ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 15 Navy women's lacrosse team opens up the 2020 season this weekend as the Midshipmen host No. 8 Virginia at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 12:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network and live stats will be available.
 
All-Time Series
Navy and Virginia have met on the lacrosse field six times in program history with the Cavaliers holding a 5-1 advantage. The Midshipmen are 1-1 against the Cavs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, winning the last meeting in Annapolis, 16-13.
 
The two teams have played close in every game with the largest margin of victory for either team being four goals (Virginia W, 13-9 in 2016). The games have been decided by an average of three goals with the last four meetings being determined by exactly three scores.
 
The game on Saturday marks the third time the two teams will meet on the lacrosse field in the last calendar year. Navy and Virginia met twice last season. The Mids opened the 2019 campaign in Charlottesville, dropping a 15-12 decision in the season opener. The two teams met in the NCAA Tournament with the Cavaliers once again claiming a 15-12 win to end the Mids' season.
 
Head coach Cindy Timchal is no stranger to the Cavaliers. Timchal holds a 22-18 overall record against Virginia in 40 meetings with UVA.
 
Four current Midshipmen – Lindsey Ellison (Arlington), Natalie Irwin (Annandale), Kelly Larkin (Alexandria), and Karoline Nease (Richmond) – call Virginia home.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy opens the 2020 season with a solid mix of experienced veterans and youth. Navy is set to start eight players who have a combined 241 starts to their credit. In addition, four Midshipmen will make their first collegiate start.
 
Navy is 10-2 (.833) all-time in season openers, while boasting an 11-1 (.917) mark in home openers. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium has provided excellent home field advantage for the Mids throughout the years. Navy is 106-16 (.869) all-time at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
The Midshipmen are 10-29 (.256) against ranked opponents in their history, but are 10-10 (.500) against ranked opponents since the start of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Navy has three victories against ranked opponents at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, including a 16-13 win against No. 11 Virginia in 2018.
 
Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.), who holds the school and Patriot League record with 346 career points, led the team last season with 121 points, scoring team-best 69 goals and boasting a team-high 52 assists. She is joined in the starting lineup by fellow attackers Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.), Moriah Snyder (Bel Air, Md.), and Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.). Roelofs finished her rookie campaign with 35 points on 24 goals and 11 assists, while setting a freshman record with 146 draw controls. Snyder played in 20 of 21 games on the season with nine starts and 16 points (13g 3a) as a freshman. After being limited early in the year, Victory finished 2019 with 63 points on a balanced 32 goals and 31 assists. She started eight of the final nine games of the season, tallying 40 points (23g 17a) in those starts.
 
Seniors Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.), Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.), and Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) will anchor the midfield for the Midshipmen. The trio started every game for the Mids last year, combining for 127 points (93g 34a), 152 draw controls, 90 ground balls, and 49 caused turnovers. Irwin was selected as team captain prior to the season, while Harris and Heyward both received All-Patriot League distinction for their efforts in 2019.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen will look to fill the hole left by All-Patriot League performer and 2019 team captain Marie Valenti ('19). Gil Eby (Towson, Md.) returns as the lone starter on the defensive side of the ball. The sophomore started in 19 of 21 games as a freshman, finishing the year with 20 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Eby will be joined on the back line by newcomers Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio), Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.), and Eloise Gebert (Pottstown, Pa.) who are set to make their collegiate debut against the Cavaliers.
 
Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) will earn the start at goalie for the Midshipmen. Young served as Navy's primary backup as a freshman during the 2019 season. In her rookie campaign, she played a little over 165 minutes in 15 games with 20 saves, four ground balls, and three caused turnovers. Young picked up her first collegiate win in Navy's 14-13 come-from-behind victory over No. 11 Florida last season.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Virginia, nationally ranked in all three preseason polls, was picked fifth in the ACC Preseason Poll. North Carolina was picked first, Syracuse second, Notre Dame third and Boston College fourth.
 
Midfielder Sammy Mueller (Pelham, N.Y.) and defender Lauren Martin (McLean, Va.) were recognized on the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America Teams. In addition, Mueller and Nora Bowen (Lovettsville, Va.) earned Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team honors.
 
2020 Senior Captains
Senior attacker Caitlin Blanche (Crofton, Md.) and midfielder Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) were selected to captain the 2020 Navy women's lacrosse team. Blanche is an attacker who entered the 2020 season with 33 points on 28 goals and five assists. In 2019, she played in 17 of Navy's first 19 games before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. Irwin has seen time on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. She entered the 2020 season with 41 points (36g 5a), while adding 42 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers.
 
Patriot League Preseason Poll
As a team, Navy was picked second in the 2020 Patriot League Preseason Poll in a vote cast by the league's coaches and sports information directors. Loyola secured 16 of the 20 first-place votes (eligible for only 18 due to not being able to vote for your own team) and amassed 160 points to top the poll. Navy accounted for the remaining four first-place votes and totaled 148 points to finish second in the balloting. Boston University was third with 122 points, followed by Army West Point (104), Lehigh (91), Colgate (85), Holy Cross (56), American (46), Bucknell (36) and Lafayette (36).
 
Preseason All-Conference
Seniors Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) and Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) claimed top accolades as the Patriot League officially announced its preseason All-Conference selections. Larkin was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Heyward was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.  In addition to Larkin and Heyward, senior Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) was also selected to the preseason team.
 
The 2020 Preseason All-Patriot League Team was unveiled and the 16-woman team was made up of seven seniors, seven juniors, and two sophomores. Seven of the 10 teams placed players on the preseason team, including Loyola and Army West Point who had a league-best four selections each. Navy had three representatives, while Boston U. had two. American, Colgate, and Lehigh round out the team with one selection each.
 
National Rankings
The Navy women's lacrosse team is currently ranked in all three national preseason polls heading into the 2020 campaign. The Mids finished the 2019 season ranked in all three national polls, and have been ranked nationally for 32 consecutive weeks, dating back to the final poll of 2017. Once again, this season Navy starts the season ranked in all three preseason polls. The Mids are No. 15 according to the IWLCA, while coming in at No. 17 and No. 15 per Inside Lacrosse and  US Lacrosse Magazine, respectively. Virginia ranks No. 8 in both the IWLCA and US Lacrosse Magazine, while ranking No. 9 according to Inside Lacrosse.
 
Larkin Named to Inside Lacrosse Top 50 Players List
Navy women's lacrosse senior attacker Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) was selected No. 31 among Inside Lacrosse's Top 50 Players in College Lacrosse list. The list features both men and women and was selected among all Division I lacrosse athletes.
 
Larkin Tabbed Preseason All-American
Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) was named to the 2020 Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American team, being selected to the second team. It is the second consecutive year that Larkin has been named to the Preseason All-American team, being named to the third team prior to the 2019 season.
 
Larkin is a three-time All-American according to Inside Lacrosse, being selected to the second team twice (2018, '19). As a freshman, Larkin was an Honorable Mention IL All-American, as well as the 2017 Inside Lacrosse Division I Rookie of the Year.
 
Larkin, who became the first player in Navy and Patriot League history to record three 100-point seasons, finished the 2019 season with 121 points on 69 goals and 52 assists. The Tewaaraton Award nominee broke the Navy and Patriot League record for career points (346 points), passing Navy's Jasmine DePompeo (2010-13) who held the record with 336 career points.
 
Navy Sports Magazine Show
The Voice of Navy Athletics Pete Medhurst sat down with women's lacrosse senior captain Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) to talk about the upcoming 2020 women's lacrosse season. (VIDEO)
 
Last Time vs. Virginia (May 12, 2019)
The No. 14 Navy women's lacrosse team put forth a valiant effort against No. 6 Virginia on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., but ultimately fell, 15-12, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Offensively, Navy was led by a trio of players who notched hat tricks on the day. Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) led all Midshipmen with six points on three goals and three assists, while Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) scored three goals and added a helper. Andie O'Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) rounded out the hat tricks, scoring three goals.
 
The Midshipmen benefitted from extra offensive possessions as the Mids won 19 out of 28 draws on the day. Annalise Heyward (Charlotte, N.C.) paced the team with nine draw controls, while Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) added five draws, and Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) picked up four.
 
Defensively, Navy caused five of Virginia's 13 turnovers on the day. Both teams had unforced turnovers due to the wet weather conditions. Heyward led the Mids with three caused turnovers on the day. Gab Harchelroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was the primary goalie for the Midshipmen on the day. She recorded three saves in just over 54 minutes of work. Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) spelled Harchelroad for a little under six minutes with two goals allowed and no saves.