CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 16 Navy women's lacrosse team (15-6) concluded the 2025 season at the NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 14 Clemson (14-6) on Friday evening at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Midshipmen competed in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history, following their seventh Patriot League Tournament Championship.
 
"I am so proud of this team and what we accomplished," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "We won the Patriot League, were 15th in the country, and were able to come down to North Carolina to play in the NCAA Tournament. When you get to this level, everyone is good and everyone plays tough. We ran into a Clemson team that really had what they would consider their signature season. I thought it was a tough draw, but we earned the right to be in the NCAAs. I think this kind of experience will only make us a better team in the future."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen tallied eight goals on 22 shots. Five different Mids found the back of the net with a pair scoring multiple goals. Mikayla Williams led all Navy scorers with three goals, while Emma Kennedy added a pair scores. Alyssa Chung, Tori DiCarlo, and Ava Yovino also found the back of the net in the game. Chung and Maggie DeFabio were credited with the Mids' two assists.
 
Yovino picked up a team-high three ground balls, while DeFabio, Felicia Giglio, and Jaclyn Johns snagged two apiece. Kennedy, Landen Cain, Caroline Gage, Lola Leone, Taylor Miles, and Grace Peterson were all credited with ground balls. Navy finished with five caused turnovers with Peterson leading the charge with a pair of takeaways. DeFabio, Giglio and Johns also notched caused turnovers.
 
At goal, Giglio finished with 10 saves in a complete-game effort. It was the seventh double-digit save performance of the sophomore's young career and the fifth time Giglio has registered 10 or more saves against a ranked opponent – 10 at No. 7 Loyola (2024 – Patriot League Tournament); 10 at No. 11 Virginia (2025); 11 at No. 6 Florida (2025); 12 vs. #17 Loyola (2025); and 10 vs. No. 14 Clemson (2025 – NCAA Tournament).
 
Navy won 14 of the 22 draw controls in the game. Williams led the way with five draw wins, while Alyssa Daley finished with four. Emily Messinese added three with DeFabio rounding out the draws with two.
 
It was the final women's lacrosse game for Navy's eight seniors – Alyssa Daley, Tori DiCarlo, Lizzie Kelley, Lola Leone, Megan Marengo, Emily Messinese, Grace Peterson, and Emma Richardell. The senior class accrued a 58-21 overall record and a 28-8 league mark in their career. They qualified for the Patriot League Tournament each season, playing in there Patriot League Championship games. They helped the team win the 2025 Patriot League Championship and compete in the NCAA Tournament.
 
"We have talked about it all season, it doesn't get better than Emily Messinese and Lola Leone," Timchal remarked of her senior captains. "They bought into the whole team spirit, the whole mission, the whole work ethic. Without them, we wouldn't be standing here at the NCAA Tournament. Our entire senior class really represented what Navy women's lacrosse and what the Naval Academy is really about – serving, loving one another, getting after it, playing hard. In the end, just loving lacrosse and loving each other."
 
For Clemson, Lindsay Marshal led the way with three goals, while Bridget Babcock, Lexi Edmonds, and Brooke Goldstein added two scores apiece. Goldstein led the team with two assists. Summer Agostino caused a team-high five turnovers and picked up a team-best four ground balls, while Kira Balis won a team-high five draw controls. Emily Lamparter recorded seven saves in a complete-game effort to earn the win.
 
In the first quarter, Clemson jumped out to an early advantage. The Tigers scored back-to-back goals to go ahead 2-0. Chung countered with a goal to cut the margin in half. The designated visitors added another goal to push the advantage to 3-1. The Mids looked to have a stellar behind-the-back goal by Chung, but the goal was waved off due to an illegal stick. Clemson took advantage of Navy's misfortune by closing the quarter with a goal to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Yovino began the second stanza with a goal to cut the deficit to a pair, 4-2. Following a Clemson goal, Kennedy pulled the Midshipmen to within one, notching consecutive scores. Williams locked the game at 5-5 as the sophomore converted a free-position attempt.
 
DiCarlo and Williams opened up the second half scoring with goals to give Navy a 7-5 advantage. Clemson was able to trim the margin to one with a goal in the third.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Tigers used back-to-back scores tie and regain the lead, 8-7. Williams used the head of her stick to poke the ball into the net, getting just enough on the ball to cross the goal line to tie the score at eight. Clemson was able to close out the game with a 3-0 run to regain the lead and ultimately claim the 11-8 win.
 
Navy concluded the season 15-6, winning the 2025 Patriot League Tournament Championship. During the year, the Midshipmen defeated four different ranked opponents – No. 20 Richmond (W, 21-11); No. 11 Virginia (W, 14-12); No. 19 Army (W, 18-9 – Patriot League Tournament); and No. 15 Loyola (W, 14-13 in overtime – Patriot League Tournament). The Navy defense held 11 opponents to single digits, including nine conference opponents.