Senior Justine Fisher’s header off a corner kick eight minutes into the second half was all the scoring needed as host Navy held on to defeat Army 1-0 in a Patriot League women’s soccer match Oct. 26 evening at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis, Md. The league-leading Midshipmen (12-4-1, 5-1) clinched a playoff berth to the four-team tournament field with the decision.

"It was a tremendous game and a tale of two halves," said Army coach Gene Ventriglia. "It was a cold night and we had the wind to our backs in the first half, and Navy had the wind in the second half. In that game winning goal, the wind kept the ball up in the air.

"We had opportunities, including three unbelievable chances after Navy went up 1-0, but unfortunately we came up short. It was a game we could have won," continued Ventriglia.

Fisher, the league’s top rookie in 1998 and offensive player the following year, tied the school scoring mark of 109 points when she headed Nadia Sheikh’s corner kick into the goal in the 53rd minute. The Mids held a slim 8-7 shot advantage in the second half and led 14-11 overall along with holding a 4-2 margin in corner kicks.

Kate Macfarlane turned aside three shots in preserving the Mids seventh shutout, while Army goalkeeper sophomore Sara Johnson finished with four.

With the win, the Mids pulled ahead 6-5 in the series. It was the seventh game decided by a goal. The first five games in the series were one-goal decisions by Army, while Navy has won the last two.

The Black Knights (10-7-1, 2-4), who have clinched their first winning season since 1997, host Colgate at Clinton Field Saturday in the regular-season league finale.