ACC Co-Coach of the Year Sonia LaMonica’s debut season with the Cavaliers has certainly lived up to preseason expectations. Her Virginia squad is currently ranked ninth nationally and is a formidable force against any opponent. A relentless offense led by graduate attack Katia Carnevale and senior attack Morgan Schwab is essential — but equally important is sophomore goalkeeper Mel Josephson, who put up a masterful performance in a massive victory against then-No.3 Boston College. Fueled by a team-first mindset and a versatile skill set, Josephson will be much-needed for a successful postseason push.
Fifth year goalkeeper Ashley Vernon and junior goalkeeper Abby Jansen were the presumed duo in goal preseason, but Josephson’s success has made it difficult for LaMonica to keep the talented sophomore off the field. Josephson has been a consistent contributor for Virginia and was named a IL Women Mid-Season All-Americans Honorable Mention. Recently, she discussed her experience this season in an interview with The Cavalier Daily.
“We feel great,” Josephson said. “In this league, anyone can beat anyone, it’s all about who wants it more. We can and we will compete against these big ACC teams. We deserve to be there [at the Final Four] in May and can hopefully [bring back] a trophy.”
Those championship aspirations were hindered against Syracuse April 26, when Josephson played the worst game of her season — surrendering a heinous 18 goals before being pulled from the game. With a final score of 19-4, it was Virginia’s most painful loss since an upset defeat versus Albany in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Falling well short of the team’s stellar potential, an avalanche of unfortunate circumstances fell on the Cavaliers. Longtime head coach Julie Myers retired, and star junior attack Rachel Clark transferred to rival Boston College. LaMonica, tasked with a high-pressure reload, relied on promising underclassmen like Josephson to establish a winning culture back in the early stages of the offseason.
“We want it,” Josephson said. “We really want it. We graduated a lot of key players last year, with the new staff and team we knew from day one that we want to work, compete and win games.”
Josephson and Virginia have done exactly that — win games. As a top-10 team in the nation, the Cavaliers have bulldozed competition. Virginia has three victories against top-10 teams this season, plus two more victories against other ranked teams.
The Cavaliers faced Clark and the then-No.3 Eagles April 13. Josephson held Clark to just one goal and one assist — well below Clark’s average of 4.7 points per game.
“It was awesome,” Josephson said. “I remember leaving Boston last year, we had an awful travel experience. There was a six hour delay after a bad loss. Going into that game this year, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to compete from the beginning. This is Klöckner. This is our house. You’re not walking out of here without a really tough fight.”
A tight contest throughout, the game went into overtime, where Josephson shut out Boston College, securing a crucial victory for Virginia. Josephson’s performance has been essential for the Cavaliers, and it shows through her All-American recognition. Regardless of a stellar individual season, she embodies Lamonica’s team-first mindset.
“It’s a great honor, but the biggest point is I wouldn’t be in this position without this whole program,” Josephson said. “My teammates, the trainers, the coaching staff, everything comes together and any individual recognition is just a result of our collective effort.”
Josephson’s humility is crucial, but so is the pride of shutting down opponents’ attacks. Her journey to defensive stardom started back in middle school, where she initially played goalkeeper out of necessity and ultimately began to find solace in making plays under pressure.
“No one really wanted to do it — not a lot of kids want to play goalie, but I love the pressure of it all and helping my team out any way I can,” Josephson said.
She has developed a habit of holding steady in the most critical moments, finding a rather interesting outlet to practice thriving in high-stakes scenarios — improv comedy. Josephson is a member of the Whethermen, the oldest performing improv comedy group at the University. Impressively, Josephson is able to balance being a solid goalkeeper with also serving as a prominent student artist.
“Improv is a creative and personal release,” Josephson said. “It puts things in perspective.”
Both onstage and in goal, Josephson thrives under pressure. In improv, there is a standard of “yes, and,” meaning that a performer is expected to build off of what their partner does, even if it is completely unexpected. Josephson has mastered this skill and can adapt with her defenders to roll with the punches on the field as well — blocking shots fired at approximately 90 miles per hour from point blank range, and doing so with abundant confidence.
As for the current lacrosse season, Josephson and her Cavaliers are out to avenge a blowout loss to Syracuse in the ACC tournament, plus last year’s early exit. LaMonica is on track to put an incredible first campaign in the books as head coach, and despite a quick departure from the ACC Tournament, an exciting end to the 2024 season is sure to be a must-watch endeavor.
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