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Women's lacrosse falls to No. 2 Maryland

Blue scores five goals, Cavaliers bow out in ACC semifinals

After avenging an earlier season loss to Duke Thursday, the No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team hoped to repeat the action Friday afternoon against No. 2 Maryland. The Cavaliers had every reason to believe they could pull the upset — they had won six of their last seven games and had played the Terrapins just more than two weeks ago, tying the game at eight midway through the second half before Maryland netted five unanswered to ultimately prevail.

Friday, though, Virginia (10-8, 3-4 ACC) could not sustain its recent momentum, falling against top seed and eventual champion Maryland (18-1, 7-1 ACC), 15-9. The Cavaliers came out flat, allowing Maryland to jump out to a 7-0 lead in the first 13 minutes of the game. The deficit flabbergasted Virginia and proved to be insurmountable.

A day after surrendering just five goals against the Blue Devils, the Cavalier defense had no answer for the Terrapin attack. Junior attacker Brooke Griffin tied an ACC Tournament record with seven goals — including the first three of the game.

The Maryland defense held Virginia to just two goals before halftime. Junior attacker Courtney Swan — Virginia’s leading point scorer — totaled just one goal and two assists, while senior attacker Liza Blue led Virginia, scoring five goals on the afternoon.

Maryland took six more shots than Virginia, including seven more on goal. The Terrapins also won the draw control battle, 16-10.

“I’m really disappointed to come up with a loss here, but an amazing amount of respect goes to Maryland,” coach Julie Myers said. “Their players, their coaching staff — they came ready to win and they did a great job.”

Despite the unsatisfying result, Myers said she believes Virginia exhibited a trait that has been a theme throughout this season — resiliency. While it was likely disheartening to see their hopes of an upset dashed so quickly, the Cavaliers continued to battle, even when the game was out of hand.

The Cavaliers actually outscored Maryland 9-8 during the remainder of the game after finding themselves in a 7-0 hole. Senior goalkeeper Liz Colgan made seven of her 10 saves after halftime.

The team’s continued hustle allowed Myers to walk away with her head held high.

“I love that we never gave up today,” Myers said. “Draws weren’t going our way. They were getting their way with us. Our defense couldn’t shut everybody down, and they were really doing a nice job of making it hard to penetrate the eight. But we kept trying.”

That effort will need to continue as Virginia heads to the NCAA Tournament. Though the bracket will not be announced until May 4, a 10-win season including several upsets against top-10 teams essentially ensures Virginia will participate for Myers’ 19th consecutive season.

This outcome, however, was not always a given. A 16-11 loss to Duke March 22 dropped the Cavaliers’ record to 4-6. With several ranked opponents still left to play, it was far from certain Virginia would even reach the .500 mark necessary for postseason eligibility.

But the Cavaliers rallied, upsetting Notre Dame, Boston College and Duke in the process. Virginia’s only two losses since March 22 have come against Maryland.

The talent has always been on this team to compete at a high level, but it took a new perspective on the game to make the turnaround a reality. Several players had their roles shuffled, and Myers gave more freedom to the offensive attack. Ultimately though, it has been the players’ commitment that has made the difference, Stephens said.

“Everyone has just been working together and working really hard,” Stephens said. “People are doing extra. At practice, everyone’s a bit more focused. I feel like everything is just coming together.”

Last season, Virginia used a similar late-season run to sneak into the tournament. Once there, the Cavaliers won their first two games against Pennsylvania and Georgetown before falling to eventual national champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals.

This experience will likely be invaluable for Virginia as the team prepares for its next opponent. Though Myers noted that improvement on one-on-one defense and draw controls will be necessary in practice these next two weeks for a deep postseason run, she is not shying away from the spotlight.

“I feel like no matter your opponent, you’re going to have to be sharp and on,” Myers said. “I think we play really well when the pressure is on and you have to come up with a win. I would love to see us get to a Final Four, and if you’re there, you might as well try to win it.”

At least part of Myers’ confidence comes from the strength of her team’s relationships. From overcoming early season woes to running a weekend 5k in honor of late teammate Yeardley Love, the team has remained strong throughout the season.

“I’ll take this team into any competition and any tournament,” Myers said. “It’s a team that I’ve loved being around and that I’ve enjoyed as much off the field as I have on the field.”

Virginia’s first NCAA Tournament matchup will be May 9. Their opponent and location will be announced Sunday, May 4, at 9 p.m.

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