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No. 17 Navy women’s lacrosse rolls past Villanova, 18-9, as Tori DiCarlo scores seven goals

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One would think the Navy women’s lacrosse offense would be a bit out of sync early in the season considering leading returning scorer Ava Yovino suffered a season-ending injury two days before the opener.

Yovino had the ball in her stick quite a bit and was a real playmaker last season, scoring 42 goals and dishing off 50 assists. No other member of the offense had more than 12 assists.

Surprisingly, the Navy offense hasn’t missed a beat without its All-America attacker. The Midshipmen have averaged 15.5 goals through four games and turned in their finest effort of the young season Saturday.

Junior attacker Tori DiCarlo scored a career-high seven goals as No. 17 Navy never trailed in posting a convincing 18-9 victory over Villanova at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Junior midfielder Emily Messinese matched a career-high with five goals for the Midshipmen, who raced out to a big early lead and never looked back.

“It’s a great win for Navy women’s lacrosse. For the team to come together and play with poise and energy. … I’m just proud of the effort. We raised our sticks and raised our level of play,” Navy coach Cindy Timchal said.

Sophomore midfielder Maggie DeFabio scored a goal and recorded two assists for Navy (4-0), which led 10-3 at halftime. Freshman goalie Felicia Giglio registered seven saves to anchor a strong defensive effort.

Junior attack Sydney Pappas scored six goals to lead Villanova (2-2), which had won the previous two meetings with Navy. Timchal referenced last season’s “bitter overtime loss” to the Wildcats and DiCarlo said that provided motivation.

“We came out with a vengeance and were ready to put it to them,” said DiCarlo, who grew up about a mile from the Villanova campus in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

DiCarlo, who now has 13 goals on the season, said she and others have took on the challenge of replacing the production lost with Yovino going down.

“Oh definitely. Ava is a huge contributor to our game and we really miss her out there. It’s up to the rest of us to step up while she’s not here,” said DiCarlo, who credited teammates with setting the stage for her seven goals.

“It wouldn’t have happened without all of us working together. The attack really clicked today. I just got lucky today to be the person who got the ball at the end and did my job to put them away.”

Timchal was asked if she’s surprised how well the Mids are performing offensively without Yovino. Messinese leads the team with 15 goals, while DiCarlo is almost halfway to her entire total from last season. Four other players have scored six goals apiece.

“When great players go down, it’s an opportunity for other players to step up. We build our foundation around team play and the entire unit on offense. That’s what’s gotten us through these first four games,” said Timchal, who was surprised to learn that DiCarlo scored seven goals.

“I’m just so happy for Tori. She brings a lot of excitement, dedication and heart to the field. As a coach, it was a joy to see her excel.”

There was a critical matchup involving the draw controls with Navy coming into the contest ranked No. 1 nationally in that category with a .744 winning percentage. Meanwhile, Villanova boasted the top individual as Emily Verhoest led Division I with 11.33 draws per game.

Junior defender Alyssa Daley led the way as the Mids won that battle, 19-10. Daley was credited with 10 draw controls, while Verhoest was limited to five.

“That is huge,” Timchal said of the draw control differential. “At halftime it was 7-7, so we really made a separation in the second half.”

Messinese had a hat trick and assisted DiCarlo for one of her two goals as Navy took a 7-2 lead after one quarter. DiCarlo and Messinese each scored again in the second stanza as the Mids increased the margin to seven by halftime.

“We came out strong and have been doing that all season,” said Timchal, who was disappointed her team had a “little letdown” early in the third quarter.

Junior attack Sami Carey scored a goal and assisted another as Villanova opened the second half with three straight goals to cut the deficit to 10-6. Sophomore attack Kat McAteer had a goal and an assist as Navy responded with a 4-1 run to push the lead back to 14-7.


Villanova (2-2)   2-1-5-1 — 9

Navy (4-0)  7-3-5-3 — 18

GOALS: V — Pappas 6, Carey, Christie, Giordano. N — DiCarlo 7, Messinese 5, DeFabio, McAteer, Leone, Kennedy, Williams, Beardmore. ASSISTS: V — Carey 2, Gulmi 2, Moore, Moreau. N — DeFabio 2, McAteer 2, Kennedy, Leone. SHOTS: V — 24. N — 35. SAVES: V — Gallagher 2, Fisher 5. N — Giglio 7. DRAWS: V — 10. N — 19. GROUND BALLS: V — 18. N — 16.


Richmond at Navy

Saturday, 4 p.m.

Stream: ESPN+


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