WASHINGTON – American University women's soccer will play a game away from Reeves Field for just the second time this season and first time since March 6 against Lehigh when they face Navy on Friday night in Annapolis, Md. 
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Friday, April 9, 7:00 p.m.
• Site: Annapolis, Md. (Glen Warner Soccer Facility)
• Series History: Navy leads, 18-7-3
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Joe Miller (pxp) 

PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

• Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
• This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
• We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
• All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
• Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
• All scheduled events and start times are subject to change.  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Navy scored a goal late in the first half and made it stand up in a 1-0 win at Reeves Field on Oct. 23, 2019.
• American is looking for its first win in the series since Oct. 29, 2010. The Mids have emerged victorious 11 straight times.
• The Mids clinched the PL South Division title last weekend after starting 3-0 in division play. AU will be looking to spoil Navy's perfect division record as the Eagles are out of the playoff picture.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• The Eagles are coming off a narrow loss to Loyola Maryland at Reeves Field last weekend. The Greyhounds capitalized on a corner kick in the 69th minute to win, 1-0. This is the third 1-0 result of the 2020-21 season for AU.
• With another 90-minute performance in goal against Loyola, Ryleigh Brown moved into the all-time top five for minutes played between the pipes (3,254). She is also fifth all-time for games played as a keeper with 39 after starting last weekend.
• In 82 minutes of action last weekend, sophomore Alysa Vazquez led AU with five shots including both AU shots on goal.
• With this being Harper's first season at AU, the lineups have been shifted quite a few times. The five players to start all four games this season are Brown, Vazquez, Tori Kent, Olivia Sekimoto, and Emily Smith.
• Senior Asia Horne finished the 2019 season as Third Team All-Patriot League, helping to anchor a defense that held opponents to one or fewer goals in 10 games last year.
• This is just the second time AU will be on the road this season and first time since March 6 against Lehigh. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY

• Navy picked up the 350th win in program history with a 2-1 victory over Lehigh last Saturday. Head coach Carin Gabarra has been in charge of Navy's program from its inception in 1993.
• The win also clinched the division title. The Mids also topped Bucknell last Wednesday, 1-0 to go 2-0 last week.
• Mattie Gallagher was named PL Goalkeeper of the Week with seven saves over those two games. Chloe Dawson was named PL Rookie of the Week after scoring a point in both wins.
• After missing 3+ weeks of action, Navy is in the midst of playing four games in a span of 13 games to close the regular season.

PURSUIT OF ANTI-RACISM WEEKEND

• Over 4,000 warm-up shirts will be worn during pre-game activities by more than 100 teams, including student-athletes, coaches and staff, to show their widespread support of the Patriot League's Black and Brown communities through unity, respect and activism.  
• The design was a collaborative effort that originated with Lehigh women's basketball student-athletes Mary Clougherty and Katie Rice, and Bucknell women's basketball student-athlete Abby Kapp on behalf of the Patriot League Basketball Social Justice Coalition, a group comprised of Patriot League men's and women's basketball student-athletes.
• The student-athletes worked with League office staff members and the Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission to design the logo and the warm-up shirts that will be worn before contests on April 9 through 11.
• The Patriot League joins Division I conferences like the America East, Big East, Ivy League and more in showing its commitment to stand with the Black and Brown communities by incorporating the "Black Fist" mark. The stars on the border of the logo represent the Patriot League's 10 full-time member institutions.  

NEW ENERGY

• Head coach Marsha Harper officially began her coaching tenure on March 6, 2021. She brings a positive, contagious energy that can be felt in all facets of the program.
• Assistant coach Katie Greenberg returns to the DMV after growing up in nearby Sterling, Va., and echoes the energy brought by Harper.
• The two have emphasized "Championship Details" or CDs, things as small as clarifying that putting your toe on the line means your toe should actually be behind the line. 

THE STORY ON SCHEDULING

• A six-game Patriot League-only schedule is in place and began in early March. The Eagles, like all fall sports in the Patriot League and in much of the nation, did not have competition in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• AU will compete in the Patriot League South Division along with Bucknell, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, and Navy.
• Four teams will qualify for the PL Tournament, with each division winner hosting the second-place team within its division in the semifinal round. The remaining team with the highest regular-season point total will host the championship game.
• "While this has been a long time coming, everyone from our staff, team, and support staff have all put in a lot of work to get where we are," said head coach Marsha Harper. "We are so very thankful to have the opportunity to compete and are looking forward to showcasing what we have been working on." 

RYLEIGH'S RECORDS

• Senior goalkeeper Ryleigh Brown has been a mainstay between the pipes throughout her career.
• She is in the all-time top five for minutes played as a GK (3,254) and games played as a keeper (39).
• She is just outside the program's all-time top five in two other categories: career saves (189), and career goals against average (1.60).
• Five saves will put Brown in fifth all-time for saves, while she is just 17 away from third all-time.
• The full record book can be found here. 

ACTIVE ACTIVISTS

• AU women's soccer has been using their platform to elevate their voices on issues that matter to them by using social media.
• Most recently, the players embarked on a weekly "Heroes" project, with each player creating an Instagram post to share a story of how a particular person is heroic to them. Examples so far have included Maya Angelou, Colin Kaepernick, and Sandra Day O'Connor.
• Other examples of their social media campaigns include segments on mental health, MLK Day, and voter registration. Perhaps most notably, the squad organized a "Do You Hear Us" photo campaign that featured student-athletes, coaches, and athletic department staff in support of the fight against racism and social injustice.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Reeves Field for the upcoming women's soccer season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to virtually sell out each seat at Reeves Field for the 2021 men's soccer campaign. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets. 

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Women's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_WSoccer), Facebook (AU.WSoccer) and Instagram (@au_wsoccer).