No. 15 Virginia (7-7) dropped their third straight match as they traveled to University Park, Pa. to face off against No. 5 Penn State (13-1). The Cavaliers were outscored 12-8 by the Nittany Lions.
Virginia, fresh off a hard-fought loss against Maryland Wednesday, looked to bounce back and affirm their ability to compete against the top teams in the country.
Early on, Virginia dominated the ground ball game — gaining possession 11 times compared to Penn State’s six during the first half. Their dominant possession of the ball resulted in the Cavaliers being 8-8 on clears and leading the Nittany Lions 6-4 at the half.
Penn State, after learning from Virginia’s style of play, was able to rally and hold the Cavaliers to just two points during the half.
The Cavaliers struggled on the offensive side of the field with poor shot placement and turnovers, but put up an admirable defensive effort that significantly slowed down and often derailed the Nittany Lion offense.
Junior goalkeeper Rachel Vander Kolk contributed to this effort — matching her season-high 12 saves against Maryland. As the second half continued it was clear that a keeper with quick hands and great vision would not be enough to stop the Nittany Lions.
Leading Penn State on offense was junior midfielder Katie O’Donnell, who was able to earn four goals against the Cavalier defense.
Virginia will look to recover from the loss as they enter the home-stretch of the regular season, starting with a non-conference home match against Navy Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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