Army–Navy Cup
The Army–Navy Cup is an annual men's college soccer match between the United States Military Academy (Army) and the United States Naval Academy (Navy).[2][3] Since its inaugural game in 2012, the match has been played on a neutral venue, much like its college football counterpart. Like the American football rivalry, the Cup is also held in the Philadelphia metro area. However, the cup is held at Talen Energy Stadium, the home ground of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union.
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Sport | Soccer |
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First meeting | November 23, 1938 Army 2, Navy 1 |
Latest meeting | October 11, 2019 Army 1, Navy 1 (2OT) |
Next meeting | 2020, TBD |
Trophy | Army-Navy Cup |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 86 |
All-time series | Navy leads, 40–30–16 (Total)[1] |
Trophy series | Army, 3–2–3 |
Largest victory | Navy 4, Army 0 (December 5, 1963) |
Longest win streak | 10, Navy (1955–1964) |
Longest unbeaten streak | 21, Navy (1954–1973) |
Background
Prior to the arrival of the neutral-site Army–Navy Cup, the two sides had met 77 times, and annually since 1938. In the first match between the two programs, the Army Black Knights defeated the Navy Midshipmen, 2-1 in West Point. Army would go on dominate the series through the late 1940s, with the Black Knights beating the Midshipmen 10 times to six. During this time, both programs were among the most elite college soccer programs in the nation. In 1945, Army was honored with an Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association (NCAA's predecessor) with a co-national championship, making it, to date, Army's only national soccer title. Navy also shared the title with Army, along with Yale and Haverford. In addition to the shared 1945 title, Navy has won three additional ISFA title, and one NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Navy's other ISFA championships came in 1932, 1943 and 1944. Their 1944 was an outright title, while their 1932 and 1943 titles were shared. Their 1932 title was shared with Penn, while their 1943 title was shared with Rensselaer.
Throughout the early 1950s until the mid-1970s, Navy's soccer team dominated Army. From their 1954 to 1974 encounter, Navy went undefeated against Army for a record 21 consecutive seasons, including knocking Army out of three NCAA Tournaments. In 1974, Army defeated Navy, 2-1 ending the Black Knights' drought against the Mids. Since the early 1980s, the series between the schools has been fairly even, although the programs have sporadically qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the last three decades. Navy most recently qualified in 2013, and prior to that was 1988.[4] Army's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 1996 against William & Mary.[5]
![](../I/m/Army_vs_Navy_soccer.jpg)
Despite the lack of success on the pitch, both programs have still enjoyed a heated rivalry with each other, much of which mirrors of the rivalry seen across other college sports between the two sides. In the early 2010s, an effort began to press for a neutral site venue for their annual regular season encounter, which was solidified in mid-2012. On July 25, 2012, it was announced that the two programs would play at the then-called, PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.[6] The even, dubbed the "Army-Navy Cup" was hosted by the Philadelphia Union in conjunction with Keystone Sports and Entertainment and Global Spectrum.[6][7] This marked the first time since 1966 the two programs met in Philadelphia, and the first time since 1994 the sides played against each other at a neutral venue. The second once was dubbed Army–Navy Cup II, indicating the possibility for a renewal each season.
Army–Navy Cup III drew a crowd of 10,168 making it the largest neutral crowd for the 2014 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, and the third-largest crowd for college soccer that year.[8][9] Since this event, the Army–Navy Cup has been one of the highest attended college soccer events in the nation, and has enjoyed regional, local and national interest.
Results
Cup era (2012–present)
![](../I/m/PPL_Park_Interior_from_the_River_End_2010.10.02_(cropped).jpg)
Army victories | Navy victories |
No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 30, 2012 | Chester, PA | Tie | 1–1 | 3,672 | |||
2 | November 8, 2013 | Chester, PA | Navy | 1–0 2OT | 7,416 | |||
3 | November 7, 2014 | Chester, PA | Navy | 1–0 2OT | 10,168 | |||
4 | November 3, 2015 | Chester, PA | Army | 2–1 | 9,316 | |||
5 | September 23, 2016 | Chester, PA | Army | 1–0 | 10,092 | |||
6 | October 15, 2017 | Chester, PA | Tie | 0–0 | 8,143 | |||
7 | October 12, 2018 | Chester, PA | Army | 4–1 | 8,594[10] | |||
8 | October 11, 2019 | Chester, PA | Tie | 1–1 | ||||
Series: Army leads 3–2–3 |
Pre-Cup era (1938–2011)
The programs met 77 times prior to the Cup inauguration in 2012.[11]
Army victories | Navy victories | Tie games |
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References
- "2017-18 Army-Navy Schedule & Results". Retrieved December 3, 2018.
- "Army-Navy Cup returning to PPL Park". NBC Sports. June 25, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- "Talen Energy Stadium To Host Army-Navy Cup VI On Sunday, October 15". Philadelphia Union. Major League Soccer. July 6, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Snyder, Ron (November 18, 2013). "UMBC, Maryland, Navy qualify for Men's Soccer College Cup". WMAR-TV. E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
Navy will play at VCU in a first-round game on Thursday in Richmond, Va. The Midshipmen, in their 11th NCAA tournament but first since 1988, are riding a 14-game winning streak which is the longest in the country.
- "William & Mary Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). tribeathletics.com. College of William & Mary. August 24, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- "Army-Navy soccer announced at PPL Park". Philadelphia Union. July 25, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- Stadd, Allison (August 6, 2012). "Intense Army-Navy Rivalry Takes To PPL Park For A Soccer Team Face-Off September 30, Setting The Groundwork For December's Epic Football Event At Lincoln Financial Field". Uwishunu.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- Reifsnyder, Tom (September 29, 2015). "Army-Navy Cup men's soccer continues rivalry at PPL Park". ncaa.com. National Collegiate Athletics Association. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- "Army-Navy Cup returning to PPL Park". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. June 25, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- "Army vs. Navy - Game Summary - October 12, 2018". USMA Athletic Department. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- "2017 Men's Soccer Media Guide". navysports.com. Issuu. p. 34. Retrieved January 3, 2018.