Johns Hopkins senior goalkeeper Cosette Larash stood 15 yards out from the cage, the ball in her stick and Thursday night’s showdown between the No. 20 Blue Jays and No. 11 Virginia tied at eight with 2:57 to play. More than a minute later, Larash still held the ball, waiting for a teammate to create separation from one of the Cavaliers.
She ended up letting the ball go far too soon. Virginia junior defender Maddy Keeshan, who caused four turnovers in all, intercepted Larash’s pass and found senior attacker Caroline McTiernan in front of the net. The Cavaliers’ co-captain was awarded a restart after being tripped up in front of the cage. Larash, though, thwarted McTiernan’s subsequent shot.
Not a minute after Larash’s save, Johns Hopkins freshman attacker Jenna Reifler cut down the middle of the Virginia defense and received a pass from junior attacker Taylor D’Amore. With 19.5 seconds on the clock, Reifler unleashed what proved to be the deciding goal in a game the Cavaliers described as a “must-win.”
“We fought, we really did,” McTiernan said. “We came up short, but … we fought to the very last minute. Just wish the outcome could have been different.”
With the 9-8 loss, Virginia (7-8, 0-4 ACC) sits below .500 for the first time since March 16. Down to just one regular season game remaining, a matchup with rival Virginia Tech next Wednesday, the Cavaliers can do no better than winning half of their games.
“It’s a tough year for sure,” coach Julie Myers said. “I mean so many one-goal games that haven’t gone our way. You know, typically, if it’s a close game, Virginia is used to winning those. But, you know, it’s a great group of girls.”
Virginia battled back against Johns Hopkins (8-5, 1-2 ALC) after the Blue Jays scored four straight goals between the 7:07 mark of the first half and the 24:50 point of the second period that put them ahead 7-4. Myers called timeout following the last goal of that stretch, another score set up by D’Amore. The 2012 First Team All-ALC selection used the attention she commanded from the Cavalier defense to find open teammates all game long, finishing with five assists.
“Taylor D’Amore had a great night assisting,” Myers said. “So, she looked like a real threat. We were sliding doubles to her, and she ends up with five assists.”
As the Cavaliers huddled near midfield after Myers’ timeout, the speakers blared, “Tonight is the night.” For Virginia, it was a crucial moment in a season of unrelenting ups and downs. The Cavaliers responded to the moment’s gravity.
Virginia won the ensuing draw control, and in two quick passes worked the ball to McTiernan in front of the net. McTiernan’s goal ignited a 4-1 Virginia spurt capped by her game-tying score off a restart with 4:23 on the clock. Though the senior leader finished with a hat trick, her effort was not enough against an aggressive Johns Hopkins team that came into Thursday’s game losers of three of its past four contests.
The matchup between Virginia and Johns Hopkins presented two distinct approaches to the game of lacrosse. This season, Virginia has limited turnovers but forced relatively few on defense. Johns Hopkins, in contrast, came into the game having turned the ball over 193 times to the Cavaliers 139, while causing 95 giveaways to Virginia’s 75.
The teams’ contrasting styles of play resulted in a near stalemate Thursday. Johns Hopkins earned the win, but Virginia won the ground ball battle, 14-11, while outshooting the Blue Jays, 26-20. Larash played a large role in her team’s victory, recording 14 saves in total.
“[Larash] had a nice night,” Myers said. “She was consistent from the opening whistle ’til the end. I mean, [she] made big save after big save, so she was hard to get around.”
Though Virginia players and coaches let their emotions show after the game, they did not allow their deflating loss to torpedo their hopes for the rest of the year.
“It’s really disappointing,” McTiernan said. “I know this team has so much potential and so much to give, and, you know, our backs are kind of against the wall with the [NCAA] Tournament. But I know we can do it. I mean, it can only go up from here. So, I have the confidence in this team, and I hope we can get it done.”
The Cavaliers will host the Hokies Wednesday in their season finale.
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