The No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team has been nearly unstoppable of late, and it continued the trend Thursday, defeating No. 7 Duke in the first round of the ACC tournament, 7-5. The Cavaliers (10-7, 4-4 ACC) have now won six of their last seven games and have earned a rematch in the tournament’s semifinals with Maryland — the school responsible for the team’s only blemish during its current run.
The Blue Devils (9-7, 3-5 ACC) fired off 25 shots while holding Virginia to just 18 — well below the Cavaliers’ season average of nearly 30. The difference proved to be Virginia’s draw control dominance. The Cavaliers won the battle 11-3, including all seven draw controls in the second half.
Senior goalkeeper Liz Colgan also significantly contributed Thursday afternoon. Recently honored as the first-team All-ACC goaltender, Colgan made 10 saves in the contest — including eight in the first half — marking the fifth straight game she has made double-digit saves.
Junior attacker Casey Bocklet led the team in scoring, finishing with three goals and an assist. She was the only Cavalier to notch multiple points in the afternoon.
After a Virginia goal less than two minutes into the game, Duke netted three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead with 7:07 remaining in the first half. Bocklet responded by scoring her second and third goals of the day in a 35-second span to even the game at 3-3 going into the break.
The Cavaliers carried their momentum into the second half, taking a 6-3 advantage before Duke scored its first goal in almost 30 minutes with 7:15 remaining. The teams traded goals in the final minutes of the game.
Duke’s five goals were the lowest total to which Virginia has held a conference opponent this season, and the second lowest total of any team against the Cavaliers other than American’s four April 1.
Virginia will next face No. 2 Maryland in the ACC semifinals Friday 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
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