Navy women’s soccer opened a busy three-game week with a dominant 4-0 win over Marywood University on Tuesday, getting goals from four different players — including first career scores from three freshmen — at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
Sophia Ryan, Mary Kate DeBono, Alex Donoghue and Katia Katsari-Hoefer all found the net for the Mids (2-2-1), with each of the first three scorers also picking up an assist. Sona Gonzales and Lizzie Fetterman contributed additional assists. The goalkeeping trio of Shea Best, Cadence Tordai and Lauren Morada combined for the shutout, needing just two saves.
Because Marywood’s NCAA Division III season doesn’t officially open until Sept. 1, Tuesday’s result counts as an exhibition for the Pacers, the reigning Atlantic East Conference regular-season champions, but as a full result for Navy, which competes in Division I’s Patriot League.
Navy pressed early, recording seven shots in the first 15 minutes. Best made the lone save Marywood managed on goal all half, turning aside Samantha Margolis’ attempt in the 18th minute. The breakthrough came in the 36th minute, when Fetterman’s lead pass set up Ryan for the game’s first goal; less than five minutes later, Ryan returned the favor, setting up DeBono’s first career goal at 41:05.
The second half followed a similar script, with Navy continuing to pepper Marywood’s goal before finally padding the lead late. Navy scored twice in just over two minutes — Donoghue converting a give-and-go with Gonzales and DeBono at 82:56, then assisting Katsari-Hoefer’s first career goal at 84:58. For the match, Navy outshot Marywood 33-3, including a 13-2 edge in shots on goal, and held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
“We got a lot of good minutes for our players, we deepened our fitness and we played to the high standard of Navy Women’s Soccer today,” Gabarra said, adding that the team’s finishing and chance creation were strong but decision-making in the attacking third still needs work. “This was a good result… we got three of our goals from freshmen and all four from underclassmen, which is always fun,” she said.
The win comes in the 34th season for Gabarra, the Patriot League’s all-time wins leader, who passed 400 career victories in 2025 and has led Navy to at least a share of 10 Patriot League regular-season titles since taking the program from club status to varsity in 1993. Rising senior ClaraJane Williams is serving as team captain for the 2026 campaign.
Navy continues its three-game week Thursday against in-state rival Maryland, with kickoff set for 7 p.m., also at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. “It’s an in-state rivalry that’s always competitive and super exciting,” Gabarra said. “We’re happy to be able to host the game this year.” The Mids then host Marist on Sunday to close out the week.
