BALTIMORE, Md. – Trailing by 11, the #4 Navy women's lacrosse team (11-1, 3-1 Patriot League) used a 7-0 run that spanned 13 of the final 16 minutes of the game to close the gap against #22 Loyola (8-4, 4-1 Patriot League), however the Midshipmen were unable to complete the comeback, dropping a 19-14 decision to the Greyhounds.
"I'm very proud of this team and how they fought to the very end," head coach
Cindy Timchal said after the game. "The locker room afterwards was very sad, but full of love. Credit Loyola for the fast start. We will learn a lot from a game like this to move forward. I wish we were able to take care of business today, but you have to credit Loyola. We started a little flat. We were trying to pump it up, and finally, we got that Navy energy and fight. We're gonna learn from that and move forward, because we have a lot of big games ahead of us."
The Midshipmen shot 58.3-percent on the day, scoring 14 goals on 24 shots. Six Navy players scored during the game including three players that notched multiple goals.
Alyssa Chung led the way with seven points on a team-high six goals with an assist. Chung's seven points tied her career high, marking the fifth time she has registered seven points in a game. The sophomore has recorded multiple goals in all 13 Patriot League games she has played with 11 hat tricks in conference play.
Taylor Miles followed with three goals, notching back-to-back-to-back scores in the fourth quarter comeback attempt. It was the fifth hat trick of the season for Miles and the sixth of her two-year Navy career.
Emma Kennedy added four points on a pair of goals and a team-high two assists.
Mikayla Williams added a goal and an assist with
Maggie DeFabio and
Anna Gotterup also finding the back of the net.
Bella Paradiso and
Ava Yovino were also credited with assists in the game.
Defensively, the Midshipmen caused seven of the Greyhounds' 13 turnovers in the game. Yovino led the charge with two takeaways, while
Felicia Giglio,
Jaclyn Johns,
Maura Murphy, Miles, and Williams added one apiece. Giglio led the team with four ground balls with Johns adding a pair.
Giglio recorded five saves in the game to go along with her four ground balls and caused turnover in 59 minutes of work.
Angelina Price made a brief appearance, logging a minute between the posts.
Loyola was able to control possession, winning 22 of the 35 draws in the game. Williams won a team-high five draws for Navy with Murphy and Yovino adding four apiece.
For the Greyhounds, Ava Kane, Morgan Quade, and Emma Talago finished the game with four goals apiece with Morgan Ruhnke adding three scores. Lauren Perfetto led Loyola with four assists. Emily Scorcia led all players with four caused turnovers with Mim Suares-Jury and Anna Kaplan picking up a team-high two ground balls each. Mae Murphy won 17 of Loyola's 22 draw controls. Makenzie Butler allowed 14 goals in 60 minutes of action recording four saves.
The Greyhounds jumped out to an 8-2 lead through the first quarter. The home team held a 9-2 advantage in draws to control possession, while also taking advantage of four Midshipmen turnovers. Navy got on the scoreboard as Chung connected on a free-position goal to cut the margin to 5-1. Following a pair of Loyola goals, DeFabio was able to trim the margin to five with a score, but the Greyhounds ended the quarter with a score to go ahead by six.
In the second quarter, Kennedy began the scoring with her first goal of the contest. Loyola countered with a pair of goals before Chung called her own number. The Greyhounds extended the advantage to 14-4 with four straight scores before a 3-0 run by the Mids cut the margin to seven. Chung scored back-to-back goals with Williams converting a free-position opportunity during the run. Loyola was able to take a 15-7 lead at halftime with a score with 10 ticks remaining on the clock.
Loyola extended its lead in the third quarter with three goals to start the period, taking an 18-7 lead. Navy responded with seven straight goals to cut the margin to four, 18-14. Gotterup opened the run with a goal with a minute remaining in the third period. The Midshipmen thought they had a goal by Miles, but it was reviewed and waved off for being a dangerous shot. Kennedy continued the run with her second goal of the game, while Chung followed with her fifth score. Miles then scored three consecutive goals to trim the margin to five. With just under three minutes to play, Chung cut the deficit to 18-14. Loyola was able to win the ensuing draw control, ultimately ending the run with a goal. With under 90 seconds to play, the Greyhounds won the final draw of the game and were able to run out the clock, defeating the Midshipmen, 19-14.
Up next, Navy is set to take on Boston University at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Saturday, April 4 at 11:00 a.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the Navy men's lacrosse team who take on Holy Cross (3:00 p.m.). The women's lacrosse game will be the broadcast on ESPN+, aired on WNAV, and live stats will be available.
