CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 13 Navy women's lacrosse team (0-1) was edged 15-12 in the season opener on the road against No. 16 Virginia (1-0) on Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. The Midshipmen were led by Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) who posted a career-high five goals scored in the contest.
 
"This was an opportunity for us to bring home a Navy victory against a nationally-ranked opponent, but we just came up short," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "Credit to Virginia, their coaches and their team. We fell short in a couple of areas both offensively and defensively, but we played well against a good opponent. We play at home next Sunday so we have to continue to work hard and put together a good game plan for Saint Joseph's."
 
Offensively, Harris led a trio of Mids who notched multiple goals. The junior set a personal best with five goals on eight shots, while senior captain Andie O'Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) and freshman Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) chipped in two goals apiece. Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) added a goal and led the team with four of Navy's five assists. The Mids' offense was hampered by free position shots, converting just 3-of-11 on the day.
 
Defensively, the Mids surrendered 15 goals to the nationally-ranked Cavaliers. Navy caused nine of Virginia's 18 turnovers on the day. Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) led the way with two caused turnovers, while Irwin and O'Sullivan paced the team with three ground balls apiece. The Mids held a slight advantage in draw controls, out drawing the Cavs, 16-13.
 
In her second career start, goalie Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) recorded four saves on the day, but was charged with the loss, surrendering 15 goals.
 
Navy jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first half. Roelofs started the scoring with her first collegiate goal to put the Mids in front 1-0. Larkin pushed the lead to two with her first goal of the season. With the goal, Larkin now has 19 consecutive games with a goal, dating back to last season. Virginia cut the lead in half with a goal, but O'Sullivan responded with her first goal of the season. Harris extended the advantage to three at 4-1 with her first goal of the day. However, the Cavaliers used a 5-0 run in the final eight minutes of play to take a 6-4 lead into halftime.
 
In the second half, Harris opened up the scoring with a goal, but UVA responded with back-to-back scores. Harris once again put the ball in the net, giving the junior her first hat trick of the season and the fourth of her Navy career. A pair of goals by the Cavs put the home team in front 10-6, but the Mids responded with back-to-back goals by Harris and Caitlin Blanche (Crofton, Md.), trimming the deficit to two.
 
Virginia used a pair of goals to push the lead to 12-8 with under 12 minutes to play. O'Sullivan converted a free-position opportunity, but the Cavaliers responded with a goal. Roelofs and Harris notched consecutive goals to cut the margin to 13-11, but UVA responded with a pair of goals. Irwin scored with just under 30 ticks on the clock to provide the final margin of 15-12.
 
Navy will host Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 1:00 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the Mids' home opener. Admission is free and live stats and video will be available.