With its NCAA Tournament hopes hanging in the balance, the No. 11 Virginia women's lacrosse team suffered a devastating 16-14 loss against No. 12 James Madison yesterday afternoon. The Cavaliers' inability to eke out a win during the high-scoring affair places them in jeopardy of missing postseason play for the first time since 1995.
James Madison capitalized on early offensive opportunities, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead just less than three minutes into the matchup. Behind a solid attack, the Dukes managed to build a three-goal lead by halftime.
But the Cavaliers (9-7), bolstered by first-time starter freshman attacker Katie Slater, managed to trim the Dukes' lead to two goals midway through the second half.
With the score frozen at 11-9 in favor of James Madison, the Dukes responded to Slater's second-half spurt by scoring five of the next six goals to take a commanding 16-10 advantage. That lead eventually held up as James Madison managed to stave off a late four-goal push by the Cavaliers. Slater finished the game with a team-high four scores, while junior attacker Josie Owen added three goals of her own. Owen now boasts 39 goals on the season, one behind junior attacker Charlie Finnigan for the team lead.
The loss marked the fifth time this season that Virginia conceded 15 or more goals during a single game.
The Cavaliers now return home to face No. 5 Northwestern Saturday in their final regular season game. The opening draw is scheduled for noon.
-compiled by Ian Rappaport
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