ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On a rainy Wednesday night in Annapolis, the No. 16 Navy women's lacrosse team (5-1) dropped a 13-12 decision to Drexel (4-2) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Dragons used a 6-0 run to take a three-goal second-half lead, 10-7, but the Midshipmen fought back to tie it at 10 before ultimately falling by one.
 
"It was a tough loss for Navy women's lacrosse," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Drexel came out motivated and pushed us. At first, we went back and forth, but there were some things that didn't go our way. At the end of the day, we are a tough group who is united in spirit. There are no excuses. We need to use this as a way to galvanize and really get after it in our next game."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen recorded 12 goals on 23 shots, including 20 shots on goal. Six different Mids found the back of the net, including Tori DiCarlo and Lola Leone who finished with three goals apiece. Emily Messinese and Mikayla Williams chipped in two scores each, while Lindsay Beardmore and Kat McAteer both scored.
 
McAteer led the team with three assists, while Messinese and Williams each added a helper.
 
Defensively, Navy caused five of Drexel's 12 turnovers. Caroline Stefans paced the team with three caused turnovers with DiCarlo and Isabelle Thornburg adding takeaways. Stefans led the team with three ground balls, while Landen Cain finished with two.
 
Felicia Giglio took the hard-luck loss on the night. The freshman goalkeeper worked nearly 58 minutes between the pipes with six saves and a ground ball, surrendering 12 scores. She gave way briefly to Emma Richardell who worked just over two minutes in the cage allowing a goal.
 
Navy, who entered the game as one of the top draw control teams in the country, finished with a slight advantage in the draw circle, 15-13. Alyssa Daley led the way for the Midshipmen with eight draws, while Messinese added five.
 
For Drexel, Allison Drake led the way with four goals, while Corinne Bednarik all added four points on three goals and an assist. The Dragons converted four free-position opportunities. Drexel picked up 14 ground balls as a team, including a team-high five ground balls by goalie Jenika Cuocco. The redshirt sophomore goalie finished with eight saves and 12 goals allowed.
 
Drexel was the first team to score, converting an eight-meter opportunity to take a 1-0 lead. Navy countered with its own free-position goal by Williams, knotting the game a one. DiCarlo gave the Mids a 2-1 advantage, but just under a minute later, the Dragons countered with the game-tying goal to end the first quarter locked at 2-2.
 
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen rattled off three straight goals to take a 5-2 advantage. Leone netted her first of the evening, while DiCarlo found the back of the net twice to complete her first-half hat trick. The Dragons responded with back-to-back goals to trim the Mids' lead to 5-4. Williams and Messinese countered with goals, but Drexel used a 3-0 run to end the half and send the game into halftime tied at 7-7.
 
The Drexel run continued in the second half ultimately extending to a 6-0 run to give the visitors a 10-7 advantage. Leone scored with 82 seconds remaining in the third quarter to end the run. The goal ended a scoring drought for Navy that lasted nearly 22 minutes.
 
In the fourth quarter, Messinese and Beardmore both converted passes from McAteer to goals to even the game at 10-10. The Dragons used a 3-0 run to take a 13-10 lead with 6:34 remaining in regulation. Leone scored to cut the Drexel lead to two with 5:40 to play. With time winding down, the Midshipmen got a goal from McAteer with 33 ticks on the clock to cut the margin to one. Drexel won the ensuing draw control and was able to run out the clock and earn the 13-12 win.
 
Up next, Navy women's lacrosse hits the road as the Midshipmen travel to Jacksonville, Fla. to take on Jacksonville at Rock Stadium. Opening draw is set for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.