After beginning its 2018 campaign with four straight home games, the Navy women’s soccer team will head to North Carolina this weekend for a pair of non-conference road games.

A 4 p.m. matchup on Friday in Boiling Springs versus Gardner-Webb starts the trip for the Mids before they close it two days later in Cullowhee against Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed with Friday’s broadcast being available on ESPN+ for a subscription fee and Sunday’s contest on the SoCon Digital Network. Both of these matchups will be the first-ever meetings between the programs.

Last Time Out
Navy is coming a strong weekend of defensive action that saw the Mids go 1-0-1 in a pair of home games at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. A second half goal by Baseley McClaskey on Friday versus Stetson stood up as the game-winner in a 1-0 victory for the Mids before Navy and Maryland battled for 110 minutes on Sunday night in a 0-0 double overtime draw. Sydney Fortson backstopped the Mids in all 200 minutes over the weekend as she notched her second and third shutouts of 2018. Since a Tziarra King goal by N.C. State in the season opening game on August 16 in the 73rd minute, Navy has posted a shutout streak of 307:34 minutes.

Navy vs. Gardner-Webb / Big South Opposition
The Mids and Runnin’ Bulldogs have never met before on the soccer pitch. Friday’s matchup will be the eighth all-time contest between Navy and a Big South program with the Mids holding a 4-2-1 record: USC Upstate (2-0), Hampton (1-0), Charleston Southern (1-1), Presbyterian (0-0-1) and Winthrop (0-1). Gardner-Webb is 2-2 in 2018 courtesy of victories over Alabama State (W, 3-1) and Georgia Southern (W, 3-0).

Navy vs. Western Carolina / Southern Conference Opposition
Similar to Friday’s matchup, the Mids and Catamounts have never gone head-to-head in a soccer contest. Coming into this weekend, Navy is 10-0 all-time versus Southern Conference (SoCon) opponents: VMI (6-0), The Citadel (3-0) and East Tennessee State (1-0). A defensive minded club, Western Carolina has won a pair of one-goal games with a 1-0 decision over UNC Asheville and a 1-0 victory versus Belmont. The Catamounts’ tie came via a 1-1 draw against Elon.

Navy in the State of North Carolina
This weekend’s two-game slate will mark just the seventh and eighth games in Navy’s program history to be played in the Tar Heel State. The Mids will be in search of their first wins in the state as all-time they are 0-4-2: UNC-Wilmington (0-0-1), High Point (0-0-1), North Carolina (0-1) and North Carolina State (0-3).

-Via Navy Athletics 

Categories: Navy

Tags: Navy, Patriot League, Soccer, Women's Soccer