When the No. 7 Virginia women's lacrosse team faced No. 10 Syracuse at home Saturday, it was the Orangewomen who came out firing, scoring two goals in the first four minutes of the game.
Although the Cavaliers (1-1) bounced back and played a tight game, Virginia lacked the offensive urgency that Syracuse displayed and fell to the Orangewomen, 12-10.
"Offensively we stood around and watched one person make it happen," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "But we all win together and lose together. It wasn't just offense."
Syracuse's early goals by senior Leigh Ann Zimmer and sophomore Carrie Soults shocked the Cavaliers into action. Virginia junior Lauren Aumiller sent a quick pass to senior Gina Sambus to put the Cavaliers on the board, and the duo led their team throughout the game.
Aumiller had a game-high five goals and posted one assist. Sambus had only one goal, but the senior captain sparked the Cavalier attack from the ground, with four caused turnovers and four groundballs.
By the numbers, Virginia actually outhustled the Orangewomen. The Cavaliers grabbed 25 groundballs, caused 11 turnovers and fouled only six times, while Syracuse took only 17 groundballs, caused three turnovers and fouled Virginia 16 times.
After Sambus and Aumiller put Virginia on the board, freshman Cary Chasney brought the Cavaliers to a 2-2 tie with a quick shot past Syracuse goalie Carla Gignon.
Virginia also got a strong performance from freshman attacker Amy Appelt, who gave the Cavaliers their first lead four minutes into the game.
At halftime, Syracuse led 6-4, but Virginia refused to roll over. Appelt added her second unassisted goal of the night and later assisted on Aumiller's third goal of the night to tie the game at seven.
Chasney then took advantage of a free position shot to put the Cavaliers up, 8-7.
|
Just when things looked bright, a free position shot by Syracuse's Kim Wayne and a quick goal from Zimmer gave Syracuse the lead they would not relinquish. Wayne's goal kicked off a five-point run by the Orangewomen.
Virginia seemed gun-shy around the crease in the final minutes. Only Aumiller managed to score, once with some fancy stick work and finally on a free position shot to bring the Cavaliers within one with five minutes to play.
It was several late turnovers that ultimately cost Virginia the game. Several Virginia players fell in the rainy, slippery conditions. Aggressive saves from Cavalier goalie Andrea Pfeiffer kept Syracuse out of the net, until junior Jessica Trombley squeezed a shot past Pfeiffer with 43 seconds remaining.
Virginia sophomore Morgan Thalenberg took the final shot, but Gignon managed to throw her stick and block the shot, preserving the Orangewomen's victory.
"I thought our kids competed," Myers said. "They managed to come back and tie the game and even pull ahead. We just made too many mistakes. We turned the ball over a few too many times."
"We were just real stagnant with the ball," Aumiller said. Of her five-point performance, she added, "It's still so frustrating to lose. We lose as a team"
Read More
As the postseason approaches, Virginia softball aims to surprise
By Emory Huffman , Ben McNiff and Cierra Lyles | 16 hours agoThree beat writers discuss expectations for Virginia and assess its season so far.
No. 7 women’s tennis cruises through NCAA Championship regional
By Gracie Genereux | 19 hours agoVirginia advanced to the third round for the fifth straight year.
Bryce Perkins’ story: How Virginia football inspires resilience and growth
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoPerkins, the quarterback of the 2019 team that conquered Virginia Tech, has conquered ample adversity.
