ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Sophomore forward Morgan Dankanich (Glenmoore, Pa.) scored in the 57th minute as Navy (12-1-0, 1-0-0 PL) defeated American (2-8-2, 0-1-0 PL), 1-0, in the Patriot League opener for both schools at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on Friday evening. Navy extends its winning streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in the NCAA.

 

"It was great to see the team pull out a goal in the second half tonight," head coach Carin Gabarra said. "American didn't give up and they have a lot of fight and a lot of heart. This was a good result for us."

 

Dankanich's goal was initially set up by junior forward Ashlynn Soellner (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) feeding the ball to junior forward Paloma Perez (Mobile, Ala.) about 30 yards away form the goal on the right side 12 minutes into the second half. Perez then sent a long cross into the box that Dankanich met with her head at the far post and buried for her eighth goal of the season.

 

Dankanich ranks second to Soellner (9-4=22) in scoring with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. Dankanich has scored six goals in just 10 games against Patriot League opponents in her young career.

 

Navy had a couple strong scoring chances in the first half on shots by sophomore forward Lily Kraemer (Pitman, N.J.) and junior midfielder Brittany Fruin (McLean, Va.) but couldn't break through until Dankanich's header in the second half.

 

Junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Hoerner (Lititz, Pa.) earned the first solo shutout of her career by playing all 90 minutes and making four saves. Hoerner made some key saves late in the game, stopping a one-on-one opportunity by Nicole Paviglionite in the 68th minute and diving for a save on Stephanie Glover's shot in the 79th minute. 

 

"[Hoerner] was solid in goal tonight," Gabarra said. "American had some quick forwards and they got a few chances."

 

Hoerner was aided by the strong play of Navy's defensive backline, especially sophomore Kahra Kelty (Odenton, Md.), who made a number of impressive individual efforts to stifle the American attack.

 

With Navy's 3-0 win over Howard on Monday, the team has shutout back-to-back opponents for the first time this season and the team has five shutouts overall.

 

Navy led in shots on goal, 9-4, and in overall shots, 17-12. The Mids had eight corner kicks and American had three.

 

Navy will play its final non-conference game of the regular season at Mount St. Mary's on Sunday at 1:00 PM before returning to league play with a pair of home contests against Lafayette and Lehigh next weekend.