Virginia women’s lacrosse traveled to Princeton, N.J. Saturday to face off against No. 17 Princeton, playing its first away game of the season. The Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) were challenged all game by the Tigers (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) but came away with a 13-11 win thanks to a fourth quarter offensive surge from sophomore midfielder Kate Galica and sophomore attacker Jenna Dinardo.
Outstanding performances from Galica and Dinardo did not just appear in the final quarter, as the sophomore duo contributed three goals each. Galica also notched 12 of Virginia’s 20 draw controls — dominance on the draw circle was a big factor that kept the Cavaliers in the game and allowed them to pull ahead of Princeton in the later stages of the match. Galica emphasized how superiority over the draw took reps to nail down.
“The draw has definitely been something I’ve been working on for a very long time,” Galica said. “It really shows that putting in the work before and after practice really does the job because it’s really technical out there on the draw.”
Additionally, sophomore attackers Addi Foster and Madison Alaimo, as well as senior attacker Kate Miller, stepped up offensively — Foster and Miller recorded hat tricks, while Alaimo contributed one goal and three assists for Virginia. It was an all-out effort from some of the Cavaliers’ most dominant players.
While the Virginia offense started off in full swing, scoring the first three goals of the game, it took some readjustment to continue this momentum in the final third of the contest. The Cavaliers found themselves in a bit of an offensive rut as the third quarter took off, staying scoreless for six minutes, while the Tigers scored three consecutive goals of their own.
Yet as the third quarter wound down, Virginia found its footing once again. Down three, the Cavaliers clawed their way back to end the period tied with Princeton thanks to two goals from Foster and one from Miller. Virginia also won the remaining four draw controls of the quarter, keeping the game firmly in its grasp. Galica highlighted how adjustments were key.
“We decided that maybe we just had to change something up … we just had to adjust to their defense and figure out what worked best for us,” Galica said. “That’s exactly what we did — you could really tell we put in the work out there and really wanted this win.”
The Cavaliers continued to stick with the Tigers despite two quick goals from Princeton in the opening of the fourth quarter. Virginia won every draw control of the quarter, holding the Tigers scoreless after the first minute. A final goal from Dinardo, assisted by Galica, left Virginia up 13-11, which sealed the victory. Galica asserted the importance of the win.
“It was a really exciting game,” Galica said. “These are the games you play for … Princeton’s a great team and we knew it was going to be such a good game, so I’m glad we came out with the [win].”
A win against a top-ranked opponent will certainly help Virginia as it gears up for its first ACC matchup of the season — one that is sure to be just as challenging. The Cavaliers will host No. 15 Stanford Saturday at Klöckner Stadium. A hopeful third-straight win, and second ranked win of the season, would continue a promising early campaign for Virginia. The matchup is set to begin at noon and will be streamed live on ACCNX.
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