ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 17 Navy women's lacrosse team (8-3, 2-1 Patriot League) returns to Annapolis to host Bucknell (3-6, 1-2 Patriot League) on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 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 nine senior players – Emily Armero, Lindsay Beardmore, Anne Culicerto, Leelee Denton, Katie Golbranson, Kate Hartnett, Annie Newton, Caroline Stefans, and Isabelle Thornburg – along with student manager, Will Clark.
 
All-Time Series
The Mids and Bison meet for the 16th time on Saturday. Navy holds a 15-0 advantage in the series, including an 8-0 mark in Annapolis.
 
The two teams have meet on the lacrosse field each season except one, dating back to the Mids' inaugural season in 2008. The two teams did not play against one another in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first and only time the two teams did not meet during a season.
 
Last season, Navy opened Patriot League play with a total team effort, defeating Bucknell at Graham Field at Holmes Stadium, 21-13, in Lewisburg, Pa. Led by five goals by Leelee Denton and Emily Messinese, the Midshipmen saw 11 different players score in the game.
 
The last time the two teams met in Annapolis, the Midshipmen posted a 15-3 victory over the Bison at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids opened the game with a 9-0 run and never looked back en route to the 12-goal victory.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
The No. 17 Navy women's lacrosse team enters the weekend 8-3 overall with a 2-1 mark in Patriot League play. In their last outing, the Midshipmen were edged 14-13 by Saint Joseph's on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia in a game that featured five runs of three goals or more.
 
As a team, the Midshipmen have tallied 169 goals with 70 assists, while picking up 175 ground balls, winning 194 draw controls, and causing 85 turnovers.
 
Entering the week, Emily Messinese and Tori DiCarlo lead the team with 49 and 42 points, respectively. Messinese has 49 points with on 40 goals, while adding nine assists. DiCarlo is second one the team with 42 points on 35 goals with seven helpers. Messinese has posted a team-best 10 hat tricks in 11 games, while DiCarlo has registered eight hat tricks to this point.
 
Kat McAteer is third on the team with 32 total points. The sophomore has a balanced 16 goals with a team-high 16 assists to her credit. In the last home game, McAteer recorded a season-best four helpers against Boston University.
 
Mikayla Williams is fourth on the team in points with 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 total points. Lola Leone is fifth in points (24) and third in goals (19) with four hat tricks on the year, while Maggie DeFabio has 15 goals with seven assists for 22 points to round out Navy's 20 or more-point scorers.
 
Emma Kennedy has posted a balanced attack of six goals and seven assists for 13 points, while Lindsay Beardmore also has double-digit points (13) with eight goals and five assists. With her first collegiate assist at Saint Joseph's, Anna Gotterup has 10 points this season on nine goals and a helper.
 
Defensively, Felicia Giglio has logged 514:25 of the 660 minutes between the pipes for the Midshipmen. The freshman goalkeeper has notched 55 saves with 17 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Emma Richardell has recorded 18 stops with four caused turnovers and three ground balls in 139:32 minutes of action in 2024.
 
DeFabio and Williams are tied for the team lead with 18 ground balls apiece. The duo is followed by Giglio, Caroline Stefans, and Morgan Lewis, who have picked up 17, 16, and 10 GB, individually, to close out the Mids' double-digit ground balls. Stefans has caused a team-high 11 turnovers, ahead of Jaclyn Johns who has nine. Giglio, Williams, and Caroline Gage are next with seven apiece.
 
Alyssa Daley leads the team with 93 draw controls. The junior ranks eighth in program history with 170 draws. She is one (1) back of Kathy Young ('13) for seventh all time (171 draws). Messinese currently has 39 draws on the year and 113 career DC. Williams and Stefans follow with 23 and 12 draws, respectively.
 
Scouting the Opposition
The Bison head to Annapolis for their third road game in a seven-day span against a top-four team in the Patriot League, after falling to Holy Cross (L, 18-10) and Lehigh (L, 15-8) earlier in the week. Bucknell defeated Boston University (W, 16-13) in its Patriot League opener, snapping a nine-game series losing streak to the Terriers.
 
Allie Boyce (20g 5a) became the first Bison to hit the 20-goal mark. She leads the team in goals and points, and her 106 career goals are 10th-most in Bucknell history. Boyce needs one more goal to catch Carol Donohue for the No. 9 spot. Taylor McClain (5g 10a) leads the team in assists and is fifth on Bucknell's career list with 55 assists. She needs one more to catch Meredith Wright for the No. 4 spot.
 
Braeden Siverson has been Bucknell's primary draw specialist this season, leading the team with 43 draw controls. Aliza Thir has 25 and Tatumn Kohlbrenner has 18. Kohlbrenner leads Bucknell's field players with 13 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
 
Colleen Kazanjian has started seven of the nine games in goal and has a .349 save percentage and 14.10 goals-against average.
 
Daley, Messinese Named ILWomen Midseason All-Americans
Inside Lacrosse announced its midseason All-Americans on Thursday afternoon and Navy juniors Alyssa Daley and Emily Messinese were honorable mention selections. Daley was named for her success in the draw circle, while Messinese was selected as a midfielder. It is the second consecutive season that Navy has had someone on the ILWomen Midseason All-America list as then-freshman Ava Yovino was a third-team selection last year.
 
Up Next
Following the game with Bucknell, Navy travels to Worcester, Mass. for a Patriot League game at Holy Cross on Saturday, April 6. Opening draw is slated for 1:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.