Late Wednesday afternoon, No. 11 Virginia women’s lacrosse was back in action against No. 9 Maryland in a neutral-site game honoring the Cavaliers’ (10-4, 4-3 ACC) women’s lacrosse alumna Yeardley Love. The match took place on Yeardley Love Field at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Md. — a match where Virginia brought an end to the Terrapins’ (9-4, 4-1 Big Ten) 15-game, 17-year winning streak over the Cavaliers by a 13-9 margin.
One major factor in Virginia’s success over Maryland was the defensive prowess of junior goalkeeper Mel Josephson between the pipes. Josephson registered nine saves in the win, compared to the seven combined saves from the Terrapins’ goalkeepers. Her stalwart presence in the net kept the Cavaliers level-headed, even when Maryland attempted to launch a counterattack.
Coach Sonia LaMonica credited Josephson with helping Virginia maintain its composure throughout the match.
“[Josephson] made some fantastic saves out here today,” LaMonica said. “When you’re playing a great team like [the Terrapins], you need to be able to come up with those defensive stops.”
The first quarter saw both teams vying for control of the game, but neither the Cavaliers nor Maryland could break the 2-2 stalemate before the buzzer sounded. The Terrapins were the first to score in the second quarter, but Virginia’s sophomore attacker Addi Foster was quick to respond with a goal of her own off a well-placed pass by sophomore midfielder Madison Alaimo. Sophomore midfielder Jenna DiNardo took advantage of that momentum to score two goals in as many minutes, completing a first-half hat trick to make it 7-4 in favor of the Cavaliers.
Maryland entered the third quarter intent on closing the scoring gap, but thanks to a pair of unassisted goals by sophomore midfielder Kate Galica, the Terrapins could not even the score. Galicia’s tenacity in the offensive third kept Virginia firmly in the driver’s seat despite a late two-goal surge by Maryland with three minutes left in the third.
The Cavaliers closed the fourth quarter in decisive fashion, once again due to an incredible performance by Josephson and the rest of her defensive unit. Junior defender Lara Kology and the rest of the defense created several key turnovers in the fourth quarter and routinely pressured the Terrapins into making unforced errors. Their constant presence in the circle held Maryland scoreless for the final seven minutes of the match and stifled any hopes the Terrapins might have had for tying the match.
The final nail in the coffin came from DiNardo, who scored her fourth goal of the match with 10 seconds left on the clock to make it 13-9 in favor of Virginia. Joining her with hat tricks were Galica and Foster, who each also registered an assist. It was Galica’s eighth hat trick this year and Foster’s sixth in the last seven games, highlighting their dominance in the offensive third. Senior midfielder Abby Manalang also had a goal of her own, while Alaimo had two goals and an assist. LaMonica highlighted this attacking prowess postgame.
“We were doing a good job of executing offensively,” LaMonica said. “From players like [DiNardo] working together, moving the ball and finishing our shots.”
This victory could be critical in deciding how far the Cavaliers will go in the postseason this year. Although Virginia has suffered a handful of losses, ranked wins — particularly over teams higher in the rankings than the Cavaliers — could give them the confidence they need ahead of postseason tournament games.
With No. 2 Boston College next on the docket, Virginia will need all the momentum it can get to secure a top seed in both tournaments. The Cavaliers will travel to Newton, Mass. Saturday to take on the Eagles. The first draw is slated for noon and will be televised on ESPNU.
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