Virginia women’s lacrosse traveled to Richmond Wednesday afternoon to face off against VCU. After a heartbreaking defeat against Syracuse last weekend, the Cavaliers (8-4, 3-3 ACC) needed to regain their confidence with a win over the Rams (5-8, 3-3 A-10). After a close first quarter, Virginia soon broke away to secure its fifth win in as many all-time meetings against VCU, 14-5
From the onset, the Cavaliers dominated the home team. In the draw circle, sophomore midfielder Kate Galica and sophomore attacker Jenna DiNardo shined — if Galica missed the first draw, DiNardo was there to scoop up the deflection, and where DiNardo went after a ground ball, Galica hung back and caused chaos for her defender. The pair was all but unstoppable in the circle, maintaining near-constant possession for Virginia.
Galica was crucial to the Cavaliers’ success in more ways than one. Whether she was taking on VCU’s goalkeeper herself or dishing out dimes, Galica was relentless on offense. By the end of the first half, she had already racked up three goals and two assists and would score another before the final whistle. Despite only being a sophomore, Galica played with maturity, and her 10 draw controls on the day put her at fifth all-time in Virginia history — heights one would think a veteran would be reaching.
Although the game saw Galica once again leading on the stat sheet, it was far from a solo show. Joining her with a hat trick was sophomore attacker Addi Foster, while DiNardo, freshman midfielder Peyton Sfreddo and sophomore attacker Madison Alaimo all scored one apiece. DiNardo and Alaimo also registered two assists, with Sfreddo dishing out one of her own.
With just over a minute played, Galica shook her defender and drew a shooting space violation in the circle. Not one to waste an open look in front of the pipes, Galica took advantage of the opportunity to notch her first goal of the game. Foster quickly followed with a free position of her own, firing a blistering shot from the top of the eight-meter line. From that moment forward, the Cavaliers could not be deterred.
Virginia maintained dominance over the Rams from start to finish. By the end of the first half, the Cavaliers had scored nine goals compared to the Rams’ three, only one of which was scored in the second quarter. It was a testament to Virginia’s tenacity that the goal differential grew so quickly — not only were the Cavaliers firing on all cylinders offensively, but they were also preventing their opponent from gaining any momentum.
Virginia was especially effective on the ride, constantly pressuring VCU into sloppy play that often ended in a forced turnover. What’s more, the Cavaliers went 18 for 19 on clears throughout the game, which kept the Rams on their heels at all times. If Virginia can execute that level of efficiency against their ACC foes — and even in the NCAA Tournament — they have a solid chance to go far in the postseason.
Although the Rams are a far less threatening opponent than teams such as Boston College and North Carolina, the command the Cavaliers exhibited over their opponent was an indicator of the team’s growing potential. Should Virginia carry this performance over into their upcoming matchups against No. 7 Maryland and No. 1 Boston College, they could yet return to the upper echelon of collegiate lacrosse.
Before then, however, the Cavaliers are set to host Louisville at Klöckner Stadium Saturday for Senior Day. The contest is scheduled to start at noon and will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
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