ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 16 Navy women's lacrosse team (2-1) returns to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. as the Midshipmen welcome Villanova (1-1) to Annapolis for a nonconference game. The game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network and live stats will be available.
 
Game Day Promotions
The Navy Women's Lacrosse team is excited to participate in American Heart Month during its game on Saturday. Fans can learn about heart disease and the many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle with facts throughout the game and information at the marketing table. In addition, Navy Athletics has created a special "workout circuit" with the athletic training staff for fans of all levels to complete during their time at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
Saturday is also the annual Meet the Mids game, presented by Annapolis Area Chick-fil-A and Papa Johns. Following the conclusion of the game, fans can lineup for autographs with the team on the concourse. The first 100 youth fans in line will receive a free Navy lacrosse t-shirt.
 
All-Time Series
The game between Navy and Villanova will mark the eighth meeting between the two teams. The Midshipmen are 6-1 all-time against the Wildcats. The game marks the fourth time the two teams will play in Annapolis. It is the first time the two teams will play in Annapolis since 2017. Navy is 2-1 against Villanova at home.
 
Four of the seven games between the two teams have been decided by six goals or less, including a pair of one-point games. The Mids' lone loss in the series game in overtime in 2009 (L, 15-14) at home.
 
Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.), who enters the game with back-to-back five-goal performances, tied a career high with six goals in the game against Villanova last season.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy enters the game on the heels of back-to-back victories. The Midshipmen posted a 19-12 road win against Saint Joseph's before outlasting No. 21 Duke, 16-15, at home.
 
The Midshipmen offense continues to click as Navy has tallied 75 points on 48 goals and 27 assists through three games. Nine different players have registered points, including three who have tallied double-digit points. Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) leads the team with 19 points on a team-high 10 goals and team-best nine assists. After being held to just one assist in the season opener, Larkin has netted five goals in back-to-back games with three or more assist in each of those game. Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) and Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) are second and third on the team with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Harris is second on the team with eight goals, while Victory is one helper back of Larkin.
 
Harris and Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) continue to gain possessions for the Midshipmen, combining for 46 draw controls. Following a career-high 11 draws against Duke, Harris leads the team with 25 DC, while Roelofs is second with 21 draws thus far.
 
Defensively, Gil Eby (Towson, Md.) anchors the Navy backline with assistance from midfielder Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.). Eby leads all Navy defenders with six ground balls and trails only Harris who has a team-high seven GB. Heyward has a team-best seven caused turnovers, while Eby is second with five.
 
Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) has seen the majority of the time between the pipes for Navy at goal. The sophomore has 30 saves so far this season, while adding four ground balls and a caused turnover. Young has posted back-to-back games with double-digit saves, including a career-high 12 stops at Saint Joseph's.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Villanova enters the weekend 1-1 on the season. The Wildcats are coming off a close 13-11 loss on the road to Cornell. In the game, Katie Comerford had a team-high four goals. She has eight goals and three assists through the first two games for a total of 11 points. Brittany Bruno trails just slightly behind her with eight points off four goals and four assists. Grainger Rosati was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week on Monday after recording three assists and one goal at Cornell.
 
Senior attacker Katie Comerford is two points away from breaking Villanova's school record for career points. Comerford currently has 182 points (103g 79a). She became No. 2 on the list, passing Meghan Doyle (1996-99) who had 180 career points. The school record, held by Shannon O'Neil (1994-97), is 183 points (99g 84a). Comerford is one of eight Wildcats who have scored 100 or more goals in their collegiate career.
 
Larkin Earns Pair of Weekly Awards
Navy women's lacrosse athlete Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) was selected as the Patriot League Attacker of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. In addition to the Patriot League distinction, Larkin was named NAAA Athlete of the Week presented by Northrop Grumman.
 
Larkin totaled 18 points on the week on 10 goals and eight assists during Navy's 2-0 week that included wins over Saint Joseph's (19-12) and No. 21 Duke (16-15). Larkin's two hat tricks on the week gave her two for the season and 40 for her career. In addition, she picked up three ground balls on the week.
 
Tewaaraton Award Watch List
The initial Tewaaraton Award Watch List was announced on Thursday, Feb. 13 and Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) was named to the list. The lists include the top players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlight the early contenders for the Tewaaraton Award. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Award.
 
This is the third consecutive season that Larkin has been named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List (2018, '19, '20). Last season, Larkin advanced past the initial cut to become a Tewaaraton Award Nominee (Top 25).
 
One of the most decorated women's lacrosse players in Navy history, Larkin is an All-American (2017, '18, '19), All-Region ('18, '19), and All-Conference performer (2017, '18, '19). She holds the Navy and Patriot League career record for points, while also holding the Midshipmen career mark for assists. Larkin ranks fifth in Navy history with 190 career goals, while also ranking in the school's top five in points per game, goals per game, assists per game, shots attempted, and shots on goal.
 
National Rankings
The Navy women's lacrosse team is currently ranked in all three national polls. The Mids have been ranked nationally for 34 consecutive weeks, dating back to the final poll of the 2017 season. This week Navy is No. 16 according to the IWLCA, and No. 13 according to Inside Lacrosse. The Mids are No. 15 in US Lacrosse Magazine.
 
This season Navy started the season ranked in all three preseason polls. The Mids started the year ranked No. 15 according to the IWLCA, while coming in at No. 17 and No. 16 per Inside Lacrosse and  US Lacrosse Magazine, respectively.
 
The Midshipmen closed out the 2019 season ranked 16th according to the IWLCA Coaches Poll, 18th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, and 15th in the US Lacrosse Magazine Poll. The final rankings marked the third consecutive season that the Mids finished the season ranked in the polls.
 
Last Time vs. Villanova (Feb. 27, 2019)
The No. 17 Navy women's lacrosse team posted a 14-6 victory on the road against Villanova 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 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.
 
Last Time Out
The No. 15 Navy women's lacrosse team withstood a second-half rally by No. 21 Duke to hold on for a 16-15 victory on Sunday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen led 14-6, but seven straight goals by the potent Blue Devil offense closed the gap to one. Navy pushed the advantage to three goals late before holding on for the one-goal win.
 
Leading 13-6 at halftime, Navy opened up the second half with a goal by Marina Lazarides (Westminster, Md.) to take an eight-point lead. Duke, who entered the game with 20 or more goals in each of its three previous games, posted a 7-0 run over the next 14 minutes to trim the margin to 14-13.
 
Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) responded with a goal to end the run and push the Midshipmen advantage to two with 9:41 to play. With just under five minutes to play, Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) slipped a pass from Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) past the goalie to give Navy a 16-13 lead.
 
Back-to-back goals by Duke trimmed the margin to one with 34 ticks on the clock. Navy won the ensuing draw control, but the Blue Devils caused a turnover to take control of the ball with 17 seconds remaining. The visitors called a timeout to set up the offense for the final play. Duke's Katie Cronin fired a shot with one second remaining that was just wide of the goal to preserve the win for Navy.
 
The Midshipmen were led offensively by Larkin who finished the game with eight points on five goals and three assists. Her first assist gave the senior the Navy record in career helpers, passing Jasmine DePompeo (2010-13) who finished her career with 167. Harris finished with five points on three goals and two assists, while Roelofs tied a career-high with four goals in the game. Ellie Lecker (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) and Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) chipped in three points apiece (1g 2a each), while Lazarides added a pair of scores.
 
Defensively, Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) finished the game with 10 saves, giving the sophomore 22 stops on the week. The victory marked the second win against a ranked opponent in her young career. In addition, Young picked up a ground ball and caused a turnover. Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) led the team with four of Navy's eight caused turnovers. Harris finished the game with a team-high three ground balls, while Larkin, Roelofs, Heyward, and Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio) added two GB each.
 
In the draw circle, the Mids went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country in draw controls. Navy edged Duke, 17-16 in draws on the day. Harris paced the team with a career-high 11 draw controls on the day, while Roelofs added five draws.
 
Upcoming Promotions
Wayback Wednesday | Wednesday, March 18 | Navy vs. Mount St. Mary's
– Throwback music, trivia, and promotions throughout the game
– Navy pennant giveaway to first 500 fans