United States Naval Academy Soccer Team

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The United States Naval Academy Soccer Team was first started in 1921, and has competed for the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament since it first began in 1959. Since 1921, the Academy has acquired a total of 595 wins, 330 losses, and 119 draws.

Regionally, the team belongs to the Patriot League which also includes Bucknell University, Lehigh University, College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College, American University, Colgate University, and their arch-rivals: the United States Military Academy at West Point.

[edit] The Glenn Warner Years

What are considered the golden years of Navy Soccer lasted under the tenure of Coach Glenn Warner who acted as head coach of the squad for 30 years. In these 30 years, Coach Warner guided the Midshipmen to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Four appearances, one national championship, 28 winning seasons and a record of 243-65-31.

The six most successful years of Navy Soccer took place between 1962 and 1967, wherein the team qualified 6 consecutive times for the NCAA Tournament. In 1962, the squad was eliminated in the first round, only to improve the next year to second place after losing to St. Louis 3-0 in the final. In 1964 however they captured the championship, this time beating Michigan State in the final match 1-0. This would mark the only NCAA Soccer Title in the Academy's history.

In 1965, the squad fell to fourth place in the tournament, and were knocked out in the quarterfinals the following year. They again achieved third place in 1966 after losing to St. Louis 1-0 in the semi-final. The Mids would return to the Tournament three more times with Glenn Warner, but would never come close to recapturing the title.

After Glenn Warner's resignation, the Academy qualified for the Tournament in 1988, this being the only time the squad would qualify for the finals without Gleen Warner as coach. Since 1988, the Academy has been unable to qualify, and has had trouble competing in the regional Patriot League.

[edit] The Patriot League

Since the initiation of the Patriot League's soccer program in 1990, the Academy has been able to produce only mediocre results. The squad has been unable to capture a regional title despite having reached the final match three times in 1995, 1996, and 1999.

The 1995 defeat to Lafayette of 3-2 in overtime would only be followed by a 4-1 loss to arch-rivals Army the following year. The team then faced Lafayette once again in 1999, only to be defeated 1-0, once again in overtime. Since 1999, the Mids have been unable to rank any higher than fourth in the league, at times ranking as low as sixth, or even last place. These past 7 years have been noted as the darkest in Navy Soccer.

In an attempt to revive team performance, the Academy's athletic department completed the construction of $4.5 million soccer facility. One of the finest college soccer facilities in the nation, the 16,300-square-foot (1,510 m²) facility is named after Navy's legendary Men's coach, Glenn Warner. The facility highlights Navy's commitment to soccer and the future with two spacious team locker rooms, coaches offices, a fully-equipped training room and equipment rooms. The 1,300-square-foot (120 m²) men's and women's team locker rooms are equipped with custom-made wooden lockers for each athlete, a video projector and screen for viewing and analyzing of practice and game film. The 375-square-foot (34.8 m²) training room contains training tables, modern whirlpool, ultrasound and physical therapy equipment, and provides Navy's scholar-athletes with the most complete and advanced treatment in the country.