Aly Messinger knows a little something about going to women's lacrosse Final Fours.
The first-year Navy assistant coach went to two as a player at North Carolina, earning Most Outstanding Player honors last spring while leading the Tar Heels to a national championship. So when she gathered her current players at a team meeting Friday and told them what it takes to earn a trip of their own, the Midshipmen listened intently.
"She said you guys need to go out there and be relentless," goalie Ingrid Boyum said.
Boyum and her teammates heeded Messinger's advice, battling back from a three-goal second half deficit and an injury to their senior captain Saturday to upset defending national champion UNC, 16-14, in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals at Fetzer Field.