ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 16/14 Navy women's lacrosse team (1-0) is set for its first road trip of the 2025 season as the Midshipmen travel to Villanova, Pa. to take on Villanova (2-0) on 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15 at Villanova Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FloLive and live stats will be available.
 
The game is part of a doubleheader with the Villanova men's lacrosse team, who begin competition against No. 9 Yale at 12:00 p.m.
 
All-Time Series
The game between Navy and Villanova will mark the 11th meeting between the two teams. The Midshipmen have a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series with a 4-1 mark on the road.
 
The two teams first met in 2008 with the Mids claiming a 19-8 road victory. The following season, the Wildcats edged the Midshipmen, 15-14, in overtime to even the season. Navy won the next five meetings between the two teams from 2014 to 2019; however, Villanova claimed the next two meetings of the series, earning a 12-9 win over the Midshipmen in 2020 and an 11-10 overtime win in 2023. Last season, Navy posted an 18-9 victory in Annapolis.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
No. 18 Navy used a 7-0 run to open the 2025 season to help propel the Midshipmen to a 16-9 victory over Saint Joseph's at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Hawks made the game interesting, trimming the Mids' lead to just two, 11-9, but Navy outscored Saint Joseph's 5-0 over the final 16 minutes of the game to secure the win.
 
As a team, the Midshipmen have tallied 16 goals with nine assists, while picking up 22 ground balls, winning 14 draw controls, and causing 11 turnovers.
 
Entering the weekend, Emily Messinese and Mikayla Williams lead the team with five points apiece. Messinese boasts a team-best four goals, while adding an assist. Williams scored two goals in the season opener to go along with a team-high and career-best three assists.
 
Alyssa Chung and Emma Kennedy are one point back of Messinese and Williams with four points apiece. The duo each netted three goals, while adding an assist against Saint Joseph's.
 
Taylor Miles scored a pair of goals in her first collegiate game, while Tori DiCarlo and Ava Yovino also added goals against the Hawks. Maggie DeFabio, Anna Gotterup, and Lola Leone each finished the season opener with an assist.
 
Defensively, Navy held Saint Joseph's to nine goals. It was the 14th time in the last 20 games that the Midshipmen held an opponent to single-digits.
 
In the season opener, the Midshipmen caused 11 of the Hawks' 17 turnovers, including six unsuccessful clear attempts by SJU. DeFabio led the team with five ground balls, while Messinese followed with three. Jalin Jenkins matched Miles with two GB in the contest. Goalkeeper Felicia Giglio paced the team with a career-high three caused turnovers, while Messinese and Caroline Gage added two takeaways. Giglio had just one save through three quarters, but raised her game in the fourth quarter to make four stops and hold Saint Joseph's scoreless in the final period of play and finish with five saves in the game.
 
The Mids had a slight advantage in draw controls, 14-12. Alyssa Daley led all players with six draw victories. Messinese chipped in three while Williams and Yovino added two each. Miles was also credited with a draw victory.
 
Scouting the Opposition
The Wildcats enter the week with a 2-0 record on the season. Villanova opened the season at home, defeating Binghamton, 20-4. The Wildcats followed that performance with a midweek victory over Saint Joseph's (W, 14-10).
 
Two games into the season, Villanova's Sami Carey leads the NCAA in assists (12), assists per game (6.00), points (18), and points per game (9.00). She has 18 points on a team-high six goals and 12 helpers.
 
Carey is joined by Leslie Iorio and Jillian Vaught with a team-high six goals apiece. Sydney Pappas (3g 2a) is fourth on the team in points, while Madison Freeman (4g 0a) and Rose Christie (3g 1a) are tied for fifth on the Wildcats' leaderboard.
 
Makenzie Fisher has played and started both games at goalkeeper for Villanova. She has logged 105 minutes with six saves and 14 goals allowed for a 30.0-save percentage and an 8.00 goals against average. Cate Gallagher has seen 15 minutes of action, facing just two shots so far this season.
 
National Rankings
The Navy women's lacrosse team is currently ranked in all three national polls. The Midshipmen enter the IWLCA Coaches Poll rankings this week at No. 16, while moving up to No. 14 in the Inside Lacrosse Media poll. Additionally, the Mids are ranked No. 15 according to USA Lacrosse.
 
In its history, Navy has been ranked 94 total weeks, including a stretch of 46 weeks from the final poll of 2017 (May 30) to April 5, 2021. The Mids' first appearance in the national rankings came on March 11, 2013, coming in at No. 20. The Midshipmen's highest ranking – sixth – came in the final polls of the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Last season, the Midshipmen were in the top 25 poll for seven weeks, rising as high as No. 17 and finishing the season 20th.
 
Women's Lacrosse Claims Pair of Weekly Honors
The Patriot League announced its weekly honors on Monday afternoon and Navy women's lacrosse freshman Alyssa Chung was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for her efforts in the Mids' 16-9 victory over Saint Joseph's in the season opener. Additionally, senior Emily Messinese earned Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) Athlete of the Week, presented by Northrop Grumman.
 
In her first collegiate action, Chung finished the game with four points on three goals and an assist in less than one half of play. The freshman netted all three goals in the first quarter as part of Navy's 7-0 run (6-0 through first quarter) through the first 15 and a half minutes of action. Chung's goals gave the Midshipmen a 2-0, 4-0, and 6-0 advantage, while her assist on Emma Kennedy's goal put Navy in front 5-0. In addition, she picked up a ground ball and caused a turnover.
 
Messinese concluded the season opener with a team-high five points on a team-best four goals with an assist. Additionally, she added three ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers. The senior scored her first goal of the day in the first quarter. She netted two goals in the second quarter for her first hat trick of the season and the 25th of her career. When Saint Joseph's closed the gap to within two goals, 11-9, Messinese had an assist on Mikayla Williams' goal that sparked a 5-0 run to close out the game. Messinese put the exclamation mark on the game scoring the final goal of the game to secure the seven-goal win.
 
Up Next
Following the game with Villanova, Navy takes on No. 20/19 Richmond (1-0) at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 2:00 p.m.