BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The #21 Navy women's lacrosse team (4-3, 1-2 Patriot League, 0-2 Patriot League South) dropped a 12-7 decision to Lehigh (5-3, 4-1 Patriot League, 3-1 Patriot League South) at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa. The Midshipmen led 7-6 with 14 minutes to play, but six consecutive goals by the Mountain Hawks to end the game gave the hosts the victory.
 
The loss marked the first time since 2016 that Navy had multiple Patriot League losses in a season and snapped the Mids' 11-game winning streak over the Mountain Hawks. In 18 meetings with Lehigh, the Midshipmen have allowed the Mountain Hawks to score double-digit goals in six contests. With the win, Lehigh holds a 5-1 advantage when scoring double-figures against Navy.
 
"I feel like our team played really tough," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "We had a great game plan. We had opportunities. We just needed to finish. We had some untimely turnovers. We are committed to coming out and playing tough, which I thought we did. I thought we played great lacrosse until they were able to sneak by a couple by us at the end. Our game plan was there. It was an exciting game. Our players are sad now, but they are excited about the next opportunity to step out onto the field."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen failed to get into a solid rhythm. Navy finished the game with seven goals on 20 shots, but were limited to just a pair of goals on six attempts in the second half.
 
Gil Eby (Towson, Md.) finished the game with her second consecutive hat trick. The junior tallied three first-half goals to pace the offense, while also picking up a pair of ground balls, winning three draw controls, and causing three turnovers. Grace Zagaja (Centerport, N.Y.) notched her first collegiate multi-goal game, netting to goals, while Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.) chipped in three points with a goal and a team-high two assists. Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) was able to find the back of the net, while Marina Lazarides (Westminster, Md.) contributed a helper.
 
At goal, Jo Torres (Prince Frederick, Md.) worked a complete game for the Midshipmen. The freshman was one save shy of her third double-digit save performance of the season. Torres finished the game with nine saves, while surrendering 12 goals. In four games, Torres has a team high 35 saves (8.75 sv/gm).
 
Defensively, Navy caused seven of Lehigh's 13 turnovers on the day. Eby and Christine Fiore (Darien, Conn.) caused three and two turnovers, respectively, while Caroline Kwon (Cooksville, Md.) and Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio) added one each. Kwon paced the team with four ground balls, while Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) picked up three in the game. Lauren Herrington (Round Rock, Texas), Carson, Eby and Fiore finished the game with two ground balls apiece.
 
Navy won the draw control battle, 14-7, with Roelofs leading the way with 10 draws on the day. The 10 draws move the junior into fourth place in Navy history with 223 career draws, passing Kayla Harris (2017-20) and Erin Rawlick (2008-10). Eby was able to win three draws, while Caroline Stefans (Coral Springs, Fla.) recorded her first collegiate draw on the day.
 
The Midshipmen played a man down for nearly 10 minutes of the game as Navy was charged with five yellow cards, compared to just one by Lehigh. In a very physical game, the Mids were whistled for 19 fouls, while the Mountain Hawks were called for 18.
 
Lehigh jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but back-to-back goals by Eby knotted the score at two apiece. The Mountain Hawks regained the lead at 3-2, but goals a pair of scores by Zagaja gave the Midshipmen their first lead of the afternoon, 4-3. Consecutive scores by the home team gave Lehigh a one goal advantage, but Eby's third goal of the half knotted the score at 5-5 heading into intermission.
 
In the second half, Lehigh took a 6-5 advantage, but goals by Roelofs and Victory gave Navy its second lead of the day with 14 minutes remaining in regulation. From there, the Mountain Hawks used a 6-0 run to close out the game to secure the 12-7 victory.
 
Navy returns to action on Wednesday, April 14 as the Midshipmen travel to Fairfax, Va. for a midweek nonconference game against George Mason. Opening draw is stated for 5:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available. Earlier this year, Navy opened the season with a 10-4 victory over the Patriots at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
On Saturday, April 17, the Midshipmen return home for a nationally-televised game against American at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network and live stats will be available.