ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a game that featured seven ties and five lead changes, the Navy women’s lacrosse team (6-2) defeated No. 19 Jacksonville (4-4), 13-12, on Thursday afternoon at Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Midshipmen used career games from Lily Denton (Nashville, Tennessee) and Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.) to earn their second win over a ranked opponent this season.
Denton led the team offensively, scoring a career-high six goals, including the game-winning goal, while Richardell finished with a career-best 11 saves with eight stops in the second half.
“Navy women’s lacrosse came here today knowing there was a lot on the line,” head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. “Jacksonville, a top-20 program, really took us the distance. I’m proud of the team that was able to come together, have fun, make plays and defensively come up with some big stops.
“It’s not always the same person. In this case, Lilly stepped up and scored a few goals. Emma stepped up hard in the cage on defense. I’m proud of the team. We were very resilient. It wasn’t always pretty, but in the end, Navy Women’s Lacrosse believes and they love playing together. I’m so proud of them and happy for them.”
As a team, Navy finished the game with 13 goals on 22 shots. The midshipman opened the game perfectly, scoring nine goals in the first nine shots of the first half. The Mids worked as a team, finishing with nine assists for the 13 goals.
Denton finished the game with a team-best six goals on six shots. Ava Iovino (Parkland, Fla.) had a team-high seven points, finishing with a goal and a team-high six assists. Emily Messina (Manchester, Maryland) and Charlotte Ryan (Tully, NY) each added two goals while Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Maryland) and Maggie DeFabio (Summit, NJ) each scored one. In addition, Beardmore, DeFabio and Messinese recorded assists.
Defensively, Richardell finished with a season-best 11 saves in the game. The sophomore had three stops in the first half but recorded eight saves in the second half. Richardel and Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) led the team with three ground balls, while Messinese added a pair of GB. Katie Golbranson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Iovino led the team with two tackles each, while Beardmore, Messinese and Peterson added tackles.
In the ties round, Ryan led the team with three ties, while Messinese, Iovino and Alice Daly (Walkersville, Md.) won a pair of ties.
Larwen Craft and Sarah Elms led the way for Jacksonville. The two scored three goals each, while Grace Hobson and Brianna Samuels scored two goals each. Shannon Cotter led the way with five ground balls, while Molly Brock had a game-high six draws. Paige Pagano took the loss in goal, pitching the final 36 1/2 minutes of action with three saves and five goals allowed.
Jacksonville took a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, scoring the third goal with 13 minutes left in the period, forcing a Navy timeout. After the timeout, the Mids responded with three straight goals to tie the game at 3-3. DeFabio started the scoring with a goal as Iovino pulled the hosts within one. Denton tied the game with its first goal with 8:47 left in the first quarter. After a Dolphin goal, Ryan tied the game at four. JU regained the lead, but Messinese tied the score at 5-5 to end the quarter.
In the second quarter, Navy took its first lead of the game. Denton gave the Mids the lead and Beardmore extended the advantage to two goals, 7-5. After a Jacksonville goal, Denton pushed Navy’s lead back to two goals at 8-6. The Dolphins responded with their second 3-0 run of the game to regain the lead 9-8. For the second time in the game, Ryan scored to tie the game, sending the contest into halftime locked at 9-9.
After combining for 18 goals in the first half, both teams’ defenses stepped up, holding the offenses to a combined seven goals.
Denton broke a 9-9 tie with his fourth goal of the day to start the third quarter. JU regained the advantage with back-to-back scores, but Denton tied the game again, 11-11, on a free-position opportunity.
In the fourth quarter, Messinese and Denton found the back of the net to give Michman a 13-11 advantage. Jacksonville scored with 6:16 left in the game to cut the deficit to one. The defense of both teams was strong in the final minutes of the game. With a minute left and a one-goal lead, Navy tried to run out the clock, but a turnover gave Jacksonville the ball at midfield with 54 ticks on the clock. The Dolphins turned the ball around the goal, but Iovino was able to clear the ball and Golbranson took the ball off the ground with just 13 seconds left. The Mids were able to run out the clock and secure the one-goal victory.
Navy is back in action on Saturday when the Mids head to Lewisburg, Pa. to open Patriot League play against Bucknell. The first draw is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.