Only five games into the season, the unbeaten Navy women’s lacrosse team already has two wins over top 25 programs.
The latest came Saturday afternoon at Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium as Emily Messinese’s four goals along with Maggie DeFabio’s three goals and seven ground balls propelled the 17th-ranked Midshipmen to an impressive 14-5 victory over previously unbeaten and 20th-ranked Richmond.
On paper one would have expected the match-up to be a high-scoring affair as both the Mids (15 goals per game) and Spiders (17 goals per game) came into the contest with potent offenses. And less than three minutes into the game it looked like the track meet had begun as the teams exchanged two early goals, including Navy senior attacker Lindsay Beardmore’s fourth of the season which gave the Mids a 1-0 lead.
After Richmond responded, Navy scored four straight goals, including two from Messinese and one by Tori DiCarlo. The Mids (5-0) were able to dominate the first period because junior defenseman Alyssa Daley won all seven draw controls.
Down 5-1 after the first period, the Spiders changed goalies, tightened up their defense, and forced the Mids into back-to-back turnovers, including one that led directly to a goal by Archbishop Spalding graduate Maggie Jordan. The redshirt junior and Odenton native’s fifth goal on the season was part of a 3-0 run for Richmond (4-1) that made the score 5-4 and led to a timeout by Navy coach Cindy Timchal.
“We expected exactly what you saw early on — they really came out really tough. They made a goalie change and it got them back into the game,” Timchal said.
Following the timeout, Richmond’s aggressive style backfired as Jordan was disqualified after being called for her second yellow card and the Mids pounced. DiCarlo’s second goal of the game came soon thereafter and with 3:12 left in the half which ended a 13-minute scoring drought for Navy and more importantly shifted the momentum before halftime.
Junior attacker Lola Leone added a close-range goal at the 1:44 mark to give the Mids a 7-4 lead going into the break. Even though Richmond was able to close the gap with their tenacious defense, DeFabio said the team was confident and composed in the locker room.
“They played some great, aggressive defense, but we [told ourselves] we are tough too. We can handle the pressure. We just have to rise above and focus on us. I’m just proud of how we responded, especially coming out of halftime,” she said.
And respond they did. After the two teams exchanged quick goals in the third period, Navy took control of the game as their defense clamped down, which led to multiple scoring opportunities.
After two goals by DeFabio put Navy ahead 10-5, a brilliant save by Navy freshman goalie Felicia Giglio led to a fastbreak and another scoring chance for DeFabio. This time her goal came courtesy of a beautiful touch pass from Leone, which gave the Mids a six-goal cushion.
“[Richmond] is a team that loves the fast break. And we had to get the same idea. When we didn’t have the ball, we had to transition, get back on defense and I thought we did a good job of that,” Timchal said.
Moments later, Messinese beat a double team and launched a highlight reel shot into the net to close out the scoring in the period.
“I was trying to look for the outlet [pass], but I couldn’t get the lane, so I just kept running,” Messinese said.
Navy wasn’t done showing off how its defense can produce scoring opportunities. With just over five minutes left in the game, freshman midfielder Mikayla Williams caused a turnover on a failed clear attempt by the Spiders, then raced toward the opponent’s goal and threaded a beautiful pass to Messinese, who had a couple of steps on the nearest defender. All alone in front of the goalie, Messinese had no problem scoring her fourth goal on just her sixth shot of the game.
“It’s kind of intimidating being one-on-one with the goalie, especially that close. I’m just grateful we are able to get turnovers like that, and hope we get more,” said the junior midfielder, who leads the Mids with 19 goals on the season.
For the game, Navy outshot Richmond 40-20, won the ground ball battle 24-16 and forced the visitors into 24 turnovers. Navy, which has lost four starters for the season because of injuries, including senior captains, Katie Golbranson and Leelee Denton and preseason All-American midfielder Ava Yovino, is relying heavily on its depth roster and work ethic, according to Timchal.
“We trust each other. We’ve done the work. We are totally committed to being as well-prepared as possible. Does that guarantee victory? Not necessarily, but it puts us in a better position to be successful on the field,” she said.
Navy will likely move up in the Inside Lacrosse rankings before returning to action Wednesday (6 p.m.) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against Drexel.
Drexel at Navy
Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Stream: ESPN+