CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-For the Virginia women's lacrosse team, its game against No. 8 North Carolina was over almost as soon as it had begun.
The No. 9 Cavaliers fell, 15-12, to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on Saturday after North Carolina built an early lead that was too much for Virginia (4-4, 0-2 ACC) to overcome.
With three goals in the first five minutes, North Carolina (4-3, 1-2 ACC) looked poised to steamroll the Cavaliers. A goal from sophomore Lauren Aumiller broke the Tar Heels' first run and put Virginia on the scoreboard. But before the Cavaliers had time to mount a true comeback, North Carolina junior attacker Erin McInnes and senior midfielder Amy Havrilla combined for three goals, and Virginia trailed, 6-1.
"I think that we started the game on the wrong foot," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "When you get down by that much of a lead, it's hard to come back."
"We kept trying to battle back and fought hard, but then they would take the lead again," Cavalier midfielder Lacey Aumiller said.
Poor shots by Virginia and solid blocks from North Carolina goalie Melissa Coyne kept the Cavaliers from ever taking the lead. The Cavaliers could only pull within two goals of the Tar Heel lead during the course of the game.
"We had some pivotal possessions where we could have gone within one," Myers said. "All of a sudden we would hit a piper and miss a shot and they're up three."
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In once such case, two assists from freshman Caitlin Banks put Virginia right on Carolina's tail, 9-7. But with 14 seconds remaining in the first half, Tar Heel midfielder Christine McPike found the back of the net and put her team up at halftime, 10-7.
McPike, one of Carolina's leading scorers, had four goals and played strong defense for the Heels throughout the game.
"We had a rough beginning of the season, so we were just trying to pick up everything all over the field," McPike said. "Defense is where it starts over offense."
"Both teams defensively struggled throughout the course of the day, as evidenced by the score," Myers said.
Although Virginia's defense looked powerless against the early Carolina attack, the Cavaliers clamped down to cause four Tar Heel turnovers and scoop up 20 ground balls, and Carolina only managed three caused turnovers and 14 ground balls.
While Virginia's attack had success on three of four shots from free position and out-shot the Tar Heels, 26-20, the Cavaliers could not put the ball in the net.
"Shots are on some days and other days they're off," Lacey Aumiller said. "Today they were pretty much off. We had a lot of good opportunities and a lot of good looks in, but we just didn't finish well."
Virginia did get hat tricks from Banks and senior Mills Hook. The two Aumiller sisters also added two goals apiece.
"I think Caitlin Banks did a nice job in her first time starting, she connected our midfield well and was able to go hard to goal," Myers said. "That's something you worry about with a first year going in to her first start ... but she had no problem shooting."
The Cavaliers will head to UMBC tomorrow to face the Retrievers, but Myers insists the team must face its own demons first.
"We need to just fix our team right now," she said. "I think being 4-4 at this point in the season is disappointing for us ... we just need to get focused on what we need to do and not what our opponent is going to do."
A point of focus for the team, no doubt, will be what to do when the opponent takes a strong lead.
"You just have to get through it," Banks said, "but we're learning"
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