RICHMOND, Va. – The Navy women's lacrosse team (4-2) posted a 20-9 win over No. 18 Richmond (4-1) on Sunday afternoon at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. The 11-point win tied for the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in program history, while the 20 goals scored were the most scored against a ranked foe in school history.
 
It is the first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Since earning its first win against a ranked team in 2017, Navy has posted at least one victory over a ranked team each year, except a Covid-shortened 2021 season.
 
"It is a privilege to coach these players," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Coming off of a home victory on Friday against Oregon, it was a great opportunity for us to come down to Richmond and play a ranked opponent. We played some solid Navy women's lacrosse. Led by my assistants Brooke Shriver and Brindi Griffin, it was a total team effort to turn things around so quickly after Oregon. The players were totally engaged and they played together and had each other's back."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen scored 20 goals against the nationally-ranked Spiders. The Mids tallied 10 goals in each half en route to the victory. Five different players – Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.), Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.), Tori DiCarlo (Rosemont, Pa.), Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.), and Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) – registered hat tricks in the game. Messinese finished with a team-high five goals, while Denton added four scores. DeFabio, DiCarlo, and Leone each finished with three goals to complete their hat tricks. Additionally, Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.) and Isabelle Thornburg (Alexandria, Va.) added goals in the contest.
 
Once again, Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.) paced the squad in assists, leading the way with five helpers. The freshman had five of the team's eight assists on the day, while Denton, DiCarlo, and Messinese were each credited with assists. Yovino leads the team with 27 assists, including 13 in the last two games. 
 
The defense held No. 18 Richmond to nine goals on the day, marking the lowest scoring output of the season for the Spiders. The Navy back line limited the potent Spider offense to just one goal in the second half, including holding the home team scoreless in the fourth quarter. It is the third time this season that the Midshipmen have held an opponent to single digit goals, including back-to-back performances holding a team to single digits.
 
"You don't typically realize it during the course of the game," Timchal added of the second-half performance. "It is a tribute to the amount of intensity our team plays with. We have a blend of returning starters and new players throughout the field. Shout out to Brooke for having our defense prepared and to Brindi to rep out their defense to get our offense ready. We were able to back each other up throughout the day and play solid Navy women's lacrosse."
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) registered a career-high 10 saves, marking the first time in her career that the keeper notched double-digit stops. She was balanced recording five saves in each half, helping anchor a defense that held the potent Richmond offense to just nine goals.
 
Five different Midshipmen finished the game with caused turnovers, while Navy closed out the game with 17 ground balls. Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) led the way with four ground balls, while Megan Marengo (Wayne, Pa.), Leone, and Yovino added to GB apiece.
 
Navy finished with 14 ground balls on the day. Maura Murphy (Woodbine, Md.) led the way with five draws, while Katie Golbranson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Yovino added three and two, respectively.
 
For Richmond, Grace Muldoon and Sarah Roycroft finished the game with two goals apiece, while Colleen Quinn led the way with three assists. Goalkeeper Daniela Stelcer took the loss finishing with three saves and 11 goals allowed, while goalie Emilie Bloyer allowed nine scores, while blocking four shots.
 
Navy opened the scoring one minute into the game as Leone buried a pass from Yovino into the back of the net. After the Spiders tied the game, the Mids used a 3-0 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Midshipmen regained the lead on Beardmore's first goal and scores by Denton and Thornburg pushed the advantage to three. The home team trimmed the margin to two on three occasions, but two goals by DiCarlo and one by Messinese gave Navy a 7-4 advantage after one quarter of play.
 
The Mids used a DeFabio goal to push the lead to four, 8-4, to start the second period, but back-to-back goals by Richmond closed the gap to two. DiCarlo and Denton followed with consecutive goals to regain a four-goal advantage, but the Spiders countered with two goals to end the half with Mids in front 10-7.
 
In the second half, it was nearly all Navy. The Midshipmen outscored the Spiders, 10-1 in the second half, including holding the home team scoreless in the fourth quarter.
 
Messinese began the third quarter with back-to-back goals. DeFabio followed to push the advantage to five, 13-8. Leone fired off consecutive scores to give Navy a 15-8 lead. Following a goal by Richmond, Messinese closed out the third quarter with her third score of the period.
 
In the fourth quarter, Denton (two goals), DeFabio, and Messinese each dented the net, while the Midshipmen's defense kept the Spider offense scoreless.
 
Navy returns to action on Wednesday, March 8, as the Midshipmen welcome Mount St. Mary's to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a midweek nonconference game. Opening draw is slated for 6:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.