The No. 25 Navy Women’s Lacrosse team secured their spot in the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship Tournament with a 20-13 victory over Boston University on a rainy afternoon in Annapolis. The win improved Navy’s record to 13-5 and set up a matchup with No. 2 seed Army at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore on Thursday evening.
Navy head coach Cindy Timchal expressed her excitement for the team’s performance, saying, “BU played us tough the first time around, but our focus for today’s game was really and truly leaning on each other and playing Navy women’s lacrosse for four straight quarters.”
The Midshipmen’s balanced attack featured eight different players contributing to the team’s 20 goals, with Emily Messinese leading the way with a career-high five goals. Lola Leone and Charlotte Ryan each added hat tricks, while Maggie DeFabio, Leelee Denton, Tori DiCarlo, and Ava Yovino chipped in two goals apiece. Navy also tallied eight assists on the afternoon, with Yovino leading the way with three.
Defensively, Navy caused eight of Boston’s 11 turnovers, with senior defensive captain Athena Corroon leading the way with three caused turnovers. Goalkeeper Emma Richardell recorded three saves and a caused turnover, while Anne Culicerto added a clean sheet in her 1:25 of action.
Navy’s dominance in draw controls played a crucial role in the rematch, as they won the battle 26-11 to control possession. Alyssa Daley won 10 of the 26 draws for the Midshipmen.
After jumping out to an 8-2 first-quarter lead, Navy was able to hold on for the victory despite Boston’s efforts to trim the margin throughout the game. The Midshipmen rattled off three straight scores in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to put the game nearly out of reach, with Leone and Ryan answering with goals to push the advantage to eight, 20-12.
Navy will now face off against Army in the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship Tournament on Thursday, May 4, at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore. The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. With both teams looking to advance to the championship game, Navy will need to continue their balanced attack and dominant play in draw controls and defense to secure the win.