The Virginia men’s lacrosse team opened its season against Loyola for the second consecutive year on Saturday — and while this year’s late game drama did not quite match last season’s excitement, the end result proved the same.
The No. 9 Cavaliers (1-0) used a five-goal run stretching between the second and third quarters to hang on against the No. 7 Greyhounds (0-1) for a 13-12 victory. Junior midfielder Greg Coholan — who tallied four goals and an assist — and sophomore midfielder Zed Williams — who added three goals and two assists — led the way, each notching five points.
The game rallied back and forth for the entire first half, with neither team gaining a conclusive lead. Loyola struck first just seven seconds in before continually trading goals with Virginia going into the second quarter.
Sophomore attackman Joe French gave the Cavaliers a 5-4 lead — their first of the game — when he netted his sixth career goal with 6:50 to play in the second quarter. The teams were knotted at six at the half.
But Virginia scored the first four goals of the second half to gain a 10-6 advantage with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter. Loyola chipped its way back to within one, but an errant pass on its final possession ended the comeback attempt.
The inexperienced Cavalier defense limited all-American senior attackman Nicko Pontrello to a single goal, despite losing the faceoff battle 19-9. Virginia sophomore goalie Matt Barrett recorded nine saves.
The Cavaliers will host No. 16 Drexel next Saturday. The match is set to start at 5:30 p.m.
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