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Oct. 5, 2005

Navy Stats | Army Stats

Annapolis, Md. - A week after dropping its Patriot League opener at American, the Navy women's soccer team will look to rebound Friday night when it plays host to arch rival Army. The annual Star Game is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Friday night's contest marks the third head-to-head competition between Army and Navy this fall. Last weekend, Army defeated the Navy golf team to win the year's first Star competition, while the Midshipmen sprint football team cruised to a 33-3 win over Army at the Pride Bowl in New Jersey last Sunday. Simultaneous to Friday's soccer game will be the Army-Navy volleyball Star Match played at West Point.

Navy leads the all-time series against Army among all sporting events, 830-632-38 (.566). Last year, Navy won the battle of the Star competitions, 12-9-1, while the Black Knights claimed the overall advantage, 14-16-1. Over the last nine season, Navy has dominated the series, winning 67.0 percent (167-81-5) of the events, while earning a Star in 70.0 percent (120-50-5) of the Star battles.

On the soccer field, Navy owns a narrow 7-6-1 series advantage over Army, including a 4-2-0 mark in games played in Annapolis. The last time Army defeated the Mids on their home field was Sept. 20, 1997 in a 1-0 overtime victory. The Star Game series is knotted at 5-5-1 with the last three contests resulting in an Army win (2004), a Navy win (2003) and a tie (2002). After dropping the first five games of the series, Navy has won seven of the last nine games played, including the last time the two teams battled in Annapolis ('03). In the 2003 win, the Mids' all-time leading scorer, the late Stacy Finley, punched a corner kick that bent in the wind and broke the scoring plane for the game-winner in the 28th minute.

"We are very excited to be able to play Army this year at home in front of our fans," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "Our team comes out with an incredible sense of pride and confidence playing at home.

"Every year the Army-Navy game proves to be competitive and exciting for the fans, as both teams know the importance of the rivalry. While this game is important for both schools and its alumni, it is also an important contest in terms of our conference. We have been training with a new intensity and passion for the game this week and I am looking forward to watching this translate onto the field on Friday night."

Heading into Friday's clash against the Black Knights, Navy owns a 7-3-2 overall record and is 0-1-0 in Patriot League action. Freshman forward Iris Boivin (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has been sensational for the Mids this fall, scoring 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists. Four of her five goals have been game-winners (the best in the league), while her shots on goal percentage is an impressive 66.7 percent. On the opposite side of the field for the Mids is First-Team All-Patriot League forward Meggie Curran (Silver Spring, Md.) who is pacing the Mids with her seven goals and eight assists. Curran has scored a goal or provided an assist in nine of the 12 contests this season and currently is ranked No. 8 in the nation with her 0.67 assists per game. Curran stands atop the Patriot League assists list, and is also leading the league with 22 points. She is tied for second in goals and third in shots.

Senior keeper Haley Crain (Friendswood, Texas) is ranked fourth in the league with her 1.05 goals-against average, while Navy as a team is giving up less than a goal per game (0.88). Crain has started 11 of the 12 contests this season and has stopped 75.6 percent of the opponents' shots on goal.

Led by 20th-year head coach Gene Ventriglia, Army enters Friday's battle against the Midshipmen with a 7-4 record, including a 1-0 mark in Patriot League play. The Black Knights have won two in a row, including a 1-0 triumph over Holy Cross last Friday in their conference opener. Prior to the Holy Cross win, however, Army was on a three-game skid, losing a pair of games at the Military Academies Classic in St. Louis, including a 2-1 deficit to Academy rival Air Force, while dropping a third-straight contest to Hartford.

All-Patriot League midfielder Delaney Brown is once again leading Army's offensive thrust with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Though Brown is pacing the team in goals, she has not been responsible for any of the seven game-winners this season. For senior forward Jen Pascucci, two of her three goals this fall have been game-winners, including her goal against the Crusaders in Army's league opener. Against Holy Cross, Pascucci produced back-to-back goals just eight minutes apart.

Defensively, Army is giving up exactly one goal per game with junior Rebecca Garcia manning the goal. Garcia, who missed most of the '04 campaign after sustaining an injury, has started all 11 contests for the Black Knights where she owns a 78.4 save percentage and a 1.04 goals-against average.

G-o N-a-v-y