally, over 26 career games (includes PL postseason), she has allowed just nine goals and owns a paltry 0.36 GAA with 16 shutouts.

Since her freshman season, Moeller, who, along with Barnes, was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team on Thursday, has been a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the Navy defense. She has four goals (three game-winners) and has started all 19 games at the centerback position this season. A two-time league all-star, she has started every game for the Mids over the last three years (a 66-game span in which Navy has posted 41 shutouts and owns a 0.64 GAA).

Winners of two straight, Colgate heads into Saturday's contest looking to secure its sixth league playoff berth in the last seven years.

Junior Jessica Bitsack and freshman Danielle Wessler pace the Raiders with 11 and nine points, respectively. Bitsack, a two-time all-league midfielder, has netted four goals to go along with three assists, while Wessler has enjoyed a strong rookie campaign with four goals and an assist to her credit. First-year goalkeeper Rebecca Michlin has played every minute in goal for the Raiders. She owns a 1.70 GAA while turning away 71 of 101 shots (.703) she faced and posting five shutouts.

The Mids have won three straight and amassed a 7-3-1 mark in their last 11 meetings against Colgate. Last season, Navy posted a 1-0 victory late in the season over the visiting Raiders that clinched a playoff berth for the Mids, while shutting out a 10-win Raiders squad from the league postseason for the first time since 2001.

Despite Navy's recent run of success against Colgate, they continue to be the only Patriot League team that owns a winning record against the Mids. The Raiders own a 12-8-1 series advantage over Navy, winning nine of the first 10 games played.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Navy - Colgate All-Time Series
Overall			Colgate, 12-8-1
In Annapolis 		Tied, 4-4-0
In Hamilton, N.Y.	Colgate, 7-2-1
Neutral Site 		Navy, 2-1-0
PL Regular Season	Colgate, 7-6-1
Current Streak 		Navy, 3 games
Last-10 		Navy, 6-3-1

NAVY NOTEBOOK
*Navy's decorated eight-member senior class owns the second-highest winning percentage (.732) of any class in school history. This special group of Midshipmen, which already has a pair of league titles and NCAA appearances to its credit, needs two more wins to tie the Class of '05 (60 wins) for the most by any Navy class.

Class	 Fr.	   Soph.      Jr.      Sr.	  Overall	 Pct.
2005    16-5-1    16-1-4    17-5-1    11-8-1      60-19-7       .738
2009    10-8-2    21-2-1    14-5-4    13-3-3      58-18-10      .733

*Sunday's win over Holy Cross was the 199th in the 16th year of Navy women's soccer ... The Mids now own a 16-year record of 199-92-25 since elevating to varsity status in 1993.

*Navy is unbeaten in its last five road contests (4-0-1).

*Navy has earned three straight postseason berths and a total of 12 in its 15 years of Patriot League membership.

*The Midshipmen have hosted the Patriot League Tournament twice since joining the league in 1994 (1998 & 2001).

*A win or tie on Saturday would mark just the third time that a Navy team has gone unbeaten during the Patriot League regular season. The Mids, currently, 4-0-2 in league play, registered unblemished conference marks during both the 1998 (5-0-1) and 2002 seasons (4-0-3).

*Sophomore Anastasia Abid's (Williamsburg, Va.) 107th-minute winner against Holy Cross on Sunday gave Navy its third win in overtime this season. The Mids are unbeaten in six overtime games this fall (3-0-3).

*With 13 wins, the Mids have surpassed the double-digit mark in victories and secured a winning season for the 14th consecutive season.