ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 23 Navy women's lacrosse team (11-3, 5-1 Patriot League) returns to Annapolis to host Holy Cross (5-8, 2-3 Patriot League) on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The game, which is presented by First Command, will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
 
In addition, the game will serve as Senior Day for the Midshipmen. Prior to the game, the Mids will recognize the senior class for their efforts both on and off the field. The Midshipmen have eight senior players – Maggie Aumiller (Crownsville, Md.), Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio), Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.), Casey Feinstein (Reisterstown, Md.), Zayda Fredericks (Sarasota, Fla.), Eloise Gebert (Pottstown, Pa.), Gabby Lavin (Gambrills, Md.), and Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.) – along with student assistant, Maggie Cleary (Dunwoody, Ga.).
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy enters the week 11-3 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League. As a team, the Midshipmen have tallied 210 goals with 95 assists, while picking up 239 ground balls, winning 215 draw controls, and causing 135 turnovers. In Patriot League games, the Mids have scored 96 goals with 36 assists with 110 ground balls, 95 draw controls, and 70 caused turnovers.
 
Entering the week, Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.) and Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.) rank in the top 10 in the NCAA for their performances on the field. Yovino is third nationally in points (75), while ranking fourth in assists (43) and assists per game (3.07) and fifth in points per game (5.36). Denton is 10th in the NCAA in shot percentage (.612).
 
Yovino leads the team with 75 points with a team-best 43 assists while adding 32 goals. She is joined atop the Navy leaderboard by Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.) who leads the squad with 35 goals, while adding eight helpers for 43 points. Denton is third on the team with 34 points on 30 goals and four helpers. Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.) sits one point back of Denton with 33 total points on 27 goals and six assists. DeFabio, Denton, and Yovino pace the team with six hat tricks apiece this season, while Denton is the team's active leader with 13 career hat tricks.
 
Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.), Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.), Tori DiCarlo (Rosemont, Pa.), and Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.) round out Navy's double-digit point scorers. Ryan has 20 goals and seven assists for 27 points, while Leone has 24 points on 23 scores and a helper. Two points back is DiCarlo (22) who has notched 18 goals with four helpers, while Beardmore has a more balanced 10 scores and six assists for 16 points.
 
Defensively, Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) has logged 818 minutes between the pipes for the Midshipmen. The sophomore goalkeeper has notched 94 saves with 29 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
 
Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) leads the team with 35 ground balls, followed by Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) and Richardell who have picked up 29 GB each. Corroon leads the team with 18 caused turnovers, while Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio) and Yovino follow with 14 apiece. Katie Golbranson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Peterson have caused 12 and 10 turnovers, respectively.
 
Additionally, Alyssa Daley (Walkersville, Md.) leads the team with 49 draw controls, while Messinese and Yovino have each won more than 35 draws this season. Messinese has 43 draws, while Yovino has 38.
 
All-Time Series
The game marks the 17th meeting between the two teams. Navy holds a 14-2 (.875) overall record against Holy Cross with a 9-0 mark at home.
 
The Midshipmen have won four in a row against the Crusaders, and 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams.
 
The two teams met last season for the first time since 2019. The 2020 Patriot League season was canceled and the 2021 season saw the conference split into divisions. Navy was in the South Division and did not play Holy Cross who was in the North Division.
 
Last season, the Midshipmen posted a 13-9 victory over the Crusaders. Navy won the last meeting between the two teams in Annapolis, 22-6, in 2019.
 
Scouting the Opposition
The Crusaders enter the weekend with a 5-8 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in the Patriot League. Holy Cross heads to Annapolis after registering an 11-10 victory over Lafayette at home on Saturday, April 8. Senior Christine Fabrizi tallied three goals, including the game-winner against the Leopards.
 
Holy Cross is led by Lauren Drillock. The junior has a team-high 43 points on a team-best 30 goals with 13 assists. Isabela Miller is second on the team in points (25), leading the squad with 14 helpers and adding 11 goals. Drillock is second on the team with 30 draws, behind Ella Kittredge who leads the Crusaders with 32.
 
At goal, the Crusaders have used a pair of keepers. Tori Cini has played in 12 of 13 games with 10 starts. She has a team-high 72 saves in 492 minutes of action, while Mackenzie Creagh has 42 saves in nearly 288 minutes. Creagh has played in 10 games with three starts on the season.
 
Holy Cross head coach Amanda Belichick is the daughter of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Bill Belichick, who has won a record eight Super Bowls (six as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants) and is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Football League, was raised in the city of Annapolis where his father, Steve, was a coach, scout, and physical education instructor at the Naval Academy for more than 30 years.
 
Up Next
Following the game, Navy travels to West Point to take on No. 15 Army in the annual Star Game, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The game is slated for 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.