During the 30 minute delay to the game yesterday due to the late arrival of a referee, the tension in Klöckner stadium built in preparation for what was billed as a clash between two titans of women's lacrosse. The No. 7 Cavaliers, however, set the pace of the game from the start to finish their convincing 15-4 defeat over No. 3 Maryland.
With the win, the Cavaliers (6-0, 2-0 ACC) maintain their unblemished record. The Terps (5-1, 2-1 ACC) were handed their first loss of the season.
"This is big, not only for our confidence, but for our ACC record, and to just keep our momentum moving in the right direction," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "It was a great opportunity that we were able to take advantage of today."
Although the outcome was in the Cavaliers' favor, it did not come without a price. Senior co-captain Jess Wasilewski suffered a concussion and a deep gash to her nose after she took a stick to the eye in the first half, an injury which may prevent her from playing in Saturday's game against North Carolina.
The Cavaliers were led offensively by sophomore Blair Weymouth, who tallied five goals and three assists. Weymouth now has 27 points on the season, just two behind senior Kate Breslin, who added a goal and four assists of her own.
Weymouth "had a couple of mismatches that she was able to take advantage of early on in that game, where she could really turn down to goal and get that shot off," Myers said. "Her shot was on, so she's really hard to stop because she just comes with a full head of steam, and she's a really talented player, both right and left-handed."
Freshman Brittany Kalkstein also contributed four goals in the winning effort. Sophomore Ashley McCulloch scored once and added two assists, bringing her team-leading assist total to 11.
On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Kendall McBrearty starred as the Cavaliers allowed only one goal in the first 45 minutes of play. McBrearty recorded a career-high 13 saves as she helped stifle a potent Maryland offense that had never scored fewer than 15 goals prior to last night's game.
"What we focused on in practice was just getting in front of [Maryland's] cutters," Weymouth said. "That is how they run their attack."
Although the Cavaliers' outstanding performance contributed to their convincing win, the Terrapins were flat from the opening whistle. The midfield lost the first four draws and did not have a shot on goal in the first 10 minutes of action. Senior Krista Pellizi, who came into the game with 19 goals to lead Maryland, was held scoreless until the 2:25 mark of the second half, when the game was well out of reach.
"Maryland was off," Myers said. "I credit our defense to some extent, in terms of not letting them really ever find their groove, but certainly when we play Maryland again, I can't imagine this is going to be the score."
Given Maryland's poor play, and the challenging opponents that lie ahead, the Cavaliers are by no means satisfied with their performance. With ranked opponents from North Carolina, Princeton and James Madison looming in the next two weeks, Virginia cannot afford to be complacent.
"It's our sixth game, there are so many games left," Myers said. "It's a great game, it's a great step in the right direction, but we are so far from done and we can still get a lot better."
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