ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Tied 10-10 with 12 minutes to play, the #5 Navy women's lacrosse team used three goals by sophomore Alyssa Chung to claim a 13-10 victory over Jacksonville on Tuesday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The victory gave head coach Cindy Timchal her 600th career win, making her the first Division I had coach – men's or women's – to win 600 career games.
 
"The thought didn't really cross my mind, especially once the whistle blew," Timchal said of her accomplishment. "When the whistle blows, it is 60 minutes or more for whichever team is willing to play the hardest all the way through. Certainly, Jacksonville did not want to give me 600 or this team another victory. I am proud of the team for being resilient and coming through, particularly in the fourth quarter.
 
"We approached the season, not about the number of wins or the standings, but more standing side-by-side with each other through thick and thin; through challenges and adversity; through all the good and all the bad. We know when the tough times get tough, we pull together. I think that was key for today."
 
The hall of fame head coach began her career at Northwestern, amassing 76 wins in nine seasons and helping the Wildcats to five NCAA Tournament appearances. She then spent 16 years at Maryland, registering 260 victories with eight national championships to her credit. Timchal has spent the last 19 seasons as the Navy head coach, winning 264 games with eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
As team, Navy scored 13 goals en route to Timchal's 600th victory with six different Midshipmen finding the back of the net. Chung led the charge with five goals, netting five of Navy's final six goals to secure the win. Mikayla Williams notched a hat trick in her fourth consecutive game, finishing with four points on three goals and an assist. Taylor Miles added a pair of goals with Emma Kennedy, Bella Paradiso, and Ava Yovino rounding out the scoring. Yovino led the team with two assists with Williams and Kennedy also adding helpers.
 
Yovino led the team with three ground balls with Maggie DeFabio and Felicia Giglio adding two apiece. Yovino and Jaclyn Johns caused two turnovers each in the game.
 
Giglio earned her seventh win of the season, working a complete game in the cage. The junior notched her first double-digit save performance of the year, recording 10 stops in the game, including six fourth-quarter stops. It is the eighth double-digit save performance of her career.
 
Navy held a slight 13-12 advantage in the draw circle. Maura Murphy paced the team with five draw wins with Kennedy and Yovino adding three apiece. DeFabio and Landen Cain were also credited with draw wins.
 
For Jacksonville, four different players – Allyx Berry, Maeve Brennan, and Julia Nicholson, Ainsley Scruggs – notched two scores apiece. Brennan paced JU with two assists in the game. Courtney Quirk caused a team-high two turnovers with Quirk and Maggie Cuddie picking up a team-best two ground balls each. Abby Moran won eight of the Dolphins' 12 draw controls. At goal, Brookelynn Hogin finished with nine saves and 13 goals allowed in a complete-game effort.
 
JU was the first team to score, netting a goal just over a minute into the game. Kennedy knotted the game at one with a free-position goal. Following a Dolphin goal, Williams converted an eight-meter opportunity to lock the game at two. Jacksonville was able to break the tie and take a 3-2 lead through one quarter of play.
 
In the second quarter, Navy used a 4-0 run to take a 6-3 lead. Yovino began the run, knotting the game at three. Paradiso found the back of the net for the third straight game to put the home team in front, 4-3. Williams and Miles continued the run to push the advantage to three. JU used back-to-back scores to trim the margin to one, but Miles ended the first half with a goal to send the game into intermission with Navy leading, 7-5.
 
Jacksonville started the third quarter with a goal to trim the margin to one. Chung scored her first goal of the game to extend the margin back to two, 8-6. The Dolphins used consecutive scores to lock the game at 8-8. Williams broke the tie with her third score of the day and Chung gave Navy a two-goal advantage, 10-8, through three quarters of play.
 
Scruggs netted both of her goals to start the fourth quarter and tie the game for the visitors with 12:17 to play. Powered by six fourth-quarter saves by Giglio, the Mids' defense was able to keep the Dolphins out of the net and allow Chung to break the 10-10 tie. The sophomore scored the final three goals of the game to put the Midshipmen in front 13-10 and the defense helped secure the win.
 
Up next, Navy continues its three-game homestand on Saturday, March 14 as the Midshipmen open Patriot League play against Bucknell at 12:00 p.m. The game, which will be Senior Day for the Midshipmen, will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available throughout the game.