ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 13 Navy women's lacrosse team (9-2, 4-0 Patriot League) posted a 22-6 victory over Holy Cross (3-8, 1-3 Patriot League) on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen scored over 20 goals for the second consecutive game, while holding their opponents to single-digit goals for the fourth straight game.
 
"We have been committed to come out strong and hard, and we were able to do that today," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "We tried not to miss a beat. We had some turnovers that we are not happy about, but we will work on cleaning those up this week. Being at home is nice. We are in a grove now. We want to fire on all cylinders. We still have work to do, but I am proud of the performance of the players today."
 
The Midshipmen saw nine athletes combine to score 22 goals on the day, including seven players who notched multiple goals. Four people – Caitlin Blanche (Crofton, Md.), Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.), Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.), and Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) – all registered hat tricks in the game. Harris and Roelofs led the way with four goals apiece, while Blanche and Larkin each chipped in three goals. Larkin added four assists to join Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) for a team-best seven points on the day. Victory finished with a pair of goals and a career-best and game high five assists.
 
Roelofs led the team with 10 draw controls, marking the second time the freshman has won double-digit draws in a game. Navy picked up 21 ground balls with 16 different people picking up at least one GB.
 
Defensively, the Mids tallied six saves as a team, limiting the Crusaders' offense to just six goals on 20 shots. Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned the win, working the first half at goal for Navy. The senior notched five saves on the day, while surrendering three goals in 30 minutes of action. Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.), Lindsey Ellison (Arlington, Va.), and Maddy Bell (Winter Park, Fla.) combined to work the final 30 minutes between the posts for Navy, allowing three goals and notching a save.
 
The Navy defense caused 11 of Holy Cross' 19 turnovers. Marina Lazarides (Westminster, Md.) caused a team-high three turnovers, while Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) and O'Sullivan chipped in two CTs apiece. The defense also helped facilitate the offensive attack, as Navy converted a season-best 19-of-20 clear attempts on the day.
 
The Mids used a goal from O'Sullivan to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Crusaders answered with their first goal of the game. Nay used goals by Larkin, O'Sullivan, Heyward and Roelofs to build a 5-1 advantage. Following a Holy Cross goal, Navy closed out the half with a 10-1 run to take control of the game and go into halftime in front 15-3. The second half saw the Midshipmen open the scoring with a 6-0 run to extend the advantage to 21-3. Holy Cross scored three consecutive goals late to trim the margin, but Navy closed out the game with a goal with under a minute to play to provide the final margin of 22-6.
 
Navy returns to action next Saturday as the No. 13 Midshipmen head north to Baltimore for a top-15 matchup with No. 11 Loyola. Opening draw is slated for 3:00 p.m. at the Ridley Athletic Complex. Live stats and live video will be available throughout the game.