Early Sunday evening at Klöckner Stadium, it seemed as if the No. 11 Virginia women’s lacrosse team’s fortunes were finally about to change. The sun shone in an almost cloudless sky; kids jumped on a moon-bounce set up off the field; the pep band rang melodies from the stands and the Virginia players warmed up with observable sharpness.
In the opening minutes of the Cavaliers’ showdown against No. 4 Northwestern, the sense of anticipation only grew. By the end of Virginia’s 11-6 loss to the defending NCAA champion Wildcats, however, the excitement had given way to disappointment. The Cavaliers (7-7, 0-4 ACC) had played competitively against another elite team in Northwestern (11-1, 4-0 American Lacrosse Conference) only to once again come up short, dropping to 1-5 against top-10 foes.
“We’re right on the verge of playing really, really well,” coach Julie Myers said. “We need a couple of clutch plays at both ends of the field so we can end up winning one of these games.”
Sophomore midfielder Courtney Swan matched up with Northwestern junior midfielder Alyssa Leonard for the opening draw, the first battle between the country’s 28th and second-ranked players in draw control, respectively. Virginia gained possession. Though the Cavaliers promptly turned the ball over, Swan’s initial victory presaged one of the team’s finest halves of the year.
Virginia scored twice in transition in the game’s first five minutes, and after sophomore attacker Liza Blue found the back of the net off a pass from redshirt sophomore attacker Dana Boyle at the 23:30 mark, the Cavaliers found themselves up 3-0. Northwestern rebounded behind goals from Leonard and senior midfielder and reigning National Player of the Year Taylor Thornton, whose score followed Swan’s first goal of the night to set the score at 4-2.
Wildcats junior attacker and midfielder Kelly Rich converted a free-position shot with 2:53 to play. Virginia, though, entered the break up a goal and level in draw controls despite Leonard’s powerful presence. The Cavaliers also held Northwestern senior attacker Erin Fitzgerald without a point.
“I was really excited with our first-half performance,” Myers said. “I thought we opened up with some nice fast-breaks and some great looks at the goal.”
As the first-half clock ticked toward zero, sophomore defender Daniela Eppler tumbled over a Wildcat while going for a loose ball, falling to the grass and staying there for a scary moment. She walked from the field of her own power, but the near-injury was the first of a series of Virginia mishaps.
Three minutes into the second half, Fitzgerald, a 2012 All-American and the Wildcats’ leading goal-scorer, ended her silence when she cut down the middle of the Cavaliers’ shell, received a pass from Rich, and slung a shot past junior goalkeeper Liz Colgan. Junior attacker Ashlee Warner answered for Virginia 37 seconds later, establishing the Cavaliers’ second and final lead of the night.
Northwestern senior co-captain and midfielder Amanda Macaluso raced past the Virginia defense to tie the game at five with 19:30 on the clock. Fitzgerald followed with perhaps the highlight of the night, taking the ball on the left side, sprinting into the heart of the Cavalier defense and finishing with a high-velocity shot as her momentum carried her to the right of the cage. The goal was the second in a five-goal Northwestern run that put Virginia down 9-5 with 7:35 left and effectively killed the Cavaliers’ upset prospects.
“I think we came out strong with our fast-break and just kind of played fearless, and then, as the second half came, we all got tight and didn’t drive the cage,” said Swan, who finished two goals and four draw controls.
Swan gave the Cavaliers hope for a comeback when she found the upper-right corner on a shot released from below her hip with 5:12 to play. Northwestern, however, maintained possession for most of the game’s final minutes to escape with a hard-fought victory that belied the lopsided final score.
“It’s so hard,” Swan said. “We work every day in practice to close out these games, and we’re just coming up short every game.”
Virginia finishes the regular season with two more games at Klöckner Stadium, the first this Thursday against No. 17 Johns Hopkins and the second against in-state rival Virginia Tech April 17.
“We need to make sure that we take care of these next two games and go into the ACC Tournament above .500,” Myers said.
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