ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's lacrosse team (14-4) advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship on Sunday afternoon with a 23-13 victory over American (9-9) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. With the win, Navy will take on No. 2 seed Army in the semifinals at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.
 
"It was special to be able to come back to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for one more game this year, particularly for our seniors," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "I am very proud of the seniors and the entire team for how they pulled together for this win. American is very good team who is led by several players with a lot of experience. They really showed up tough. For us, it was a collective team effort. We always feel we can do better. We had a tough week having to play at Loyola and turnaround and play today, but I am proud of the team for being a little bit tired, but still willing to fight for Navy women's lacrosse."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen tallied a season-high 23 goals with a season-best 13 assists. The Mids were led by Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.), Gil Eby (Towson, Md.), and Christine Fiore (Darien, Conn.). The trio combined for 14 goals with each athlete posting a hat trick in the game.
 
Roelofs paced the squad with a team-high six goals, while Eby finished with a career-best five goals. Fiore also notched a career-high with three goals on the afternoon. Kasey Dietzel (Warrenton, Pa.) and Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.) added two scores apiece, while Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.), Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.), Bobbie Haney (Woodbine, Md.), Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.), and Jade Torres (Prince Frederick, Md.) notched goals.
 
Navy finished with a season-best 13 assist with eight different Mids registering helpers. Grace Loughery (Perkasie, Pa.), Beardmore, Fiore, Haney, and Roelofs notched two assists apiece, while Dietzel, Eby, and Ryan added helpers.
 
Defensively, the Mids caused seven of the Eagles' 19 turnovers. Seven different players caused turnovers in the game. Navy finished with 18 ground balls with 11 Mids picking up at least one ground ball each. Fiore paced the team with three ground balls, while Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.), Eby, Haney, Loughery, and Roelofs added two GBs each.
 
At goal, Jo Torres (Prince Frederick, Md.) earned the victory with six saves in just under 54 minutes of action. She gave way to Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) who worked four minutes of scoreless action, while Anne Culicerto (Charlotte, N.C.) closed out the final two minutes without allowing a goal.
 
Navy won 24 of 40 draw controls on the day. Roelofs won 10 draws, giving the senior her 16th career double-digit DC performance in her career. During the game, Roelofs topped 100 draw controls on the season, marking the ninth 100-plus draw control performance in Navy history and the second of Roelofs' career. Dietzel added six draws, while Eby picked up a three. Caroline Stefans (Coral Springs, Fla.) added two draws, while Haney won one.
 
For American, Emma Vinall led the way with five goals, while Kendall Goldblum added a hat trick with three goals. Goalkeeper Mary Alice Collins finished the game with 14 saves in a complete-game effort.
 
Navy opened the scoring with back-to-back goals by Roelofs. Following an American goal, Dietzel responded with a goal to push the lead back to a pair. The Eagles trimmed the margin to one, but goals by Haney and Eby extended the advantage to three. American closed the first quarter with a goal to cut the Navy lead to 5-3.
 
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen used a Roelofs goal – her third of the first half – to give Navy a three-goal edge. The Eagles trimmed the margin to one at 6-5, but a 4-0 run by the Mids gave the home team a 10-5 lead. Beardmore, Roelofs, Denton, and Eby each scored goals during the run. The visitors added two scores, but Leone responded with back-to-back goals. American closed out the first half with a goal to go into intermission with Navy in front, 12-8.
 
The third quarter saw Navy extend the advantage to 15-8 with three straight scores by Fiore, Dietzel, and Ryan. The Eagles used a score to cut the margin, but Roelofs answered to extend the lead back to seven. American trimmed the margin to six, but consecutive goals by Eby and Fiore pushed the Navy lead to 18-11 through three quarters.
 
The Eagles began the fourth quarter with a goal, but the Mids countered with scores by Fiore and Eby. AU scored back-to-back goals, but Navy closed out the game with goals by Eby, Roelofs, and Jade Torres to provide the final margin of 23-13.
 
Navy returns to action on Thursday, May 5, as the Midshipmen take on No. 2 seed Army at the Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Md. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.