Nov. 11, 2007

Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- A goal by freshman forward Carissa Youker (Potomac, Md.) in the 42nd minute and a solid performance by the Mids' defensive unit led the Navy women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Bucknell and its second consecutive Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament title on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Varsity Soccer Field in Lewisburg, Pa. In addition to winning their third Patriot League Tournament crown in five years, the Midshipmen also receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the field of 64 being announced Monday between 8:00-8:30 pm on ESPNews.

"We talked before the game about depth and how it could make a difference in today's game," said 15th-year Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "We felt rested coming into the game and I do think that we utilized our depth to our advantage against a quality Bucknell team."

Bucknell owned a 5-3 advantage in shots in the opening half, including a near miss by Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Jennifer Devarics whose header bounced off the cross bar in the 14th minute of the contest. Five minutes later, Kelsey Johnson put together back-to-back shots in the box for the Bison, the first blocked by Second-Team All-Patriot League defender Shelly Moeller (Milford, Ohio), while the second sailed wide right.

At the halfway point in the opening period, Navy defender Jenn Dunbar (Crofton, Md.) slowed up after tweaking her ankle. Trying to shake it off, she was unable to keep up with Bucknell's Krista Lee Gentile who sent a cross into the box for Devarics who shot and scored. However, the goal was waived after midfielder Chelsea McGorry was called for being offside on the right wing.

Navy then put together two strong runs of its own, including what looked to be a perfectly played ball from First-Team All-Patriot League forward Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.) to rookie Anastasia Abid (Williamsburg, Va.). However, Abid was unable to get to the ball and her Bison defender kicked it out of play with just under seven minutes remaining in the half.

A minute later, Youker subbed in for Fox, Navy's leading scorer, and made the most of her opportunity. Sophomore defender Lauren Bresnahan (Weston, Fla.) took control of the ball at mid-field and sent the ball sailing 20 yards to junior forward Sam Schroth (Chester Springs, Pa.). Facing the Navy goal, Schroth isolated her defender and brought the ball down with her foot and quickly turned to her left. She chipped the ball to a charging Youker, who drove in the second goal of her career just past the outstretched hands of First-Team All-Patriot League goalkeeper Kathryn Sutton and inside the left post.

The second half saw the two teams combine for 12 shots, including nine by the host Bison. In the 61st minute, reserve Kimberly Cannon nearly evened the score, blasting a 25-yard shot to the center of the goal where Navy keeper Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.) was forced to jump up and snatch the ball out of harm's way.

In the 70th minute, Bucknell put together three straight corner kicks, including a final kick that was headed by All-Patriot League Nicole Marotta, just missing the right post and out of play. The last solid look the Bison would get in the contest came with just over 11 minutes to go. Gentile sent a driving header in from five yards out off a McGorry throw-in, but Barnes was there to keep Bucknell off the scoreboard and secure the win for the Midshipmen.

Fox was named the Patriot League Tournament MVP after driving in a pair of goals against American in Friday's Patriot League Tournament semifinal contest. She was joined by teammates Barnes, Bresnahan, Moeller and Youker on the all-tournament squad.

Navy has now produced a 6-0 record in its last three Patriot League Tournament appearances dating back to 2003. The Midshipmen defeated Colgate and top-seeded American in 2003 to earn their first league title, but just missed earning a spot in the 2004 and `05 tournaments. Last year, Navy shut out Lehigh and Colgate to secure the program's second postseason title.

While Navy is unbeaten over its last 10 games, including wins in each of its last six, the road to the Patriot League Tournament title looked fairly grim in mid-September. The Mids dropped back-to-back games to regional powers William & Mary (4-0) and James Madison (2-0) before dropping their conference opener at Bucknell on Oct. 5.

"We suffered some significant injuries early in the year and had some losses to some tough opponents, but I kept reinforcing the fact that it was early and it wasn't at the most important time of the year. It was around the American game that something clicked and we just started playing. We pushed them mentally and physically and just kept getting better.

"Right now we are committed to attacking and our defense is hard to penetrate. It's almost like facing a brick wall. We have peaked at the right time and I'm excited for our players, alumni and institution that we will be able to represent the Academy at the national tournament."

Navy is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years. In 2003, the Mids dropped a 5-1 decision to sixth-ranked and fifth-seeded Penn State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, however, Navy battled 20th-ranked William & Mary to a 0-0 tie, but advanced to the second round of the tournament thanks to Lindsay Parker's (Carmichael, Calif.) PK that gave the Mids a 5-4 edge over The Tribe. Top-ranked and eventual National Champion North Carolina defeated Navy in the second round, 4-0.

The field of 64 teams will be unveiled Monday evening on the 2007 NCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Tournament Selection Show, along with dates and times for the tournament contests. Sixteen first and second-round sites will be announced with games being held Nov. 16 and 18. The 2007 NCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Semifinals and Championship Game will be held at Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas on Dec. 7 and 9, respectively.

Patriot League All-Tournament Team
MVP - Brigitte Fox, Navy
Lizzie Barnes, Navy
Lauren Bresnahan, Navy
Shelly Moeller, Navy
Carissa Youker, Navy
Chelsea McGorry, Bucknell
Molly Linhart, Bucknell
Jennifer Dervarics, Bucknell
Kelsey Frazier, American
Annette Scott, American
Jenna Roberts, Army
Liz Costello, Army