Navy Athletics Release

NNAPOLIS, Md. – The #5 / #4 Navy women's lacrosse team (19-1) used a goal by junior Mikayla Williams with 35 seconds remaining and the Midshipmen defense was able to hold strong as Navy advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 17-16 victory over UMass (16-3) on Friday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
The Mids advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history (2013, '17, '18, '19, '26). Navy will play #9 / #7 Syracuse (14-5), who defeated #23 / #22 Loyola (12-8) in the second game of the day, 8-6.
 
Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with an audio only broadcast on WNAV. Live stats will also be available. Tickets for the NCAA Tournament second-round game in Annapolis are $15 for adults and $10 for youth and seniors. Parking at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is $11 (credit card only – fees included).
 
"It was an exciting victory for Navy women's lacrosse," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "We won the Patriot League and got the opportunity to host as one of the top seeds and top programs in the country. UMass, the MAC Champs, brought the fight. It was an amazing game. I am proud of our team and the spirit and the love and the connection. They were tougher than nails today to pull through to earn a really tough victory. We are still alive and we are happy to have the opportunity to play another game in 2026 on Sunday."
 
Eight different Midshipmen combined to score 17 goals, including six players that notched multiple scores. Taylor Miles led the charge with four goals. With her first goal, the sophomore registered her 100th career point. Maggie DeFabio followed with three goals and an assist for four points of her own. It was the senior's second hat trick of the season and her first since the season opener against #10 Virginia. Alyssa Chung, Emma Kennedy, Kat McAteer, and Bella Paradiso notched two goals apiece with Chung, McAteer, and Paradiso notching a team-high two assists apiece for four points each. Caroline Gage and Williams finished with one goal apiece.
 
Defensively, Navy caused six of UMass' 11 turnovers in the game. Landen Cain, Chung, and DeFabio finished with two takeaways apiece. Gage and Felicia Giglio led the Mids with three ground balls apiece, while DeFabio, Kennedy, and Miles added two GB each.
 
In the circle, the Midshipmen won 25 of 34 draws in the game. Maura Murphy recorded a career-high 20 draws, giving the senior her sixth double-digit draw performance of the season. It was the second time in program history that a player had 20 or more draws in a game just one shy of the program record (21), set by Alyssa Daley ('25) last season at Lehigh.
 
For UMass, Dylan Lyons led all scorers with eight points on a team-best five goals and a team-high three assists. Kassidy Morris scored three goals, while Ava Connaughton had a pair of goals, while tying Lyons with three assists. Lil Hancock and Katie Peterson rounded out the top five goal scorers with two apiece. Cate Marshall paced the Minutewomen with five draw controls. Goalkeeper Bayley Duffy led the team with nine ground balls and four caused turnovers. She finished with seven saves, while allowing 17 goals.
 
Navy was the first team to score with Miles burying a shot into the back of the net for her 100th career point. Massachusetts countered with back-to-back goals to take an early lead. Paradiso tied the game at 2-2, but a 3-0 run by the Minutewomen to close out the period put the Midshipmen down 5-2 at the end of the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Chung opened the scoring with a goal to pull Navy to within two. UMass countered with consecutive scores to push the advantage to 7-3. Chung and Paradiso trimmed the margin with goals, but the Minutewomen extended their lead back to three with a score. With less than one second remaining in the half, McAteer slammed a goal home to send the game into halftime with the Mids down two, 8-6.
 
UMass opened the third quarter with consecutive scores to extend the advantage to four, 10-6. Navy responded by scoring eight of the next nine goals, including a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 lead. Miles and Kennedy started the run for the Midshipmen. Following a Minutewomen score, the Midshipmen took control of the quarter with six straight goals. Kennedy notched her second goal, while DeFabio notched her first score of the game. McAteer scored her second goal of the day to tie the game at 11-11. Miles broke the tie with her third goal. DeFabio and Gage followed to push the advantage to 14-11. UMass scored with 29 ticks remaining in the quarter to end the run and send the game into the final quarter with Navy in front, 14-12.
 
The visitors scored to start the fourth quarter, cutting the Mids' lead to one. DeFabio pushed the lead back to two with a free-position goal, but back-to-back goals by UMass locked the game at 15-15. Navy regained the lead with a Miles goal, but the Minutewomen countered with a goal of their own to tie the game at 16-16 with five minutes to play. The score remained 16-16 until Williams drove towards the goal and buried a shot in the back of the net with 35 seconds remaining in the game. UMass won the ensuing draw control, but the Navy defense was able to keep the Minutewomen out of the goal and preserve the victory.