ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #4 Navy women's lacrosse team (11-0, 3-0 Patriot League) relied on a strong defensive effort to post an 11-6 victory over Lehigh (5-6, 0-4 Patriot League) on Wednesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It was the sixth time this season that the Midshipmen have held an opponent to single digits this season.
 
In its history, Navy is 194-3 (.985) when holding an opponent to less than 10 goals. This season, the Midshipmen have held all three Patriot League opponents it has faced to single digits.
 
"I thought we were very strong defensively tonight," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "Holding a team to just six goals is very impressive. Offensively, we were getting the shots. We just weren't putting them away. Their goalie played quite well. Lehigh brought the fight to us tonight, but I am proud of our effort tonight, especially on defense."
 
As a team, the Navy defense caused nine of Lehigh's 20 turnovers in the game. Jaclyn Johns and Lily Schmalz led the charge with two takeaways apiece, while Landen Cain, Maggie DeFabio, Caroline Gage, Taylor Miles, and Ava Yovino were each credited with cause turnovers.

Felicia Giglio worked a complete game at goal, recording eight saves with six goals allowed. The junior held the Mountain Hawks scoreless in the fourth quarter, while only allowing one score in the second period. Additionally, she tied with Tiana Griffin, DeFabio, and Yovino for the team lead with three ground balls, while Gage and Schmalz added two apiece.
 
The Midshipmen were able to keep the ball out of the Mountain Hawks hands, winning 14 of 19 draw controls on the night. Maura Murphy won a team-high 11 draws, marking the second time in her career the senior has notched double-digit draw controls. In addition, Yovino won three draws for the Mids.
 
Offensively, Navy tallied 11 goals with eight players finding the back of the net. Alyssa Chung led the charge, finishing with a hat trick. Her three goals gave the sophomore 101 goals for her young Navy career. Taylor Miles finished with a pair of goals, while Anna Gotterup, Emma Kennedy, Kat McAteer, Bella Paradiso, DeFabio, and Yovino also found the back of the net.
 
Yovino paced the team with two assists with Mikayla Williams, Cain, Chung, and Paradiso also adding helpers in the game.
 
For Lehigh, Nina DeNicola led the Mountain Hawks with three points on a team-high two goals with an assist. Camilla Madonna and Kacie Wines led the team with three ground balls apiece with four Lehigh players registering caused turnovers. Micaela Jennings took the loss at goal, finishing the game with 16 saves, while allowing 11 goals.  
 
Navy opened the game with DeFabio burying a Chung pass into the back of the goal 23 seconds into the game. Lehigh countered with a goal to knot the score at 1-1. The Midshipmen regained the advantage as Paradiso scored her seventh goal of the season. The Mountain Hawks once again tied the game but Kennedy gave the Mids the advantage scoring off a Paradiso assist. Lehigh scored the final goal of the quarter, sending the game into the second period locked at 3-3.
 
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen took a lead that they would not relinquish. Navy scored four straight goals to go ahead 7-3. The Mids turned defense into offense for the first goal of the frame. Navy caused a turnover and pass the ball ahead. Cain completed the clear attempt, passing it to Chung for the transition goal. Mile followed with her first score of the contest to push the lead to 5-3. Chung notched her second goal of the quarter to continue the run and Yovino capped the 4-0 run with a score. Lehigh was able to score in the final minute of half to cut the margin to 7-4.
 
The third quarter saw Chung complete her hat trick with a free-position goal to push the margin to 8-4. Navy extended the lead to five goals as McAteer caught a Williams pass in front of the goal and slammed it into the back of the net for the score. The Mountain Hawks closed out the period with a pair of goals to trim the margin to 9-6.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen defense was able to keep the visitors out of the goal. Miles and Gotterup both converted assists by Yovino into points to provide the final margin of 11-6.
 
Up next, Navy is set to take on #22 Loyola at the Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore on Saturday, March 28 at 11:00 a.m. The game will be the broadcast on the CBS Sports Network and live stats will be available.
 
"It is always a big game," Timchal said of the upcoming Loyola game. "It is hard to believe it is here. We are excited to play Loyola. It will be a tough game for us. They have a great resume, beating Princeton and Penn, and playing Hopkins close. It is going to be a tough game on Saturday."