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 game 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 Subaru Park, the home field of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union.

Army–Navy Cup
SportSoccer
First meetingNovember 23, 1938
Army 2, Navy 1
Latest meetingOctober 11, 2024
Army 2, Navy 1
Next meetingTBD
StadiumsSubaru Park (2012–present)
TrophyArmy-Navy Cup
Statistics
Meetings total91
All-time seriesNavy leads, 41–33–17 (Total)[1]
Trophy seriesArmy, 6–3–4
Largest victoryNavy 4, Army 0
(December 5, 1963)
Longest win streakNavy, 10 (1955–1964)
Longest unbeaten streakNavy, 21 (1954–1973)
Current unbeaten streakArmy, 3 (2022-present)

Background

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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]

 
The 2017 Cup at Talen Energy Stadium

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 event, 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.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 edition of the Army–Navy Cup was the largest attended game of the regular season with an attendance of 2,483.[10]

Results

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Pre-Cup era (1938–2011)

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The programs met 78 times prior to the Cup inauguration in 2012.[11]

Army victoriesNavy victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 23, 1938 West Point, NY Army 2–1
2 November 23, 1939 Annapolis, MD Army 2–1
3 November 21, 1940 West Point, NY Army 2–0
4 November 22, 1941 Annapolis, MD Army 5–3
5 November 26, 1942 West Point, NY Navy 3–2
6 November 25, 1943 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–1
7 November 25, 1944 West Point, NY Navy 1–0
8 November 24, 1945 Annapolis, MD Army 1–0
9 November 23, 1946 West Point, NY Army 2–1
10 November 22, 1947 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
11 November 20, 1948 West Point, NY Navy 2–1
12 November 19, 1949 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
13 November 27, 1950 West Point, NY Army 4–3
14 November 24, 1951 Annapolis, MD Army 3–1
15 November 22, 1952 West Point, NY Army 2–1
16 November 21, 1953 Annapolis, MD Army 2–1
17 November 20, 1954 West Point, NY Tie1–1
18 November 20, 1955 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–0
19 Nov 24, 1956 West Point, NY Navy 4–1
20 November 23, 1957 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–1
21 November 22, 1958 West Point, NY Navy 4–1
22 November 21, 1959 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–1
23 November 19, 1960 West Point, NY Navy 2–1
24 November 25, 1961 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–0
25 November 24, 1962 West Point, NY Navy 1–0
26 December 5, 1963 Brunswick, NJ Navy 4–0
27 November 21, 1964 West Point, NY Navy 2–1
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
28 November 20, 1965 Annapolis, MD Tie2–2
29 November 19, 1966 West Point, NY Tie1–1
30 November 26, 1966 Philadelphia, PA Navy 3–1
31 November 25, 1967 Annapolis, MD Navy 4–3
32 November 23, 1968 West Point, NY Tie1–1
33 November 22, 1969 Annapolis, MD Tie0–0
34 November 21, 1970 West Point, NY Navy 2–0
35 November 20, 1971 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–0
36 November 25, 1972 West Point, NY Tie2–2
37 November 24, 1973 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–0
38 November 23, 1974 West Point, NY Army 2–1
39 November 22, 1975 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–1
40 November 20, 1976 West Point, NY Tie1–1
41 November 19, 1977 Annapolis, MD Army 2–1
42 November 25, 1978 West Point, NY Army 1–0
43 November 9, 1979 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–0
44 November 7, 1980 West Point, NY Navy 3–1
45 November 6, 1981 Annapolis, MD Army 1–0
46 November 5, 1982 West Point, NY Army 2–1
47 November 4, 1983 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
48 November 9, 1984 West Point, NY Army 1–0
49 November 8, 1985 Annapolis, MD Navy 2–0
50 November 8, 1986 West Point, NY Navy 1–0
51 November 6, 1987 Annapolis, MD Army 1–0
52 November 10, 1988 West Point, NY Tie2–2
53 October 28, 1989 Annapolis, MD Tie2–2
54 October 26, 1990 West Point, NY Navy 2–0
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
55 October 25, 1991 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–1
56 November 9, 1991 Annapolis, MD Army 2–1
57 October 23, 1992 West Point, NY Army 2–0
58 November 7, 1992 West Point, NY Tie1–1
59 October 22, 1993 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
60 October 21, 1994 West Point, NY Army 2–1
61 October 20, 1995 Annapolis, MD Navy 5–2
62 October 25, 1996 West Point, NY Navy 1–0
63 November 11, 1996 Hamilton, NY Army 4–1
64 October 24, 1997 Annapolis, MD Navy 4–3
65 October 23, 1998 West Point, NY Army 4–3
66 October 22, 1999 Annapolis, MD Navy 3–2
67 October 20, 2000 West Point, NY Army 2–0
68 October 19, 2001 Annapolis, MD Tie0–0
69 October 18, 2002 West Point, NY Tie0–0
70 October 24, 2003 Annapolis, MD Army 1–0
71 October 23, 2004 West Point, NY Tie0–0
72 October 28, 2005 Annapolis, MD Navy 4–2
73 October 20, 2006 West Point, NY Army 4–3
74 November 10, 2007 Annapolis, MD Army 2–1
75 November 7, 2008 West Point, NY Army 1–0
76 September 26, 2009 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
77 September 25, 2010 West Point, NY Navy 1–0
78 October 1, 2011 Annapolis, MD Navy 1–0
Series: Navy leads 38–27–13

Cup era (2012–present)

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All Cup-era matches have been played at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Army victoriesNavy victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScoreAttendance
1 September 30, 2012 Chester, PA Tie1–1 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 Tie0–0 8,143
7 October 12, 2018 Chester, PA Army 4–1 8,594[12]
8 October 11, 2019 Chester, PA Tie1–1 8,808[13]
9 April 25, 2021 Chester, PA Army 2–0 2,483[14]
10 October 9, 2021 Chester, PA Navy 3–0 5,356[15]
11 October 7, 2022 Chester, PA Army 2–0 8,526[16]
12 October 13, 2023 Chester, PA Tie1–1 8,000[17]
Series: Army leads 5–3–4

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Soccer History vs Army from Nov 23, 1938 - Apr 25, 2021". Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Army-Navy Cup returning to PPL Park". NBC Sports. June 25, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "William & Mary Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). tribeathletics.com. College of William & Mary. August 24, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Army-Navy soccer announced at PPL Park". Philadelphia Union. July 25, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Army-Navy Cup returning to PPL Park". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. June 25, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "Men's Soccer vs Army on 4/25/2021 - Box Score". Naval Academy Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "2017 Men's Soccer Media Guide". navysports.com. Issuu. p. 34. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. Navy – October 12, 2018". USMA Athletic Department. October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  13. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. #19 Navy – October 11, 2019". USMA Athletic Department. October 11, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. Navy – April 25, 2021". PatriotLeague.org. Patriot League. April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. Navy – October 9, 2021". USMA Athletic Department. October 9, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. Navy – October 7, 2022". USMA Athletic Department. October 7, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Box Score, Army vs. Navy - October 13, 2023" (PDF). USNA Athletic Department. October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.