BOSTON, Mass. – Leading by one with 16 seconds on the clock, the No. 13 Navy women's lacrosse team (14-3, 8-1 Patriot League) secured the final draw of the game and ran out the clock to pick up a 13-12 win over Boston University (11-6, 6-3 PL) on Thursday afternoon at Nickerson Field in Boston.
 
Navy led by as many as four on two occasions – up 10-6 and 12-8 – but could not put away Boston. The Terriers continued to chip into the Midshipmen lead and closed the gap to 12-11 before Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) took a pass from Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) and buried it in the back of the net to put the Mids up 13-11 with 3:38 to play.
 
Defense for both teams held over the next three minutes, but a turnover by Navy led to a goal by Boston with 16 seconds remaining in regulation. The Midshipmen were able to secure the final draw and close out the game for the one-goal victory.
 
With the win, Navy secures the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament. The Midshipmen get a bye in the quarterfinals and will play on Thursday, May 2 at Ridley Sports Complex in Baltimore, Md.
 
"We are proud of the team," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Boston has always been a tough place to play. I think BU wanted to come out in their last home game and play us tough, and they did that. We made some plays defensively and were able to generate enough offense. We are happy to come out with a victory."
 
Offensively, Navy scored 13 points on 30 shots. Six players combined for the 13 goals, including four who netted multiple goals in the game. Victory paced the scoring with four goals in the game, including the game winner. It was the second career hat trick for the sophomore. Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) also added a hat trick netting three goals, including a pair of free-position goals. Larkin and Andie O'Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) scored two goals apiece. Larkin chipped in a team- and career-high six assists to finish with eight points.
 
With her eight points, Larkin finished the regular season with 104 points, making her the first player in Patriot League history with three 100-point seasons. Larkin tallied 108 points as a freshman in 2017, while leading the team with 117 points as a sophomore in 2018.
 
"For Kelly, her passion is lacrosse, but also being part of the Naval Academy family," Timchal stated. "She is a wonderful teammate. She is passionate about getting better and being a great teammate. On behalf of myself and the coaching staff, we couldn't be happier for her. She is a local player from Alexandria, Va. who has made a remarkable contribution to our team. I know that she is humbled by this and wants to continue to improve and help the team in any way she can to advance in the conference championship and NCAA Tournament."
 
Navy used a solid defensive performance to keep the potent Boston offense at bay. The Mids caused 13 of BU's 17 turnovers in the game. In addition, the Midshipmen's back line flustered the Terriers into a pair of shot clock violations. Victory, O'Sullivan, and Marie Valenti (Bechtelsville, Pa.) paced the team with two caused turnovers apiece. Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked up a team-high four ground balls, while Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) added three. Harchelroad tallied six saves on the day to pick up her 13th victory of the season.
 
The Midshipmen won the draw control battle 16-to-11. BU won six of the first seven draws, but Navy made in-game adjustments and was able to pull down 15 of the final 20 draws in the game. Heyward led the team with seven draw controls, while Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) and O'Sullivan added four and three, respectively.
 
Navy was the first team to score as Victory found the back of the net off a Heyward assist. Boston responded with a goal but back-to-back goals by Irwin and Larkin put the Mids in front 3-1. BU responded with three goals to take a 4-3 advantage, but navy answered with two goals in the final 45 seconds of the half to go into halftime up, 5-4.
 
In the second half, Victory once again opened up the scoring. The Terriers answered with a pair of goals to knot the game at 6-6. Navy responded with four consecutive goals to take its biggest lead of the game at 10-6. Irwin score a pair of goals on the run, while Moriah Snyder (Bel Air, Md.) and Harris chipped in goals. Larkin had assists on three of the four goals in the run.
 
BU trimmed the margin with a pair of goals, but the Mids pushed the advantage back to four with goals by Victory and O'Sullivan. The Terriers used three straight goals to trim the margin to 12-11 and set up the dramatic finish.