Feb. 11, 2012
Box Score
HIGH POINT, N.C. - The Navy women's lacrosse team (0-1) dropped its season opener at High Point (1-0), 11-10, at Vert Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Navy led at the half, 7-4, but was outscored 7-3 in the second half and did not score in the game's final 15 minutes.
After back-to-back goals by senior Danielle Vivonetto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and sophomore Molly Hamilton (New Albany, Ohio), Navy took a 10-8 lead with 15:45 remaining in the second half. High Point then scored two goals in the next two minutes to tie the game at 10-10 and then Christie Dougherty's third goal of the day with five minutes to go proved to be the game-winner. Panther goalie Julia Burns made a save on a Navy free-position attempt with 1:24 remaining to seal the win for High Point.
"It was a disappointing loss," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "We played a solid first half but High Point came out with more fire in the second half and created a lot more scoring opportunities. We had the shots we wanted in the second half but we didn't finish them and we had some turnovers that we don't usually have.
"We'll have to get back to the drawing board and get ready to play William & Mary. We have a tough team and we will be able to right the ship and be tougher and stronger in our next game."
Navy had a solid start to the game, holding a 5-2 lead after 20 minutes of play. Freshman Loren Generi (Bayport, N.Y.) tallied Navy's first two goals of the year and sophomore Jill Coughlin (Annapolis, Md.), sophomore Aimee Gennaro (Havertown, Pa.) and Hamilton each scored one goal in the early run.
High Point scored to pull the game to 5-3 but goals by Gennaro and junior Kathy Young (Berwyn, Pa.) extended the lead to 7-3, the largest margin of the game. High Point scored five of the next six goals to pull the game even at 8-8 before Vivonetto and Hamilton's late tallies.
High Point made a goalie change late in the second half that helped stifle Navy's offense. High Point's comeback coincided with the entry of Burns, a freshman from Arnold, Maryland. Burns made four saves in the second half, while Navy made just one in the final 30 minutes.
Hamilton had two goals and one assist and Coughlin, Gennaro and Generi each had two goals.
Junior Jasmine DePompeo (Sayville, N.Y.), who set a school record with 42 assists in 2011, had a game-high three assists to go along with a career-high four ground balls. Senior captain Kierstin King (Upperco, Md.) had five ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Navy out shot High Point, 26-20, and held a 22-21 edge in ground balls, but was hurt by 16 turnovers.
High Point's Chelsea Thompson scored a game-high five points on two goals and three assists.
Timchal coached her 500th career game on Saturday. She has a career record of 394-106 (.788) and is in her 30th year of coaching. She is the first to coach 500 women's games at the Division I level.
The Mids will next host William & Mary on Wednesday at 4:00 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Notes: Kathy Young now has 99 career points and is on the verge of becoming the seventh Midshipman to score 100 points ... Kierstin King is now tied for second on Navy's all-time ground balls list with 122 and is seven shy of the school record.
