ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Behind a school-record eight goals by freshman Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.), the Navy women's lacrosse team (5-2) overcame an early deficit to record a 16-8 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen trailed 3-0 through the first quarter, but outscored the Mountaineers, 16-5, in the final three quarters to earn the win.
 
"We have had a long journey from having our home opener against Oregon here on Friday night, traveling down to Richmond, and then playing a midweek game tonight," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Credit to Mount St. Mary's. They came in strong during the first quarter, but we were able to stay balanced. In the second quarter, we were able to outscore them 6-1, and that is the team that we felt like we are and the team that we needed to get back to.
 
"I am proud of the team and happy for the coaches for the great game plan. We were a little off on the shooting tonight, but we were able to dominate in a lot of areas. Mount St. Mary's took some good shots early on, but we were able to play more united and together in the second quarter and throughout the second half."
 
Yovino finished the game with eight goals and two assists for 10 total points. The eight goals tied the rookie for the most goals scored in a game in program history, while the 10 points tied for the fifth-best performance in the Navy annals. The eight-goal performance was the sixth in school history and Yovino became the fourth Midshipmen to accomplish the feat, joining Julia Collins (2x), Loren Generi (2x), and Danielle Vivonetto in the Navy record book. In her first two home games, Yovino has scored 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists with seven draw controls and a pair of ground balls.
 
Navy finished the game with 16 goals and eight assists as a team. In addition to Yovino's eight goals, Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.) and Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.) added two goals apiece, while Maggie Aumiller (Crownsville, Md.), Tori DiCarlo (Rosemont, Pa.), Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.), and Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) each notched scores. DeFabio, Yovino, and Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.) paced the team with two assists apiece, while Messinese and Ryan chipped in helpers.
 
Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) earned the win, logging 58 minutes at goal. She finished the game with five saves and a team-high four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) matched Richardell with four ground balls. Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) picked up three GB, while Leone and Yovino notched two ground balls each. DeFabio joined Richardell with a team-high two caused turnovers while five other Mids caused turnovers in the game.
 
Yovino led the team with five draw controls, while Katie Golbranson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maura Murphy (Woodbine, Md.) added three apiece and Alyssa Daley (Walkersville, Md.) won two draws.
 
Julianna Sanchez, Erin Anderson, and Dani Donoghue led the way for the Mount. Sanchez notched three goals, while Anderson and Donoghue added two goals apiece. Anderson and Mackenzie Furlong registered two assists each. Madison Bradley worked a complete game in the cage, finishing with 14 saves.
 
Mount St. Mary's opened the scoring, taking a 3-0 lead through the first quarter. Messinese notched the first goal of the game for the Midshipmen with 12:16 remaining in the first half. DiCarlo converted a free-position opportunity to close the gap to one at 3-2. Yovino scored back-to-back goals to give Navy the lead at 4-3. DeFabio followed with a goal and Yovino completed the hat trick with her third goal of the quarter. The Mountaineers were able to trim the margin to two with a goal just before halftime.
 
In the second half, Navy was able to extend the advantage. The Mids outscored the Mount, 4-1, in the third quarter to push the lead to 10-5. Yovino opened the scoring, while Ryan notched back-to-back scores. Following a Mount St. Mary's goal, Yovino closed out the third quarter with her fifth score of the game. In the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen used a 5-0 run to take a 10-goal advantage. Yovino started the run with a goal off of a DeFabio assist. DeFabio followed with a free-position goal before Yovino registered back-to-back scores. Leone closed out the run with goal to begin the running clock. The Mount countered with a pair of goals to close the gap, but Aumiller scored her first collegiate goal to extend the advantage back to nine goals with just under a minute to play. The Mountaineers used a goal with three ticks remaining on the clock to provide the final margin of 16-8.
 
Looking ahead, Navy hosts No. 22 Jacksonville on Thursday, March 16 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available throughout the game.