WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Navy women's lacrosse team (2-1) defeated Monmouth (1-2) on Saturday in an eventful game that featured a fire alarm, a two-hour delay, and an in-game change of venue. Leading 7-5 with just over 13 minutes to play in the second quarter, a fire alarm in Kessler Stadium started going off, prompting a full evacuation of the stadium. After a two-hour delay, the two teams resumed play on the Monmouth soccer field – Hesse Field on The Great Lawn. The Mids outscored the Hawks, 8-4, on the new field to secure the six-goal win, 15-9.
 
"For Navy women's lacrosse, it was a great win in the road," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "Monmouth has played great lacrosse so far this season. It was critical that even on the road and given everything that went on today that we played together, which I thought we did. I am really, truly happy for the team. This was not an easy game, but they found a way to win."
 
Offensively, Navy tallied 15 goals and seven assists. The Mids were led by Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) and Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.) who each registered hat tricks in the contest. Messinese finished with a team-high four goals, while DeFabio added three scores for her first collegiate hat trick. Offensive team captain Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.) and Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.) each found the back of the net twice, while Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.), Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.), Emma Kennedy (Cooksville, Md.), and Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.) added one goal apiece. Yovino paced the squad with five of the Mids' seven assists. Beardmore and Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) each chipped in helpers.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen picked up 18 ground balls and caused five Hawk turnovers. Corroon and Megan Marengo (Wayne, Pa.) led the way with four ground balls apiece, while Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) and Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) added three and two GB, respectively. Corroon paced the defense with three caused turnovers, while Peterson and Beardmore were each credited with a takeaway.
 
Richardell worked a complete game between the posts, picking up her second victory of the season. The sophomore finished with five saves – all on the second field – while adding three ground balls.
 
Navy won the draw control battle, 17-11. Messinese won a team-high nine ground balls, while Maura Murphy (Woodbine, Md.) added a season-best five draws.
 
Monmouth finished with nine goals and five assists. Carli Mangum and Cassidy Orban led the Hawks with two goals apiece, while Caroline Brennan led the home team with a pair of assists. Goalie Gia Mitchell recorded eight saves and a ground ball in the loss.
 
In the first quarter, the home team jumped out to an early two-goal lead, but the Midshipmen countered with three straight scores to take a 3-2 advantage with 9:32 to play. Messinese opened the scoring for Navy and Ryan followed with back-to-back scores to give the Mids their first lead of the game. Monmouth tied the game three times over the next five minutes with DeFabio and Messinese giving Navy brief leads. Tied 5-5, Beardmore and Yovino scored back-to-back goals to end the first quarter, putting the Mids in front, 7-5.
 
Early in the second quarter, Navy was whistled for a foul, setting up a free-position opportunity for Monmouth. As the teams were lining up for the eight-meter, the fire alarm in the stadium started sounding and forced a stadium evacuation. Fearing a potential gas leak, a decision was made to move the game to the Hawks' soccer field, Hesse Field, which was in the shadows of the Great Hall at Shadow Lawn, which served as the palatial home of Daddy Warbucks in the 1982 movie "Annie."
 
Nearly two hours later, the two teams took the field. Richardell stopped the free-position shot that was set up prior to the stoppage. The Midshipmen countered with goals by Denton and Leone to push the advantage to 9-5. The Hawks used a goal to trim the margin to three, 9-6, heading into halftime.
 
The home team were the first to score coming out of the break, but goals by Messinese and DeFabio extended the Navy advantage back to four goals. Monmouth scored a goal in the third quarter to cut the margin to three, 11-8, heading into the final quarter of play.
 
In the fourth quarter, Monmouth once again scored the first goal of the frame, but the goal would be the Hawks' last as the Navy defense clamped down. The Mids picked up four ground balls, won five draws, and registered a pair of saves in the fourth quarter. The Midshipmen added some insurance with goals by Leone, Kennedy, DeFabio, and Messinese, providing the final margin of 15-9.
 
Navy returns to action with a road game at Villanova on Saturday, Feb. 25. Opening draw between the Midshipmen and Wildcats is slated for 4:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloSports ($).