The No. 8 Virginia women’s lacrosse team fell short against No. 4 North Carolina 11-10 as the Tar Heels scored a goal in the final seconds of the second overtime period on Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.
Virginia was down 10-6, its largest deficit of the game, with 13:02 remaining when it mounted a 4-0 run capped off by a free position goal from sophomore Kasey Behr (Northport, N.Y.) at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. After a scoreless first overtime period, the Tar Heels scored with two seconds left on the clock to end the game.
“I am proud of the girls, we really battled and were able to tie the game there at the end of regulation,” Virginia head coach Julie Myers said. “It felt like the momentum was ours, but North Carolina is a great team. They made some clutch plays and stuck it to us at the end. I’m proud of our effort and feel like we have a lot to build on after today.”
Virginia was outshot by North Carolina, 33-28, including 3-1 in the overtime periods. UVA’s lone shot came in the second overtime. After trailing UNC 21-11 in the first half, Virginia outshot North Carolina 16-9 in the second half.
The Tar Heels also edged the Cavaliers in ground balls (16-15) and draw controls (12-11). Virginia was a perfect 3-for-3 on free position shots, while holding North Carolina 0-for-2. UNC finished with eight saves to seven for UVA.
Behr led the Cavaliers with three goals, including the game-tying goal to send it to overtime. She also added five draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Molly Hendrick scored four goals to lead North Carolina.
Juniors Posey Valis (Baltimore, Md.) and Kelly Reese (Severna Park, Md.) each tallied two goals. Junior Besser Dyson (Alexandria, Va.) and freshmen Maggie Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) and Angie Loynaz (Cos Cob, Conn.) had one goal. Jackson also added an assist.
Virginia jumped on the board first with a goal by Reese, but North Carolina scored three-straight to take a 3-1 advantage with 14:58 remaining in the first half. The Cavaliers tied the game with goals from Jackson and Behr, both coming on free position shots. North Carolina closed out the first half on a 3-0 run to take a 6-3 lead into the break.
In the second half, Virginia came out strong with three of the first four goals to cut North Carolina’s lead to one, 7-6, with 18:15 to play. The run was capped off by Loynaz’s first career goal as a Cavalier. However, UNC would score three-straight to extend its lead to 10-6 with 13:02 left on the clock.
UVA scored the final four goals in regulation, including two from Valis. Behr was awarded a free position shot after a yellow card on North Carolina to send the game to overtime. In sudden death style overtime, UNC had one shot in the first extra period but it went wide of the net. The Cavaliers grabbed the draw in the second period, but turned the ball over and North Carolina capitalized scoring with two seconds remaining to take the win.
Virginia will be back on the road next Saturday when it travels to South Bend, Ind. to take on No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday, March 19. The Cavaliers will host their final mid-week home contest when they welcome James Madison on Wednesday, March 23.
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Chris Graham
