ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 17 Navy women's lacrosse team (3-1) welcomes No. 11 Florida (1-2) to Annapolis as the Midshipmen and Gators take the field against each other on Saturday, March 2 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Opening draw is slated for 11:00 a.m. Live stats and live video will be available throughout the game.
 
Larkin Named to Initial Tewaaraton Award Watch List
The initial Tewaaraton Award Watch List was announced on Thursday evening and Navy women's lacrosse's Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) was named to the list. Larkin, who was a 2018 All-American, leads the team in goals (12), assists (11) and points (23). In addition, she was selected as a member of the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
 
The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Greyson Torain (Glen Burnie, Md.) of Navy men's lacrosse was also selected to the watch list.
 
Women's Lacrosse Duo Tabbed Patriot League Athletes of the Week
Junior Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) and freshman Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) were named Patriot League Midfielder and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
 
Harris helped lead Navy to a 14-13 victory over No. 19 Towson on Saturday afternoon. The junior picked up her third hat trick of the season (sixth of her career) with three goals to go along with two assists for five points on the day. She led the team with 10 draw controls, grabbing 10-of-18 of Navy's draws on the day. Harris notched six of her 10 draws in the second half. In addition, Harris grabbed a pair of ground balls.
 
Roelofs finished the game with two goals on two shots while adding four draw controls. The freshman scored on back-to-back possessions for Navy, netting her two goals within 20 seconds of each other. She took a pass from Harris and buried it in the net for her first goal of the game and 19 ticks later converted a Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) pass to give her the second multi-goal game of her short career. Roelofs took all of Navy's draws in the first half, picking up four individually and helping the Mids win 8-of-10 first half draw controls.
 
All-Time Series
The game between Navy and Florida will mark the second meeting between the two programs. The Gators hold a 1-0 (1.000) advantage in the series. The Midshipmen led 10-2 early, but ultimately fell 19-16 to the Gators in the only meeting between the two programs last year.
 
The game will mark the first time twin sisters Kayla Harris (Navy) and Brianna Harris (Florida) will play against each other. (Brianna was injured during the 2018 season)
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy improved to 3-1 on the season with its first road win of 2019. The Midshipmen picked up a 14-6 victory over Villanova on Wednesday. The Mids dominated offensively in the first half and relied on lock-down defense to post the eight-goal victory.
 
Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) paced the offensive attack for the Midshipmen, tallying eight points (6g 2a) in the victory. Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) and Moriah Snyder (Bel Air, Md.) chipped in two goals apiece, while Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) and Marie Valenti (Bechtelsville, Pa.) paced the defense with three caused turnovers each. Heyward also added a team-high seven draw controls.
 
Through four games, Larkin leads the team with 23 points, scoring team-best 12 goals and boasting a team-high 11 assists. Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) is second with 14 points thanks to 11 goals scored. Heyward is also in double-figure points with eight goals and five helpers for 13 total points. Harris leads the team with 20 total draws, while Heyward is second with 19. Heyward paces the team with 12 caused turnovers. Freshmen Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Snyder are first among the Mids' freshmen class with four goals apiece. Roelofs is the top freshman with 11 draws.
 
Defensively, goalie Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has logged all 237 of the 240 minutes between the pipes for the Midshipmen. In four starts this season, she is 3-1, including a victory over a ranked opponent. The senior has made 21 stops with 14 ground balls and five caused turnovers. Freshman Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) saw her first action of the season with three minutes at goal against Villanova on Wednesday.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Florida is currently 1-2 on the season. Navy will be the fourth ranked opponents the Gators have faced this season. After defeating No. 17 Colorado on the road (W, 16-9), the Gators have dropped back-to-back games to No. 2 Maryland (L, 12-17) and No. 16 Loyola (L, 12-15).
 
Four members of the Florida lacrosse team were named to the 2019 Tewaaraton Watch List, as announced by the Tewaaraton Foundation. Seniors Haley Hicklen and Lindsey Ronbeck earned their third appearance on the Watch List, while senior Sydney Pirreca earned her second nod. Junior Cara Trombetta became Florida's 15th Tewaaraton Award Nominee.
 
Saturday's women's lacrosse game is between Navy of the Patriot League, which plays football in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), against Florida of the SEC, which plays lacrosse in the AAC.
 
Last Time vs. Florida (March 13, 2018)
The No. 10 Navy women's lacrosse team was edged 19-16 on the road by No. 6 Florida at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. The Midshipmen built up an early 10-2 lead in the first half, but the Gators kept chipping away before taking the lead late in the second half and earning the victory.
 
Offensively, Navy tallied 16 goals on 33 shots with seven players recording goals on the day. Meg O'Donnell (Forest Hill, Md.) paced the offense with four goals. Jenna and Julia Collins (Clarksville, Md.) each added three goals apiece, while Andie O'Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) registered two on the day. Jenna Collins and Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) led the team with two assists each.
 
O'Sullivan set a career-high with 11 draw controls as she teamed with Harris (8) and Jenna Collins (7) for all 26 of the Mids draws. O'Sullivan's 11 draws tied for seventh most in a game by a Midshipmen. The 26 draws as a team broke the school record of 25, which the Mids tied earlier this season against Columbia.
 
Defensively, Ingrid Boyum (Herndon, Va.) had a career day, registering a career-high 14 saves on the day. Her 14 stops tied for second most saves in a game by a Navy goalie with Elaina Ponchione (2009-12) and Natalie Blandon (2008). It was the most saves in a game by a Navy goalie since Ponchione set the school record with 15 saves against Ohio State in 2011.
 
The Midshipmen were credited with 14 ground balls in the game, but were unable to disrupt the Gators' potent offense, causing just a pair of turnovers. Despite Navy holding a 26-11 advantage in draw controls, the Mids turned the ball over 18 times during the course of the game.
 
Last Time Out
Navy posted a 14-6 victory on the road against Villanova on Wednesday afternoon at Villanova Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa. The Midshipmen led 13-3 at the half and relied on solid second-half defense to secure the eight-goal victory.
 
Offensively, Navy was led by junior Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.). The All-American tied a career-high with six goals to go along with a pair of assists for a season-high eight points. She scored five of her six goals in the first half and was the only Midshipmen to net a goal in the second stanza. She was joined by Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) and Moriah Snyder (Bel Air, Md.) with multiple goals as the duo netted two goals apiece. Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) matched Larkin with a team-best two assists, while pacing the team with a season-high seven draw controls. As a team, Navy won 15 of 21 draws, while converting 19 of 21 clear attempts.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Wildcats to just six goals on 17 shots. Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned the win surrendering five goals, while making five saves. She gave way to Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) who worked the final three minutes in her first collegiate action, allowing just one goal. The Navy defense registered 14 caused turnovers on the day, including eight in the second half. The Midshipmen caused two thirds of the Wildcats' 21 turnovers on the day. Heyward and Marie Valenti (Bechtelsville, Pa.) led the team with three CTs apiece. In her career, Valenti now has 92 caused turnovers and is eight CTs shy of becoming the sixth player in Patriot League history with 100 or more caused turnovers.
 
The defense stiffened in the second half, surrendering just three goals. Four of Harchelroad's five saves came in the second half. The Villanova offense turned the ball over nine times in the second half with eight caused turnovers by Navy in the period.