CHESTER, Pa. - In a game that saw both teams with numerous game-winning scoring opportunities, Army and Navy settled for a 1-1 draw in Army-Navy Cup XII on Friday night at Subaru Park.
Playing in the home of the Philadelphia Union, Navy's David Jackson used an early goal to put the Midshipmen up but Army's Gage Lyons answered midway through the first half, as both teams nearly took the lead multiple times over the contest's final 65 minutes before time expired.
With both teams pushing the pace early, the seventh minute saw Navy senior captain Zach Wagner pass it up to fellow senior Jason Aoyama, as Aoyama fired a cross into the box that Jackson was able to head home to the right of Harrison Faulkner and open the scoring.
After a failed clearance on an Army free kick in the 14th minute, Army's Cooper Warren nearly tied the game when his shot went off the outside of the left post. It did not take the Black Knights long to capitalize on its offensive push though, as Lyons had a rebound come to him in the six-yard box off another Army free kick, beating a sprawling Pierce Holbrook to the left side in the 25th minute.
Lyons almost gave Army the lead in the 33rd minute when he nearly redirected a Colman Kim cross but the ball went wide of the left post, while Navy sophomore A.J. Schuetz tried to retake the lead for Navy as he rifled a shot wide right when a failed clear attempt by Army found him in the closing minutes of the first half.
Navy sophomore Andrew Schug also had a chance to put the Mids back in front in the 51st minute, racing down the wing and going for the top-left corner, but Faulkner was able to cover the short side and make the save, while Holbrook stopped a pair of Army chances in the 65th and 70th minutes.
Navy had two more opportunities as the half continued, as a Jackson free kick from 20 yards out went off the crossbar in the 83rd minute and a failed clearance on a Navy cross led to Navy's Noah Ward putting a shot wide right in the 85th minute. Army countered with a pair of chances in the final minutes, but Holbrook turned aside shots from both Jacob Lee and Jack Meyer to preserve the draw and earn Navy a point in the Patriot League standings.
Holbrook closed the night with nine saves, just one shy of a career-high, while Faulkner registered five saves in the other net.
It marks the fourth tie in the history of the Army-Navy Cup.