EASTON, Pa. – The #7 / #6 Navy women's lacrosse team (14-1, 6-1 Patriot League) tied a program record with 24 goals scored, cruising to a 24-1 road victory over Lafayette (4-9, 0-7 Patriot League) on Wednesday evening at Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. With the win, the Midshipmen officially clinched a spot in the upcoming Patriot League Championship Tournament.
"We know that midweek games in the conference are special," head coach
Cindy Timchal said after the game. Coming off of the Army win, we wanted to come out and continue to play the rest of the regular season as best that we can. I am really pleased with the execution and consistent play that we had tonight – from the draw controls to the offensive looks; assisting each other on the offensive end; and playing some really tough defense. I am really pleased with how we played as a team. We have a really quick turnaround, taking another road trip, this time to Colgate. But, I am happy with the team and our performance tonight."
Thirteen (13) different Midshipmen combined for 24 goals with six Mids notching multiple scores.
Four different Navy players –
Emma Kennedy,
Chloe Brown,
Bella Paradiso, and
Mikayla Williams – each finished with hat tricks. Kennedy led the team with four goals, while Brown, Paradiso, and Williams added three scores apiece. It was the first collegiate hat trick for Brown and Paradiso.
Alyssa Chung led the team with a career-high 10 points, finishing with a pair of goals and a career-best eight assists. The 10 points tied for the fifth most in a game in program history, while the eight helpers tied for the third most in the Navy single-game record book.
Taylor Miles also added two goals, while
Kat McAteer finished with two points on a goal and an assist.
Sydney Beitler,
Maggie DeFabio,
Caroline Gage,
Anna Gotterup,
Kelsey Kirkeide, and
Natalie O'Neill also scored in the game. It was the first collegiate goal for Beitler and Kirkeide.
Rowan Kimmel and
Zoe Ryan rounded out the points each finishing with an assist.
Defensively, Navy held its ninth opponent of the year and sixth Patriot League foe to single digits. The Midshipmen allowed a season-low one goal in the game – the fewest allowed in a game since surrendering just one goal against George Washington on March 2, 2016. It is the fourth time in program history the Midshipmen have held an opponent to one goal or less.
The Midshipmen held the Leopards scoreless for the first 52 minutes of the ballgame.
Felicia Giglio earned the win at goal. The junior recorded 10 saves in 46:37 of action allowing no goals. Additionally, she recorded a team-high four ground balls. She gave way to
Angelina Price who recorded a save in 10-plus minutes of action (10:14).
Lila Stachowski did not a allow a goal, while notching her first collegiate save in a career-long 2:31 minutes of work. Additionally,
Cam Rohner entered the game at goal, recording a clean sheet in her first collegiate action.
Navy won the draw control battle, winning 18 of 27 draws on the night.
Maura Murphy recorded a team-high 12 draws, marking the senior's third double-digit draw performance of the season. Williams and
Ava Yovino added two draws apiece with Chung and
Jordan Strang each winning a draw.
For Lafayette, Annie Madden scored the Leopards' lone goal with Isabelle Pohmer being credited with the assist. Kennedy Carr took the loss at goal, allowing 17 scores with four saves in 40:34 minutes of action. Molly Cunningham worked 19 and a half minutes (19:26) with one save and seven goals allowed.
The Midshipmen wasted little time taking control of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 lead through the first quarter. Six different Mids found the back of the net in the opening quarter with Williams notching a hat trick with Kennedy and Miles both adding a pair of scores. DeFabio, Gotterup, and McAteer also scored in the opening frame. In the first quarter, Chung recorded a career-high in assists, finishing the period with seven helpers.
In the second quarter, the Mids extended their strong start, pushing the advantage to 16-0. Chung notched a pair of goals in the quarter, giving her a career-high nine points in the first half. Paradiso added two scores in the period, while Kennedy completed her first-half hat trick and Brown buried a behind-the-back shot for her first goal of the contest.
Giglio finished with six saves in the first half, recording a shutout through the first 30 minutes of action. The first-half shutout marked the second time this season the Midshipmen held an opponent scoreless in a half. Navy held Holy Cross scoreless in the first half, ultimately winning the game, 18-3.
The Midshipmen outscored the Leopards 8-1 in the second half, including a 5-0 third quarter. Kennedy and Paradiso completed their hat tricks in the third quarter, while Brown, Gage, and O'Neill also found the back of the net. Brown closed out her first collegiate hat trick in the fourth quarter. Lafayette ended the shutout bid with 7:53 remaining in the game, but Kirkeide and Beitler notched their first collegiate scores to provide the final margin of 24-1.
Up next, Navy continues its road swing by making the trip to Hamilton, N.Y. to play Colgate on Saturday, April 18 (11:00 a.m.). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
