The Navy women's lacrosse team (8-4) dropped a 13-12 decision in overtime to Lehigh (8-3) in the quarterfinal of the Patriot League Tournament at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa. The Midshipmen trailed by four in the first half and three goals late in the second half, but battled to pull even and force overtime. The Mids' efforts would not be enough as the Mountain Hawks were able to come away with the golden goal in overtime. It only is the second time in the last 11 tournaments that the Mids have not played in the championship game. "We were very fortunately to get into the Patriot League Tournament," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "It was different how it was set up this season, but we were thankful for the opportunity to play. Lehigh has had a tremendous season and they have a lot of offensive weapons, including the Midfielder of the Year. We had chances to win in the end, but unfortunately, we didn't. We had some good chances, but we some missed opportunities. I am so proud of this team and how they fought throughout the game. This was a great game." "After being shut down last season, it was our goal to be playing in May," Timchal added. "We were able to do that today. I thought we fought all season, despite missing the month of March. That is a credit to our student-athletes, our coaches, and our staff." In the game, the Midshipmen were unable to capitalize on a couple of key opportunities. Trailing 9-8, Navy won back-to-back draw controls, but turnovers resulted in Lehigh goals putting the Mids down 11-9. The Midshipmen had three opportunities late in the game in front of the goal with an attacker one-on-one with the Lehigh keeper, but were unable to handle the pass, resulting in turnovers. Offensively, Navy was led by Gil Eby (Towson, Md.) and Lindsay Beardmore (Annapolis, Md.). Eby finished with three goals to lead all Mids. It was the junior's sixth multi-goal game and the fourth hat trick of the season. Beardmore, playing in just her fifth collegiate game, finished with two goals and an assist for three points. She tallied multiple goals in all five games she played, ending the year with 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points (3.6 pts/gm). Karoline Nease (Richmond, Va.) added a pair of scores in the contest, while Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.), Marina Lazarides (Westminster, Md.), Nicole Victory (Issaquah, Wash.), Isabelle Thornburg (Alexandria, Va.), and Grace Zagaja (Centerport, N.Y.) netted one goal apiece. At goal, freshman Jo Torres (Prince Frederick, Md.) stood tall in the cage, finishing with eight saves, including three crucial stops down the stretch as Navy fought back to tie the game. She helped keep the Mountain Hawks' high scoring offense out of the net for the final nine minutes of the first half, while holding them scoreless in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Defensively, Lauren Herrington (Round Rock, Texas) led the team with three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Torres added four ground balls and Christine Fiore (Darien, Conn.) finished with two caused turnovers. Defensive captain Caroline Kwon (Cooksville, Md.) added a pair of ground balls. Kwon and Thornburg were each credited with a CT. Navy won the draw control battle, 17-9. Roelofs won 10 draw controls, while Thornburg added three, Eby picked up two, and Herrington added one. For Roelofs, it was the 12th double-digit draw performance of her career (39 total games played) and the sixth of the season. In the first half, the home team jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, aided by a pair of free-position goals. Eby put Navy on the scoreboard with her first goal of the game. Following a Lehigh goal, the Midshipmen rattled off four consecutive scores to tie the game at 5-5. Beardmore scored on free-position opportunity to start the run. Lazarides buried a pass from Beardmore into the back of the cage to trim the margin to just a pair. Roelofs followed with her first goal of the game, and then Nease knotted the score at 5-5 with 10:17 to play in the half. One minute later, the Mountain Hawks regained the lead at 6-5. Defense held each team scoreless for the final nine minutes of the half, sending the game into intermission with the home team in front, 6-5. In the second half, Lehigh opened the frame with a quick goal just 19 seconds into the half. Navy responded with a goal by Victory to keep the margin at one, 7-6. The Mountain Hawks pushed the lead back to two on a pair of occasions, but Eby closed the gap to one with back-to-back counters. Trailing 9-8, the Midshipmen won consecutive draw controls, but turnovers resulted in Mountain Hawk goals, extending the home team's advantage to three. Navy used a free-position goal by Thornburg to close the margin to two, but Lehigh answered a minute later to extend the advantage to three, 12-9, with 10 minutes in regulation. Navy used a 3-0 run over the next six minutes to tie the game at 12-12 with four minutes to play. Beardmore opened the scoring with her second goal of the afternoon. Nease followed with a rocket into the back of the net to close the gap to one. The Midshipmen tied the game as Zagaja put the ball in the cage with 3:57 to play. In the final four minutes, the Midshipmen had a couple of opportunities, but couldn't complete the pass in front of the goal, resulting in turnovers. Torres turned away a pair of shots on goal in the final three minutes of action, including a shot with 17 ticks on the clock. The game went into overtime and the Midshipmen were able to control the opening draw of the period. Navy worked for a shot, but a turnover gave Lehigh the ball. The Mountain Hawks attempted a shot that went wide, but were able to back up the shot and retain possession. Lehigh was able to convert its next attempt and claim the 13-12 overtime win. Prior to the game, four members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2021 All-Patriot League Team, including three first-team selections. Victory, Eby, and Fiore were selected to the first team, while Roelofs was named Second Team All-Patriot League.