The women’s soccer team wrapped up its regular season on a high note this past week, defeating the Naval Academy 2-0 on the road on Friday before defending home field with a 2-1 win on Wednesday night against Lehigh University. Wednesday’s win clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth for the Leopards, the first time they have made the playoffs since 2019.
Heading into Friday, the Leopards (3-3-3 Patriot League, 5-7-6 overall) knew the stakes were high.
“We all felt that pressure going into the game, and ultimately we wanted to get the result and be able to make playoffs and have Lehigh be like the deciding factor,” junior midfielder Nadia Zaffanella said.
Navy (2-3-4 Patriot League, 9-6-4 overall) kept the pressure rolling on the Leopards’ back line throughout the opening 10 minutes, but the Maroon and White defense stood tall. Junior goalkeeper Catherine Apker recorded her first save of the night in the 12th minute off a Midshipmen heater.
The Leopards found an open look eight minutes later, but senior midfielder April McDonald soared the ball over the host’s goal. In the 25th minute, junior forward Ava Murphy found a crossing corner with her head, but the ball slipped right over the top crossbar.
Both teams continued to attack with ferocity, but the Leopards broke through in the 43rd minute. Senior forward Ashley Martinho slipped the ball to Zaffanella, who was paced towards the goal with shifty ball handling around two defenders. The junior slotted it to the bottom left corner to take a 1-0 lead before halftime.
“The timing was really great and gave us a lot of momentum going into the second half,” Zaffanella said. “It shifted who had control over the game.”
Momentum remained with the visitors in the second half as they kept the pedal to the metal, with the final tally of the game coming in the 57th minute to capture insurance for the Leopards. Senior forward Katrina Santelli recovered a pass from freshman midfielder Era Methoxha in her own half and strode down the field, passing Midshipmen defenders along the way. Sentelli beat the opposing goalkeeper at her near post to increase the lead to 2-0.
Apker recorded 10 saves on the day, winning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
“I’m just doing my best for the team,” Apker said. “Just like any other game, just show up for them and have them help.”
With their destiny in their own hands, the Leopards got off to a slow start against Lehigh (1-7-1 Patriot League, 3-11-3 overall) but were bolstered by a costly Mountain Hawk mishap. A Lehigh defender attempted to clear the ball after a block, but it slid past the goalkeeper to give the Maroon and White a 1-0 advantage.
That goal remained the sole score of the half, giving the Leopards control heading into the second period.
Offensive production ramped up for both teams, as the Mountain Hawks outshot the Leopards 10-6 in the second half. The visitors were the first to strike, as savvy ball movement set them up for a goal in the 53rd minute to knot the score at one apiece.
The deadlock was short-lived, as Zaffanella managed her second straight game-winning goal in the 57th minute. After finding a pass down the left side of the field, she bent the corner and launched a shot over the goalkeeper to take a 2-1 lead.
As time was winding down in the final five minutes, the Mountain Hawks became increasingly chippy, being issued two yellow cards within a minute of each other. Despite the aggression, the Leopards held on to punch their ticket to November soccer.
Apker recorded another clean game in net, tallying eight saves.
“It’s also the rivalry game, so we always thrive in those moments,” Apker said about the game’s high pressure. “I’m just glad we showed up and we didn’t let the pressure get to us, and we just used it to fuel our drive and just get right after them.”
The Leopards enter the playoffs as the fifth seed, travelling to Holy Cross (3-3-3 Patriot League, 6-7-5 overall) on Sunday for their quarterfinals matchup.
