ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Freshman Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.) registered eight assists on a rainy Friday night to help Navy women's lacrosse (3-2) post a 15-9 victory over Oregon (2-2) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the home opener for the Midshipmen.
 
The eight assists tied Yovino with Jenna Collins ('18) for the third most helpers in a game in program history. Collins registered the career-high eight assists against Lafayette in 2016. Yovino fell two helpers shy of tying Jasmine DePompeo ('13) for the school record (10) and one assist back of Erin Rawlick ('10) for second place (9).
 
"Ava is a very special young woman and it's a tribute to her desire to be the best she can be," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "She is a total teammate who loves to set up other players."
 
The game marked the first home contest for the Midshipmen, following the longest road stretch – four games – to start the season in program history. With the win, the Mids improved to 14-2 (.875) all-time in home openers.
 
"For the players to come out and ignite it against a Pac-12 school in Oregon was great to see," Timchal added. "For four quarters, they played really solid Navy women's lacrosse. The intensity, the tough defense, the draws, the finishing… we really scrapped all the way through.
 
"We were able to weather the elements. We wanted to play a little more up-tempo, but as it continued to pour that was hard to do. We played a lot against a zone, which requires a lot of ball movement. In rain you probably want more running and less passing. We were able to set ourselves really well by distributing the offense and collectively playing tough defense."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen finished with 15 goals on 34 shots. Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.) led the way with four goals, marking the freshman's second hat trick of the season. She was joined by offensive team captain Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.) who finished with three goals for her second hat trick of the season and the seventh of her career. Tori DiCarlo (Rosemont, Pa.) and Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) notched two goals apiece, while Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.), Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.), Emma Kennedy (Cooksville, Md.), and Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.) added scores.
 
Yovino finished with eight of Navy's 11 assists on the day, including five in the first half. In addition, Denton, Leone, and Kat McAteer (Bohemia, N.Y.) each finished with helpers in the game.
 
Defensively, the Mids closed out the game with five saves and eight caused turnovers. Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) finished with four saves and a ground ball, while Anne Culicerto (Charlotte, N.C.) notched her first collegiate save. Darby Whalen (Chester Springs, Pa.) led the team with two caused turnovers, while six other Midshipmen added CTs in the game. Messinese led the way with three ground balls, while Isabelle Thornburg (Alexandria, Va.) added a pair.
 
Navy won the draw control battle, 19-9. Maura Murphy (Woodbine, Md.) led the team with a season-high eight draw controls. The Midshipmen won 14 of the 17 draw controls when Murphy was in the draw circle. Alyssa Daley (Walkersville, Md.) followed with three draws, while Yovino added a pair.
 
Oregon was led by Gabby Cleveland and Lauren Rismani. Cleveland finished with four points on four goals, while Rismani added three points on three assists. Cassidy Eckert worked a complete game at goal, finishing with nine saves and 15 goals allowed.
 
Navy was the first team to score, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Leone and Ryan combined for the three goals with Yovino contributing assists on two of the scores. Cleveland put the Ducks on the scoreboard, but DiCarlo gave the Mids a 4-1 advantage through the first quarter thanks to a Yovino helper.
 
In the second quarter, Oregon edged Navy, 4-3. Messinese and Cleveland exchanged goals before Kennedy and DeFabio pushed the Navy advantage to 7-2 with back-to-back scores. The Ducks finished the half with three straight goals to trim the margin to 7-5 at halftime.
 
Navy took control of the game in the second half, scoring eight straight goals, including a 4-0 advantage in the third quarter. Denton and Beardmore started the third quarter with goals, while DeFabio capped the quarter with a pair of goals to give her a hat trick.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Mids continued the offensive attack, scoring the first four goals of the period. Ryan, DeFabio, DiCarlo, and Messinese each dented the back of the net to push the Navy advantage to 15-5 and give the home team a running clock. Oregon provided the final margin, scoring the final four goals of the game in the last five minutes of action as the Midshipmen cleared its bench.
 
Navy returns to action on Sunday afternoon as the Midshipmen travel to No. 18 Richmond (4-0) for a noon game at Robins Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
 
NOTE: Navy's game on Wednesday, March 8 against Mount St. Mary's has moved to 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.