The UVA women’s lacrosse team (2-4, 0-2 ACC) fell 21-11 at No. 2 North Carolina (6-1, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
After North Carolina opened the game with a 5-0 run, Virginia cut it to one, 7-6, with 7:20 to play in the first half. The Tar Heels closed the half on a 3-1 run to lead 10-7 at the break. Virginia struggled to regain possession in the second half, as UNC outscored the Cavaliers 11-4 to take the win.
“It was an up and down performance from the beginning of the game to the end,” head coach Julie Myers said. “We dug a huge ditch that we climbed back out of a little bit. To be down three at halftime felt pretty good. Then Carolina started that second half really strong and pretty much had their way with us. It was too much of a roller coaster. We need to be more consistent, a lot more tough-minded and be able to execute the simple things which we failed to do today.”
North Carolina opened the game with a 5-0 run with 21:55 to play in the first half. Junior Kasey Behr (Northport, N.Y.) put the Cavaliers on the board with a goal at the 19:40 mark to cut it to four. After another goal for the Tar Heels, UVA scored two-straight. Sophomore Maggie Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) won the draw and notched a goal at the 17:28mark, and was quickly followed by the second goal for Behr to cut it to 6-3.
The Cavaliers then mounted a 3-0 run, following a goal for the Tar Heels, to pull within one, 7-6. Senior Kelly Reese (Severna Park, Md.) started the run with a free position goal. Freshman Sammy Mueller (Pelham, N.Y.) continued her scoring streak with a free position goal, and junior Lilly DiNardo (Salisbury, Md.) scored on a man-up free position. However, North Carolina countered with a 3-0 run of its own to go up 10-6 with 3:06 left in the half. Reese scored her second goal of the day to make it a three-goal game, 10-7, at the half.
In the second half, North Carolina opened up with an 8-0 run, as UVA was scoreless for the first 17 minutes of the period. Reese scored at the 12:23 mark to halt the run, as UVA made it 18-8. The Tar Heels scored again, before sophomore Avery Shoemaker (Wyndmoor, Pa.) connected on her first of the game with 5:26 to play as Virginia trailed 20-9. DiNardo scored two-straight goals to close the game for the Cavaliers.
Reese and DiNardo each finished with three goals to lead the Cavaliers. Jackson finished with a team-high six draw controls, while sophomore Kaitlin Luzik (Alexandria, Va.) had three. Molly Hendrick scored six to pace North Carolina.
UNC led the game in shots (40-30), ground balls (15-13), draw controls (19-14) and saves (12-7). Both teams finished with five free position goals and 11 turnovers.
Virginia will be back at home this week as it hosts Loyola Maryland in a mid-week game on Wednesday, March 15 at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers then host No. 8 Notre Dame in their ACC home opener on Saturday, March 18.
Share
Chris Graham
