ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the No. 18 Navy women's lacrosse team (8-2, 2-1 Patriot League) posted a 20-9 victory over Boston University (4-4, 0-2 Patriot League) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
 
"We had a great Patriot League home opener after a pair of road games at Colgate and at Loyola," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "It was good to come home and have this decisive victory over Boston University. I couldn't be prouder of the team. In addition to players and team captains, what really makes this work is really great coaches – Gabby Capuzzi Solomon, Brooke Matthews Shriver, and Taylor Pinzone. We had to regroup after Loyola. We wanted to make sure we had the right mindset when we stepped out on this field today."
 
In a game that saw every healthy Midshipmen step onto the field, nine Mids combined for Navy's 20 goals in the game, including six that scored multiple goals. Tori DiCarlo and Emily Messinese paced the offensive attack with four goals apiece, while Maggie DeFabio chipped in three goals for a hat trick. It was Messinese's ninth hat trick of the season, while it was DiCarlo's eighth and the DeFabio's second of the year. Lindsay Beardmore, Lola Leone, and Kat McAteer finished with two goals apiece, while Caroline Gage, Anna Gotterup, and Emma Kennedy rounded out the scoring with one goal each.
 
McAteer led the team with a career-high four assists, while DiCarlo and Mikayla Williams added two helpers each. Kennedy and Messinese were credited with one helper each, giving the Midshipmen 10 assists as a team.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen once again held an opponent to single-digit goals. This season, the Mids have held eight of its 10 opponents to single digits. Navy caused seven of BU's 11 turnovers on the day. Jaclyn Johns and Grace Peterson led the defense with two caused turnovers each with Emily Armero, Leone, and McAteer adding one CT apiece. Peterson picked up a pair of ground balls to lead the Mids, while Marina Bergin, Felicia Giglio, Megan Marengo, Lily Strohecker, Leone, McAteer, and Williams also picked up ground balls.
 
Giglio earned the start at goal for the Midshipmen. The freshman worked 41:40 between the pipes, finishing with six saves and only allowing two goals. Emma Richardell entered in relief of Giglio. The junior finished with a save in just over 15 minutes of action before giving way to Anne Culicerto who closed out the final three-plus minutes of action.
 
Navy won the draw control battle, 20-11. The Midshipmen had a 14-4 advantage in draws in the first half before the Terriers closed the gap in the late stages of the game when Navy cleared its bench. Alyssa Daley led the way for the Mids with nine draws, while Messinese and Williams each earned three draw wins each. Bergin and Gotterup were also credited with draw control wins on the day.
 
For Boston, Abby Cotraro and Leah Hodgins each scored three goals apiece with Raegan Bailey and Reilly Walsh leading the Terriers with two assists each. Natalie Aiosa finished with eight saves in just over 50 minutes of action, allowing 19 goals.
 
In the first quarter, Navy jumped out to an early lead. Leone and McAteer scored back-to-back goals to put the Mids in front, 2-0. Boston scored a goal to trim the margin to one, but Navy used a 5-0 run to end the half. Messinese scored a pair of goals around a DiCarlo score to put the Midshipmen up 5-1. Leone netted her second score of the quarter before DiCarlo ended the period with her second goal of the day.
 
The Mids continued the streak in the second quarter adding three more scores before BU found the back of the net. Messinese completed her hat trick, starting the second period with her third goal. Gage scored her second goal of the season to put Navy in front 9-1 and DeFabio followed with a goal to give the Mids double figures. The Terriers scored a goal, but the Midshipmen once again used a 4-0 run to close out the half. DeFabio netted her second goal of the afternoon and DiCarlo completed her hat trick with her third goal of the first half. Gotterup buried a goal into the back of the net to put Navy in front 14-2 at halftime.
 
Beardmore opened the second half with back-to-back scores to push the advantage to 16-2. DeFabio, DiCarlo, and McAteer closed out Navy's run putting the Mids in front 19-2 with 3:43 to play in the third quarter. Boston University used a pair of goals to end the third quarter with Navy in front, 19-4.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen emptied the bench, allowing every healthy player to get some playing time. Kennedy scored to give Navy a season-high 20 goals. The Terriers used a 5-0 run to close out the game and provide the final margin, 20-9.
 
Up next, Navy travels to Philadelphia for a midweek nonconference game at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.