ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The third-seeded Navy women’s soccer team (12-3-5) had one of its best offensive matches, defeating the sixth-seeded Loyola (6-9-4), 4-1, on Friday in the Patriot League quarterfinals at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Navy’s four goals tied for its largest scoring output in a postseason match.

Navy had sizeable advantages over Loyola in shots, 20-5 and shots on goal, 11-2. The Mids and the Greyhounds tied in corner kicks, 4-4. Senior forward Morgan Dankanich (Glenmoore, Pa.) led the offensive charge for the Mids, recording a game-high four points on one goal and two assists. Dankanich’s two assists tied the Patriot League postseason record for assists in a match.

“It was very important to get out to a quick start because of how well they have defended the entire season,” Dankanich said. “We wanted to see how they would react when we scored the early goals and we just carried our momentum from there.”

Navy wasted very little time getting on the scoreboard, tallying its first goal in the 20^th minute. Senior defender Julie Schumacher (Plantation, Fla.) began the scoring opportunity with a free kick just inside the midfield line and sent it into the 18-yard box. Senior defender Jade Seabrook (St. Paris, Ohio) took control of the ball and tapped it forward for Dankanich towards the goal line, where Dankanich crossed the ball in front of the six-yard box. Junior defender Lexi Ricketts (The Woodlands, Texas) slashed into the middle of the box and lunged forward with her head to finish off the play.

Navy then scored its second goal off another set piece, coming off a corner kick in the 27^th minute. Dankanich was given the nod for the kick and curled it towards the net. As the ball curled towards the middle of the net, Loyola goalkeeper Colleen Folan looked to make the save over her head, but the side referee ruled that the ball had crossed the line as Folan was making the save.

Holding a 2-0 lead heading into the second half, Navy continued its pressure on the offensive end with its third goal in the 58^th minute. Dankanich dribbled into 18 and sent a hard shot at Folan, where the Loyola goalkeeper made the initial save in front of the net. Senior forward Caprice Kelty (Odenton, Md.) dashed toward the ball and scored towards the near post.

Loyola however kept attacking and found the back of the net in the 67^th minute to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. Forward Charlotte Miller began the attack inside Navy’s defensive third, holding possession towards the far corner and sending a pass to the top of the 18 for teammate Rosy Hayes. Hayes took one dribble to the right and launched a shot to the far post that beat Navy goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby (Wesley Chapel, Fla.).

With the momentum looking to have swung a bit towards Loyola, Navy responded in the 79^th minute to lock up the win. Freshman forward Megan Rogers (Orange Park, Fla.) began a well executed give-and-go with freshman forward Clare MacAdam (Palmyra, N.J.) inside the 18 for Rogers to sneak a shot to the near post and under the reach of Folan. Rogers’ goal in the 79^th minute was the first of her career.

“We worked on a few things yesterday and we could see on the field how well it translated in the game,” Navy head coach Carin Gabarra said. “The execution was great tonight and we are looking forward for a rematch with Boston.”

Wetherby earned the win in net for the Midshipmen, allowing one goal on one shot. Folan tallied seven saves on 11 chances in the loss for the Greyhounds

Navy continued to gain momentum late in the season, extending its unbeaten streak to 11 games (9-0-2) and have outscored its opponents 28-4 during the stretch. Navy’s goal in the 20^th minute snapped Loyola’s scoreless streak of 574:06 minutes, which was the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I women’s soccer.

Navy will continue its search for its fourth league tournament title with a match against the two-seeded Boston University in the Patriot League semifinals on Friday at Beyer-Small ’76 Field in Hamilton, New York. The match is slated for 8 p.m. and can be seen live for free on PatriotLeague.TV.

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