Virginia women’s lacrosse opened its season last weekend with two victories in California. The Cavaliers started off hot with a 14-11 victory Friday over No. 14 Stanford and then followed their success up with a 16-12 win Sunday over UC Davis. Virginia faced a deficit in each game but was able to come back to win against both the Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 PAC-12) and the Aggies (0-1, 0-0 Big West), ensuring a flight back to the east coast with an unblemished record.
Stanford:
After the Cardinal took the lead early in the game with three quick goals, graduate student attacker Ashlyn McGovern scored the first goal of the season for the Cavaliers off a sidearm free position shot. McGovern led all scorers Friday night as she is looking to improve upon her IWLCA third team all-American season last spring.
Later in the first quarter, sophomore attacker Rachel Clark — who was placed on the preseason Tewaaraton Watch List — played a part in back-to-back goals. First, she initiated a fast break with an assist to senior midfielder Jaime Biskup, and then Clark scored a goal of her own with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Cavaliers found themselves down 4-3 at the end of the first quarter, though. The Cardinal showed why they are ranked just behind Virginia, controlling possession and causing turnovers all throughout the first half. After a save by Stanford senior goalie Kara Rahaim, she quickly cleared the ball down the field which turned into a goal by redshirt sophomore attacker Ashley Humphrey to take a two-goal lead.
Virginia would respond on a beautiful pass from junior attacker Morgan Schwab to McGovern to cut the deficit to one, however, the Cavaliers would still be down by two at halftime.
The Cavaliers struck in the second half as Biskup dodged from the left alley and beat Rahaim low. The scoring did not slow down in the third period as McGovern shot a rocket to the top right corner off a free position shot for her third goal of the game.
Virginia’s defense also stepped up in the third quarter holding the Cardinal to just two goals. Junior midfielder Maggie Bostain led the defensive side of the ball with three forced turnovers, which disrupted the flow of the Stanford offense.
Virginia continued to dominate the fourth quarter as Clark and McGovern led the Cavalier offense to five goals in the fourth quarter. McGovern finished with four goals and Clark finished with a hat trick. If opposing defenses cannot contain these two star players, beating the Cavaliers will be a difficult task throughout the season.
Virginia’s three-goal victory over Stanford was a fantastic start to the season as they battled back from a deficit to defeat a quality opponent. The Cavaliers had a quick turnaround as they faced UC Davis just a day later to close out their California road trip.
UC Davis:
Virginia opened up the scoring Sunday afternoon on a goal from graduate student midfielder Courtlynne Caskin after a caused turnover and ground ball pickup from junior midfielder Maggie Bostain. The Aggies responded quickly after senior attacker Mia Lawerence scored the first of her four goals to tie the game at 1-1. The Cavaliers would trade a pair of goals with the Aggies to close out the first quarter tied at 2-2.
Sophomore midfielder Maureen Duffy scored her first goal of the year early in the second quarter to take the lead back from the Aggies. However, UC Davis rattled off three straight goals to take a 5-3 lead midway through the second quarter, looking to upset the ranked Cavaliers.
Virginia did not back down as senior midfielder Jamie Biskup scored back-to-back goals to tie the game at five. Biskup had a fantastic outing on the Cavaliers’ road trip, scoring a hat trick in both games.
UC Davis came out in the second half firing on all cylinders, scoring three straight goals to take a 9-6 lead early in the third quarter. The Cavaliers responded with a goal from graduate student attacker Ashlyn McGovern, but the Aggies did not back down as they took an 11-8 lead halfway through the quarter.
However, a goal from sophomore attacker Kate Miller would kickstart an 8-0 Cavalier run. During the eight-goal run, sophomore attacker Rachel Clark added two goals, Miller had another, and Biskup had two more goals.
Senior midfielder Kiki Shaw closed out the run for the Cavaliers, making the score 16-11 with just four minutes remaining.
The Aggies were able to score one more goal in the final minutes, but it was not enough as Virginia showed some toughness en route to their 16-12 victory over the Aggies. In its second game in three days, it would have been easy for the Cavaliers to give up on the game, but the dominant run showed what Virginia is capable of this season.
The rest of the season quickly ramps up in difficulty for the Cavaliers, as both of their next two opponents are ranked nationally. If Virginia wants to keep pace with the top of the ACC, it will need to prove it can compete like it did with Stanford.
The Cavaliers return to action Saturday when they take on No. 15 Princeton at 1952 Stadium in Princeton, N.J. The draw is set for 1:00 p.m.
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