WORCESTER, Mass. – The No. 19 Navy women's lacrosse team (10-3, 4-1 in Patriot League) posted a 13-9 victory over Holy Cross (9-3, 4-1 in Patriot League) on Saturday afternoon at Kuzniewski Field in Worcester, Mass., snapping the Crusaders' eight-game winning streak. The two teams were tied 7-7 at halftime, but the Mids used a second-half burst, outscoring the Crusaders 6-2, to secure the four-goal victory.
 
The Midshipmen were able to gain extra possessions in the game, dominating the draw circle. As a team, the Mids won 23 of 26 draw controls with junior Alyssa Daley finishing with a career-best 17 draws in the game. Daley fell one draw shy of tying the single-game record of 18, originally set by Reagan Roelofs ('22) in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals against Army back in 2019. The 23 draws as a team tied the Mids' season-high, which they originally set at Mount St. Mary's. Additionally, the 23 draw controls tied for the 10th most draws in a game in Navy history.
 
"It was a great win on the road – a hard fought victory" head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Navy women's lacrosse demonstrated great teamwork in the victory over Holy Cross today. It is a testament to how hard our team competed in less-than-ideal conditions. I could not be prouder of this team and their effort today."
 
Offensively, five different Midshipmen combined to score the team's 13 goals. Emily Messinese led the team, recording five goals in a game for the sixth time in her career. The junior scored three goals in the third quarter and accounted for 50-percent of the Mids' second-half scores. Tori DiCarlo recorded her 10th hat trick of the season, finishing with three goals. Lola Leone and Mikayla Williams chipped in two scores apiece, while Kat McAteer added a goal. Maggie DeFabio finished with Navy's only assist of the game.
 
With her second goal of the game, Messinese became the 15th player in Navy history to record 100 or more goals. She currently has 103 scores; five goals shy of tying Andie O'Sullivan ('19) and Roelofs for 13th all-time with 108.
 
Defensively, Navy held its 10th opponent this season to single-digit goals. The Midshipmen have now registered 11 seasons of holding 10 or more opponents to single-digit goals in their 17-year history. In each of Navy's 10 wins this season, the Midshipmen have held their opponent to single-digit goals.
 
Felicia Giglio worked a complete game at goal for the Midshipmen. The freshman tied a season-high with eight saves in the game, including five stops in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory. Two of Giglio's fourth-quarter saves came on Holy Cross free-position opportunities.
 
Additionally, the Midshipmen caused six turnovers in the game. Caroline Stefans led the charge with two caused turnovers, while DiCarlo, Giglio, Messinese, and Williams were also credited with takeaways in the game. Stefans and Messinese tied for the team-lead with three ground balls apiece, while DiCarlo added a pair.
 
The game was a physical contest with the two teams combining for 53 fouls – 31 for Navy and 22 for Holy Cross. The two teams were called for 15 total cards, including eight yellow cards and seven green cards. The Mids were called for five green cards and four yellow cards.
 
For Holy Cross, five Crusaders combined for nine goals. Isabela Miller led the way with three scores, while adding a pair of assists for a team-high five points. Sally Zinsner and Lauren Drillock added two goals apiece with Zinsner chipping in a pair of helpers. Goalkeeper Tori Cini finished the game with 17 saves, while giving up 13 goals.
 
In the first half, the two teams matched one another goal for goal with neither team taking more than a one-goal lead.
 
Holy Cross opened the scoring but Messinese countered. Following a Crusader goal, DiCarlo evened the box score at 2-2. HC regained the lead, but Messinese once again knotted the score. The Crusaders scored to go ahead 4-3 with 19 seconds remaining in the first period, but Williams won the ensuing draw, split the defenders and scored with eight ticks on the clock to send the game into the second quarter knotted, 4-4.
 
In the second quarter, Holy Cross once again took a one-goal advantage, but back-to-back goals by Leone and McAteer gave Navy its first lead of the afternoon, 6-5. Consecutive scores by the home team gave Holy Cross a 7-6 edge, but DiCarlo converted a free-position opportunity to send the game into halftime locked at 7-7.
 
Messinese gave the Midshipmen a third-quarter lead, burying a free-position goal in the back of the net. Williams followed to give the Mids a two-goal advantage, 9-7. The Crusaders cut the margin to one, but Messinese responded with back-to-back goals to give Navy an 11-8 lead through three quarters.
 
In the fourth quarter, DiCarlo completed her hat trick with a goal to give the Mids' a four-goal advantage. The Crusaders cut the margin to three with a goal, but Leone scored what would be the final goal of the afternoon to give Navy a 13-9 win.
 
Navy returns home for the annual Star Game against Army on Saturday, April 13. Opening draw is slated for 4:15 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.