Pirates Stumble at Navy, 16-6

Saturday, February 17

Annapolis, Md.

11:30 AM

East Carolina University

2-1

Navy

2-0

East Carolina

Navy

February 17, 2024 | Lacrosse

Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The East Carolina lacrosse team fell to No. 19 Navy, 16-6, on Saturday afternoon. The Midshipmen used a six-goal first quarter to jump out to a five-goal lead they would never relinquish.

The adage in lacrosse that teams cannot win games without first possessing the ball was as true as ever for the Pirates (2-1) in the contest. The team turned the ball over 19 times to Navy's (2-0) 17 giveaways – of those turnovers for ECU, only 7 were assigned as caused turnovers for the Midshipmen. Navy was also dominant on the draw, holding a 18-7 margin over ECU, presenting the hosts with opportunities aplenty to score and extend their lead.

Still, the Pirates did not go down without a fight. Brynn Knight made nine saves playing the final three quarters of the game. Kayla Wilkes and Leah Bestany scored a pair of goals each, and the Pirates were credited with 13 caused turnovers as a team. After trailing by seven goals at half, ECU held Navy to just two goals in the third quarter and looked to keep the period even before a late tally was waved off the board for a crease violation.

The Pirates continued battling into the fourth quarter where they mustered two more goals, but at the end of the day, a gifted Navy side presented the better performance on Saturday and earned themselves their second victory of the season.

The Midshipmen were led by hat tricks by Emily Messinese (4), Tori DiCarlo (3) and Kat McAteer (3) and a remarkable 11 draw controls by Alyssa Daley. Felicia Giglio got the decision in goal for Navy, making saves on six of the Pirates' 12 shots on frame.

Up Next
The Pirates will travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on the Furman Paladins on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m.