Women’s lacrosse: UVA falls 11-10 to Elon

The UVA women’s lacrosse team (0-1) fell 11-10 to Elon (2-0) in its season opener on Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.

The Cavaliers were down 10-7, but mounted a comeback with three-straight goals to tie the game at 10-10 with just over six minutes remaining. UVA had the ball, but a shot clock violation gave it back to Elon with 20 seconds to play. The Phoenix converted a free position shot with one second on the clock to take the win.

Virginia shared the ball well with seven different players scoring and five assists on the 10 goals. Seniors Besser Dyson (Alexandria, Va.) and Kelly Reese (Severna Park, Md.) along with junior Kasey Behr (North port, N.Y.) each scored two goals. Dyson added two assists. Stephanie Asher led Elon with five goals.

It was a close contest with seven ties. Elon was on the board first with a goal by Asher. The Cavaliers responded quickly when freshman Sammy Mueller (Pelham, N.Y.) scored her first collegiate goal to tie it up 1-1 with 25:51 to play in the first half.

UVA took its first lead, 2-1, when junior Ana Hagerup (Washington, D.C.) found Dyson open in the middle for a goal. Elon knotted the game at 2-2 before Behr scored back-to-back goals to put the Cavaliers ahead 4-2 with 9:59 to play in the first half. Three-straight goals gave Elon a 5-4 advantage, but Dyson scored with an assist from sophomore Maggie Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) to send it into halftime tied 5-5.

Elon was on the board first out of the break. UVA swung the momentum in its favor with a goal by Reese followed by a goal from freshman Nora Bowen (Lovettsville, Va.), her first collegiate goal, to lead 7-6. Elon then went on a 4-0 run to take a 10-7 advantage with just over 16 minutes to play.

A caused turnover by senior Maggie Preas (Rockville, Md.) led to a goal by Jackson on the other end to cut it to 10-8 with 14:51remaining. Two yellow cards on Elon gave the Cavaliers a man-up opportunity as junior Lilly DiNardo (Salisbury, Md.) scored her first goal of the season to cut it to one, 10-9.

After a save on a free position shot by junior goalkeeper Rachel Vander Kolk (Severna Park, Md.), Behr ran down the field and found Reese for a goal to tie the game at 10-10 with 6:34 on the clock. Another caused turnover by Preas put the ball in UVA’s possession with 1:42 to play, but the Cavaliers were unable to get a shot off as the shot clock expired to give Elon the ball. Elon then converted a free position shot with one second remaining to win the game.

Virginia led Elon in shots (27-25) and ground balls (14-13). The Phoenix had a 13-9 edge in draw controls and was 3-of-4 on free position shots. Both teams finished with six saves.

UVA will host Wales in a scrimmage on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers then travel to Richmond for a mid-week game on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.