ORLANDO, Fla.-If you knew the Virginia women’s lacrosse team had to face Maryland in the semifinals of the ACC tournament Friday, you would have said the Cavaliers didn’t have a chance. You would have told them that the Terrapins were undefeated. You would have said that the Terps were the top-ranked team in the nation. You would have pointed out that the last time Virginia beat Maryland was eight years ago.
But the Cavaliers did not listen. Instead of giving up after going down, 6-1, to the Terrapins, they overcame adversity and stormed back to even the game up. In the end, however, it was not enough, and Virginia fell to the defending ACC and six-time national champions, 7-6.
“I’m very proud of the effort we put out,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “We came out and played hard, aggressive lacrosse.”
Terrapin senior midfielder Jen Adams, Maryland’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points, extinguished the Cavaliers’ efforts, however, by scoring the game-winning goal off a pass from teammate and senior attack Meg McNamara. And that was all the Terrapins (14-0) needed to shut the door on No. 8 Virginia (8-6).
“Unfortunately, we let [Maryland] go on a run in the first half, and that was enough to change the outcome of the game,” Myers said.
Thanks to poor passes and sloppy play by the Cavaliers, the Terrapins took advantage of easy fast-break opportunities and gained a quick 3-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Virginia senior midfielder Lacey Aumiller chipped in a pass from senior midfielder Mills Hook to put Virginia on the board, but Maryland responded by scoring the next three goals in a four-minute span to take a commanding 6-1 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Maryland senior midfielder Quinn Carney led the Terps with three goals.
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Despite the large deficit, the Cavaliers continued to fight and turned things completely around. Using a combined stellar defense and an ignited offense, Virginia slowly cut into the Terrapin lead and outscored Maryland, 5-0, over the next 30 minutes of the game. Cavalier sophomore midfielder Lauren Aumiller scored on transition off a feed from senior midfielder Jamie Haas to cap off the comeback.
“We played tough,” said Lauren Aumiller, who led Virginia with three goals. “Coming back from that big deficit from the very beginning was hard because had to keep chipping away. But we just stuck with them and controlled the second half.”
Virginia’s defense held the Maryland attack – arguably the most potent in the nation – to just one goal after the break. The Terrapin offense also sustained a scoring drought of over 30 minutes, its longest of the season. Cavalier goalkeeper Liz McCarthy had 11 saves to complement the defensive effort.
“Our defense just disrupted them before they got comfortable,” Myers said. “They made some great stops throughout the course of the second half.”
But the stifling defense that fueled the Virginia’s comeback only needed to give in once for Maryland to regain control. Just 31 seconds after the Cavaliers tied it up, Adams scored the game-winner with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
The rest of the way was a defensive battle, and Virginia had a last chance to send the game to overtime in the winding seconds. But Hook’s long pass downfield – along with the Cavaliers’ opportunity for an upset – sailed wide just as the buzzer sounded.
Although the loss gave the Cavaliers a winless ACC season, they are far from disappointed. If the Cavaliers continue the same level of play they displayed on Friday, they will have no worries for the rest of the season.
“It would have been nice to win, but we’re all pumped,” Lauren Aumiller said. “We haven’t played this well in awhile.”
Photo by Cavalier Daily Staff Photographer, Cavalier Daily Photo Staff
Sophomore midfielder Lauren Aumiller scored the fifth goal in Virginia's 5-0 run against Maryland. The Cavaliers tied the game despite a five-goal deficit, but the Terps scored late to pull out a win.