ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 17/15 Navy women's lacrosse team (3-0) returns home to take on Harvard (1-1) on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
The game will be broadcast on
ESPN+ and
live stats will be available. Additionally, the game will be on the radio, airing on 1430 AM / 99.9 FM WNAV. The radio broadcast is also available on
wnav.com and on WNAV on the Audacy app.
All-Time Series
The game between the Midshipmen and Crimson will mark the first meeting between the two teams in women's lacrosse.
Navy is 3-0 against the Ivy League with wins against Brown (W, 18-12 in 2019), Columbia (W, 21-10 in 2018), and Penn (W, 11-10 in 2017). The victories against the Bears and the Lions came at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, while the win against the Quakers came in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia during the Mids' historic Final Four run. The win over No. 7 Penn was also the first victory for Navy over a ranked opponent.
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy improved to 3-0 on the young season with a decisive 21-11 road win against No. 20/19 Richmond on Tuesday afternoon at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. With the win, the Mids have now recorded at least one victory over a ranked opponent in eight of the last nine seasons.
As a team, the Midshipmen have tallied 54 goals with 22 assists, while picking up 55 ground balls, winning 48 draw controls, and causing 26 turnovers.
Entering the weekend,
Emily Messinese leads the team with 15 points on a team-high 11 goals and four assists. She is followed by
Alyssa Chung with 11 points on nine goals and two assists.
Emma Kennedy and
Mikayla Williams are tied with 10 points apiece. Kennedy has nine goals and a helper, while Williams is balanced with five goals and five assists for her 10 points.
Tori DiCarlo rounds out the top 10 with eight points on seven goals and an assist.
Ava Yovino and
Taylor Miles have scored four goals apiece with Yovino adding three assists for four points and Miles notching a pair of helpers for six points.
Lola Leone follows with four points on three goals and an assist.
Chloe Brown and
Maura Murphy have one score apiece, while
Maggie DeFabio,
Anna Gotterup, and
Bella Paradiso have one assist for one point each.
Defensively, Navy has caused 26 of its opponents 48 turnovers, including 10 unsuccessful clear attempts.
Felicia Giglio leads the team with six caused turnovers with
Jaclyn Johns and Messinese adding four takeaways apiece.
Caroline Gage,
Jalin Jenkins, Chung, DeFabio, and Williams have two takeaways each. Yovino leads the team with seven ground balls, while DeFabio, DiCarlo, and Giglio follow with five individually.
Giglio leads the team with 14 saves in 168:29 minutes of action, while adding six caused turnovers and five ground balls.
Emma Richardell has registered two saves in 11 and a half minutes of action.
Alyssa Daley leads all players with 26 draw victories. Williams has chipped in seven while Messinese and Yovino have added five and two, correspondingly. Johns, Miles, Murphy, and Paradiso have also been credited with a draw victory.
Scouting the Opposition
The Crimson enter the game with a 1-1 record on the season. Harvard opened the season with an 18-6 victory at home against UAlbany on Saturday, Feb. 15, but dropped a 14-12 decision to Drexel on Friday night at the USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.
Caroline Mullahy leads the team with 10 points on three goals and a team-high seven assists. Grace Mullahy follows with eight points on a team-best seven goals and a helper. Callie Batchelder is third on the team with seven points on five goals and two assists.
Hayla Dora and Despina Giannakopoulos have three caused turnovers apiece. Charlotte Hodgson leads Harvard with six ground balls and paces the team with 20 draw controls.
Lizzie Francioli has played and started both games for Harvard at goal. She has logged 67 minutes allowing 14 goals, while registering nine saves for a 39.1 save percentage.
National Rankings
The Navy women's lacrosse team is currently ranked in all three national polls. The Midshipmen are No. 17 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll rankings this week, while coming in at No. 15 in the Inside Lacrosse Media poll. Additionally, the Mids are ranked No. 15 according to USA Lacrosse.
In its history, Navy has been ranked 95 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.
Up Next
Following the game with Harvard, Navy travels to Charlottesville, Va. to take on No. 7/7 Virginia (2-0) at Klöckner Stadium on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 5:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX and live stats will be available.
