Feb. 5, 2017 Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy women's lacrosse team did not disappoint the home crowd in the season opener as it defeated Longwood, 20-3, on Sunday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
"We had a strong fall ball and preseason leading up to today, so I am proud of our players and how they carried through the hard work we put in the offseason to start off our season," Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "There is still a lot of work to do, but this was a good way to start off 2017."
Navy (1-0) was nearly flawless on all facets of the contest, as it held advantages in shots, 39-10, shots on goal, 30-7, ground balls, 24-9, clear opportunities, 18-of-22 to 10-of-14 and turnovers, 10-23. The Mids tied their single-game high in free-position goals with six.
Freshman Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) had a game-high seven points on three goals and four assists. Senior co-captain Morgan Young (Baltimore, Md.) and junior attack Julia Collins (Clarksville, Md.) each recorded a hat trick as Collins tallied five points on four goals and one assist, while Young had four points on three goals and one assist.
"It is always nerve racking to play in your first collegiate game, but with all of the help I have surrounding me, both on the offensive end and on the team, the game started to slow down as it progressed," Larkin said on her successful first collegiate game. "I know that I had to put in a lot of work in the offseason just to get a chance to play and with the help of the coaching staff to prepare me for this made this first game a lot easier."
Junior defender Blake Smith (Sykesville, Md.) led the back line with a game-high four caused turnovers and four ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Ingrid Boyum (Herndon, Va.) had a near perfect day in net, tallying four saves on six chances in 49:22 minutes.
Navy overwhelmed Longwood (0-1) in the first half, outscoring its opponent 13-1 through the first 30 minutes of play.
Senior co-captain Morgan Young (Baltimore, Md.) wasted no time of her own as she gave Navy a 2-0 lead through the first four minutes. Young slashed through two defenders to tally an unassisted goal and then followed up with a free-position goal 1:20 later.
Longwood's Madison Stair connected with Lexi Davis to cut into Navy's lead, 2-1, with 25:15 remaining in the half.
Following the Lancers first goal of the contest, the Mids rattled off 11-straight in the final 18:21 to grab a 13-1 lead heading into the half.
Junior attack Julia Collins (Clarksville, Md.) recorded her seventh career hat trick just three minutes into Navy's scoring run. Larkin made a big impression in her first collegiate half, tallying six points on two goals and four assists in a stretch of 16:56. Junior midfielder Haley Fessenden (Los Alamitos, Calif.) scored her first collegiate goal during the run.
On the defensive side of the ball, Navy forced nine turnovers and held the opposition to just one goal. Junior midfielder Jenna Collins (Clarksville, Md.), who had three points on one goal and two assists on the offensive end, led the Navy defense in the first half with three caused turnovers.
Navy continued its dominance in the second half, outscoring Longwood, 7-2 in the final 30 minutes.
Larkin carried over her first half offensive success with her third goal of the contest, just 4:59 into the second half to tally her first collegiate hat trick. Young also joined in on the hat trick parade, recording her 11th career hat trick with 17:33 left to play.
Sophomore attack Paige Brigham (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) recorded her first collegiate goal with 9:35 left in the contest.
Navy will have its first big test of 2017 as it travels to No. 10 Duke on Sunday at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Opening draw is set for 11 a.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.
