BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The No. 13 Navy women's lacrosse team (8-2, 3-0 Patriot League) picked up a 23-6 victory on the road on Wednesday evening against Lehigh (4-6, 0-3 PL), at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa. The Mountain Hawks closed the gap to 8-5 before the Midshipmen erupted to outscore the hosts, 15-1 over the final 35 minutes of the game.
 
"It is all about the team," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "We know how tough it is to come out in the middle of the week and play a tough Lehigh team. They have always given us tough games, but we were able to come out and have some great execution. Although it wasn't their night tonight, Lehigh will win games in the Patriot League and they are typically right there in the top four of the conference. It may have looked easy, but we really worked hard to be able to come up here and put together a good game in a tough environment."
 
Offensively, Navy had 10 players combine to score a season-high 23 goals. It was the first time this season the Midshipmen scored 20 goals and the first time since defeating Lehigh, 20-5, in the Patriot League Tournament last season that Navy eclipsed the 20-goal plateau.
 
Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) and Andie O'Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) paced the team with five goals apiece. Larkin added five assists to tie a career high with 10 points in the game. O'Sullivan added a helper for a season-best six points, falling one point shy of her career best, set at Lehigh during her sophomore season.
 
Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) and Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) both added hat tricks in the game netting three goals apiece. Marina Lazarides (Westminster, Md.) scored two goals with a pair of assists for four points.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Mountain Hawks to six total goals. The game marked the third consecutive game that Navy has held opponents to single-digit goals. Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked up the win. The senior allowed five goals, while notching four saves. Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) registered a pair of saves, while allowing one goal in 12:28 minutes of work. She gave way to Lindsey Ellison (Arlington, Va.) to close out the game.
 
The Navy defense caused nine of Lehigh's 13 turnovers in the game. Anne Richter (Hinsdale, Ill.) paced the team with a career-best three caused turnovers, while Moriah Snyder (Bel Air, Md.) added a pair of CTs.
 
Navy won 20 of 30 draw controls on the day. Heyward led the way with seven draws, while Roelofs chipped in five. Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) and O'Sullivan added four and three, respectively. The Midshipmen took control of the game in the final minute of the first half. After scoring a goal with 52 seconds remaining, Navy proceeded to win three consecutive draw controls and score seconds later to rattle off four goals in a 49-second span and take control of the game.
 
In the first half, the Midshipmen jumped out quickly to a 5-0 lead. Roelofs opened up the scoring, finding the back of the net on an unassisted goal. Larkin connected with Harris and Roelofs for back-to-back scores to put the Midshipmen up three. Larkin ended the 5-0 run with a pair of goals to put Navy in front 5-0.
 
Following a Lehigh goal, Navy chipped in two goals to extend the advantage to 7-1. Lazarides and O'Sullivan each netted unassisted goals to give the Mids the six-goal edge.
 
The Mountain Hawks responded with four of the next five goals to cut the margin to 8-5. Heyward notched the loan goal during the Lehigh run.
 
O'Sullivan broke the home team's streak with her second goal of the game, sparking a 5-0 run for Navy to close the half. Heyward scored with 52 ticks on the clock to extend the Midshipmen edge to 10-5. Navy proceeded to win the next three draw controls and drove down the field for quick scores. O'Sullivan notched back-to-back goals, while Larkin scored with three seconds remaining, giving Navy four goals total in a 49 second span to take a 13-5 advantage into halftime.
 
In the second half, it was all Navy as the Midshipmen scored 10 of the final 11 goals of the game. The Mids opened the second half scoring eight goals to keep the clock rolling. The Mountain Hawks scored a goal late, but the Midshipmen answered with two goals to provide the final margin of 23-6.
 
Navy returns to action on Saturday as the Midshipmen host Holy Cross to continue the Patriot League season. Opening draw is slated for 12:00 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available for the game.