ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 17/15 Navy women's lacrosse team (3-1) dropped an 11-9 decision to Harvard (2-1) on Sunday morning at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The loss was the first of the season for the Midshipmen and snapped a streak of eight consecutive victories in morning games by the Mids.
 
"Sad day for Navy women's lacrosse," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "But we will get through this. We are a really tight-knit group and we really believe in each other. I think the players are genuinely hurt. If you talk to either of our captains, they will tell you, 'You don't lose, you learn.' We just have to move forward. We play a tough schedule and have nationally-ranked Virginia next."
 
"I thought defensively we played really well," added Timchal. "Our draw controls were great. Our clears were great."
 
Defensively, Navy received a stellar effort in goal by sophomore Felicia Giglio. The second-year keeper recorded a career-high 11 saves on the day, while also picking up a ground ball. The defensive unit caused seven of Harvard's 10 turnovers on the day. Maggie DeFabio led the way with two takeaways, while Jalin Jenkins, Jaclyn Johns, Grace Peterson, Mikayla Williams, and Ava Yovino also added caused turnovers. Yovino paced the team with four ground balls with DeFabio following with three ground-ball pickups. Emma Kennedy, Peterson, and Williams also added two GBs apiece. The backline helped with the transition game as the Midshipmen converted 23 of 24 clear attempts.
 
Alyssa Daley once again led the team in draw controls. The senior won 10 of Navy's 15 draws on the day. With her 10 draw wins, Daley now has 304 career draws, becoming the third player in program history with 300 or more draw controls. She joins Loren Generi ('15) and Reagan Roelofs ('22) who had 493 and 390, respectively.
 
Emily Messinese added four draw wins with Williams securing a draw control for Navy.
 
"Today, offensively, we just didn't execute," Timchal remarked. "We had the looks, but were unable to capitalize. Harvard's goalie played great today. As coaches, we feel responsible and feel like we could've done more in our offensive sets. Now, we are going to recommit to that."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen registered nine goals on 30 shots. It was the first time that the Mids had been held to single digits since the 2023 regular-season finale against No. 7 Loyola (L, 15-7).
 
Messinese led the way with three goals on four shots. The senior registered her fourth hat trick of the season in the first half. Kennedy and Yovino also notched a pair of goals apiece with Taylor Miles and Williams each finding the back of the net. DeFabio, Kennedy, Yovino, and Tori DiCarlo were each credited with assists in the game.
 
Harvard was led by Grace Mullahy who finished with three goals. She was followed by Callie Batchelder and Charlotte Hodgson who added two scores apiece. Caroline Mullahy and Hodgson led the way with three assists apiece. Hodgson won a team-high three draw controls for the Crimson. Goalkeeper Lizzie Franciloli finished with 15 saves in the win. The Harvard defense caused 11 of Navy's 15 turnovers on the day with Despina Giannakopoulos leading the charge with six takeaways. Giannakopoulos also paced the visitors with a team-high five ground balls.
 
Harvard was the first team to score, finding the back of the net 95 seconds into the first quarter. Navy countered with back-to-back goals by Yovino and Kennedy to take a 2-1 advantage. The Crimson responded with three consecutive scores to take a two-goal lead, 4-2. Williams and Messinese closed out the first quarter with goals to end the period locked at four apiece.
 
In the second quarter, the Crimson used a 4-0 run to take an 8-4 lead, but Navy was able to close out the half with a 3-0 run of its own to close the gap to one. Messinese scored twice, while Yovino notched her second goal of the half to send the game into halftime with the Mids down 8-7.
 
The second half was scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the period. Miles was able to put the first goal of the quarter on the scoreboard, tying the game at 8-8 with five minutes remaining on the clock. Harvard regained the lead 95 ticks later. With time ticking down, Kennedy converted a free-position opportunity to lock the game at 9-9 with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, Harvard was able to take the lead for good, outscoring Navy, 2-0, in the quarter. The Crimson took the lead with eight minutes to play as Hodgson converted a free-position chance. With just over five and a half minutes to play, Grace Mullahy added an insurance goal for the visitors. Navy took five shots in the final quarter, but were unable to score as Harvard's goalie Franciloli recorded three critical saves in the fourth.
 
Up next, Navy travels to Charlottesville, Va. to take on No. 7/7 Virginia (2-1) 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.