ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 24 Navy women's lacrosse team (10-2, 4-0 Patriot League) posted a 15-10 victory over Colgate (2-8, 1-3 Patriot League) on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Twelve of Navy's 15 goals in the game were scored by freshmen and sophomores as the Mids' underclassmen led the way against the Raiders.
 
"It seems like every time we play Colgate, it's a great game," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "They have some tough athletes and they have been tough on the draw. I thought we did a great job defensively. Offensively, I thought we could've shot a little better, but, at the end of the day, Navy women's lacrosse was here together no matter what the score is. We are not going to be defined by our goals as much as playing together, even if we may not be playing our best game."
 
Offensively, Navy was led by its youth. Six of the eight Midshipmen to find the back of the net in the game were underclassmen. The freshmen and sophomores accounted for 80-percent of the Mids' goals on the day. Freshman Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.) and sophomore Tori DiCarlo (Rosemont, Pa.) paced the offensive attack with three goals apiece. For DeFabio, it was the rookie's fifth hat trick, while it was DiCarlo's fourth career hat trick and third of the season. Sophomores Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) added a pair of goals apiece, while rookies Emma Kennedy (Cooksville, Md.) and Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.) each dented the net. Navy's three goals scored by its upperclassmen came from junior Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.) and senior captain Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.). Denton netted a pair of goals, while Ryan chipped in a score.
 
The Mids' juniors and seniors helped facilitate the offense, finishing with six of Navy's eight assists on the day. Junior Isabelle Thornburg (Alexandria, Va.) led the team with three assists, while Ryan contributed a pair of helpers. Junior Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.), along with DeFabio and Yovino, rounded out Navy's assists on the day.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen tightened up in the second half, limiting the Raiders to just a pair of second-half goals.
 
Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) worked a complete game at goal. The sophomore finished with 10 saves, marking the fourth time this season she notched double-digit stops. Richardell notched six of her 10 stops in the second half. The win was the 10th of the season for Richardell and the 11th of her short career.
 
Colgate committed 19 turnovers with Navy causing seven of the Raiders' miscues. Six Mids finished the day with caused turnovers with Katie Golbranson (Newport Beach, Calif.) leading the charge with two CT. Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.), Gabby Lavin (Gambrills, Md.), Beardmore, Leone, and Messinese also forced turnovers. The defense was instrumental in the transition game, helping Navy convert 23 of 24 clear attempt, while causing four failed clears by Colgate.
 
Navy picked up a season-high 23 ground balls in the game. Corroon led the way with four ground balls, while DeFabio, Richardell, and Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) picked up three apiece. Beardmore, Golbranson, and Ryan added two GB with Megan Marengo (Wayne, Pa.), DiCarlo, Lavin, and Messinese picking up one.
 
The Midshipmen finished with 11 draw controls with Alyssa Daley (Walkersville, Md.), DeFabio, Golbranson, and Yovino each winning a pair of draws.
 
For Colgate, Molly Krestinski led the way with three goals, while Sarah Marcovici followed with two scores. Kyra Lucey registered all three of the Raiders' assists. Cara O'Reilly (6) and Sarah Harding (5) combined to win 11 of 18 draws. Catie Lang finished with 10 saves at goal in a losing effort.
 
Navy was the first team to score with Denton breaking the plane just over a minute into the first quarter. Colgate responded with back-to-back scores to take a 2-1 advantage, but the Mids answered with goals by Leone and DiCarlo to regain the one-goal advantage. Following Raider goal, DeFabio gave the Mids a 4-3 advantage. Colgate closed out the first period with a goal, knotting the game at 4-4.
 
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen used a 5-0 run to give themselves a 9-4 advantage. DeFabio opened the run with a goal off of a Ryan assist. Messinese and Leone created their own opportunities with unassisted goals. Denton continued the run, converting a free-position opportunity, while DiCarlo deposited a DeFabio pass in the back of the net. The Raiders responded with a 4-0 run to close out the half, pulling to within one at halftime.
 
The Mids led 9-8 at halftime, but limited the Raiders to just a pair of scorers in the second half en route to the five-goal win. Navy outscored Colgate, 4-1, in the third quarter, finishing the fourth quarter with a 2-1 advantage in scores.
 
Ryan opened the second-half scoring a free-position goal. DeFabio completed her hat trick with what proved to be the game-winning goal. DiCarlo closed out her hat trick to cap the Mids' 3-0 run to start the third quarter, putting Navy in front 12-8. The Raiders closed the gap to three, but Messinese took a pass from Yovino and buried it in the back of the net to close out the third-quarter scoring.
 
Colgate scored a goal three minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Navy defense prevented any further Raider goals. Yovino and Kennedy each found the back of the net in the fourth to provide the final margin of 15-10.
 
Navy continues Patriot League play on the road against Boston University on Saturday, April 8 at 12:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.