Oct. 16, 2013

(3-3-6, 1-3-0)     1 2 F  Navy 0 2 2  Lafayette 0 0 0   Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (7-3-2, 4-0-0)

EASTON, Pa. - Sam Bascom finished a loose ball in the box in the 86^th minute and Navy added a late insurance goal to come away with a 2-0 victory over Lafayette on Wednesday night at Oaks Stadium.

The loose ball bounced to Bascom's right foot from seven yards out and he buried it to lift the visiting Midshipmen to victory. With 25 seconds to play and the Lafayette defense scrambling to regain possession, Thomas Shiiba slid a pass inside to Jamie Dubyoski, who was all alone and slotted a shot past Lafayette goalie Nathan McDonald to seal the win.

The win helped Navy improve to 7-3-2 on the season and a perfect 4-0-0 in Patriot League play. Lafayette dropped to 3-3-6 with the result and 1-3-0 in the conference.

A majority of the initial 30 minutes were played in between each team's penalty area, prior to the action picking up in the final 15 minutes before intermission. Navy's P.J. Suess earned the game's first quality scoring opportunity with a run through the midfield and eventually found his way to the edge of the Leopards' 18-yard box where he sidestepped a defender and put a right-footed strike on goal. McDonald shifted to his left and dove to make the save.

Shortly after making the save on Suess, Lafayette earned its lone corner of the opening half when Peter Adubato carried a ball to the goal line and sent a pass back toward the center of the area where Joseph Greenspan cleared it away. The ensuing corner kick by Jeff McLaughlin sailed long and was cleared away by the Mids' defense.

With three minutes to play in the period, Lafayette's Ryan Egan came close to giving the Maroon and White a 1-0 lead. Following a Navy turnover at the midfield stripe, Lafayette pinned the Midshipmen in deep and Egan took the ball into the center of the pitch before curling in a shot that skidded just wide. Navy goalkeeper Gavin Snyder was screened on the play and was late to react to the shot as the teams went into halftime scoreless.

Ten minutes into the second half a long ball down the right flank by Alec Golini put Greg Biggiani one-on-one with Navy's Nick Dubee. Biggiani made a move to his left and into the box before firing a shot that was smothered by Snyder.

A few minutes later Dave Arnold settled a long pass at the top of the 18 and ripped a volley in one motion, forcing McDonald to make a save to keep the game tied.

With the match still deadlocked in the 71^st minute, Golini drew a foul on the Mids on Navy's side of midfield and the result yielded an excellent chance for the Leopards. Ryan Dodds sent in a service to the corner of the six-yard box where Chandler Fraser-Pauls headed it toward the back post, but it went over the goal line for a goal kick as Chuka Anyafo was unable to get on the end of the header.

Less than five minutes after Lafayette's chance, Navy charged back and Dubee blasted a shot from inside the 18 that sailed high of the goal.

The game seemed destined for overtime from the start with two teams that combined to give up three goals in their last 10 matches, but the visitors broke through in the 86^th minute. The goal helped the Mids extend their winning streak to six games and also Snyder's shutout streak to nearly 537:00.

Snyder finished with one save, while McDonald tallied five for the Leopards. Lafayette had two corners compared to Navy's zero, while the Mids held a 10-5 edge in shots.

Lafayette resumes Patriot League play on Saturday when the Leopards host Boston University at 2 p.m. The match against the Terriers will air live on the Patriot League Network. 

Game Notes:

Navy's second straight win against Lafayette helped the Mids improve to 19-15-4 all-time in the series.

Remember to `LIKE' Lafayette Athletics on Facebook and follow @GoLeopards on Twitter and Instagram. 

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