Navy Record Its 300th Program Win

September 28, 2016

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy women’s soccer senior Rachel Feldman (Danville, Calif.) scored twice to guide Navy past Lehigh, 3-0, Wednesday night in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. With the win, Navy recorded its 300th program victory to become the fastest women’s soccer team in the Patriot League to reach the plateau.

Feldman recorded her first career multi-goal game with two goals against the Mountain Hawks. Sophomore Ash Fairow (Jacksonville, N.C.) added her first of the season.

“She [Rachel Feldman] brings full effort to the pitch every single day and she is an example for everyone,” Navy head coach Carin Gabarra said about Feldman and her play.

Feldman helped Navy (5-7-1, 2-1-0 Patriot League) get on the board early in the first half. Sophomore Anabell Motley (Asheville, N.C.) dribbled deep into the 18-yard box and was taken down by a Lehigh defender to earn Navy a penalty kick in the 43rd minute. Feldman, who was 1-for-1 already this season, hit a well-struck penalty kick past Lehigh goalkeeper Sam Miller to give Navy a 1-0 lead.

Early on in the second half, Motley helped generate a corner kick in the 69th minute for another offensive chance. Junior Megan Rogers (Orange Park, Calif.) swung in the ensuing corner into the box, where freshman Baseley McClaskey (Grand Junction, Colo.) was there to gain possession and hit her shot towards the net, but a Lehigh defender was there to block it. Off of the rebound, Feldman positioned herself and redirected the ball back into the net for her second of the game.

Holding onto a two-goal lead, Navy tallied one more to put the game away in the 85th minute. Junior Clare MacAdam (Palmyra, N.J.) sent a well-placed through ball from inside the midfield line towards the top of the 18-yard box for Fairow, who received the pass in stride and finished strong to the upper 90 of the net for her first of the season.

“During the season, sometimes you need a short memory when things don’t go your way, especially after Saturday’s result, and it showed with how well we played on both sides of the ball,” said Gabarra. “On the flip side, we still need to have a short memory after tonight because we cannot be complacent with this win and then drop our next match.”

Navy needed just 481 matches to record its 300th win and stands at 300-137-44 overall. The Mids became the third Patriot League and the 45th Division I women’s soccer program to reach the plateau. The only other two league schools to have reached 300 wins are Colgate and Army West Point.

“It is a testament to all the dedication from all the players that came before,” Gabarra said on the milestone. “This is a milestone for all, both coaches and players, to be proud of. We still have a long to go.”

Lehigh (7-2-1, 1-2-0 PL), who had only allowed three goals in the previous nine matches, was overwhelmed by Navy’s offensive attack. The Mids held advantages over the Mountain Hawks in shots, 16-8, shots on goal, 6-3, and corner kicks, 6-1.

Senior goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby (Wesley Chapel, Fla) had a nice bounce-back game in net for Navy as she tallied her second solo shutout of the season with three saves. It was just the second time this season that Lehigh did not score a goal.

Navy will return to Annapolis for back-to-back home matches, beginning with Holy Cross on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match can be seen live and for free on PatriotLeague.TV with Joe Miller on the call.

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