A tough start to the season for No. 19 Virginia women’s lacrosse got a little tougher on Wednesday against James Madison as the Cavaliers (5-7, 3-3 ACC) fell to the Dukes (5-5, 1-1 AAC) in an afternoon matchup at Klöckner Stadium.
The game started 2-1 in favor of JMU before Virginia went on a rampage. The Cavaliers scored five straight goals, including a pair from sophomore attacker Gabby LaVerghetta, to put Virginia up 6-2 with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half.
The Dukes shot back, scoring their next goal less than a minute later, and the 6-3 score held for over seven minutes of game time. With a bit under four to go in the half, JMU snuck another one past Virginia, and after the teams traded goals before the end of the second quarter, the score sat at 7-5 Cavaliers.
James Madison opened the second half on a tear, netting three goals over the first 10 minutes of the half to retake the lead from Virginia. Finally, with 4:47 left in the third, Virginia ended an over 12-minute scoring drought with a man-up goal from junior attacker Jenna DiNardo to tie the game at eight.
Less than a minute later, DiNardo hit the crossbar but could not sneak it past the goalie, and the score remained tied. With 2:40 to go in the third, junior attacker Madison Alaimo had a free position shot, but she too was stonewalled and the tie could not be broken.
It was the Dukes’ junior attacker Kaitlyn Carney who finally broke it, putting JMU up 9-8 with a few ticks over a minute remaining in the third. James Madison scored again with 11 minutes to go in the game, securing a two-goal lead, its largest of the contest.
Virginia was in the midst of another long scoring drought — lasting over 13 minutes — but its defense held strong, keeping the Dukes from scoring before DiNardo broke the drought again, cutting the JMU lead in half. The goal was also DiNardo’s third of the contest, good for her fourth hat trick on the season.
With four and a half to play and trailing by a goal, the Cavaliers called timeout. The game was far from over, but they needed a spark, as they had scored just twice in the second half to that point.
It was sophomore attacker Fiona Allen who provided that spark, tying the game up with 3:26 to play and breathing life into a Virginia team that had looked shaky since halftime.
The Dukes got the last laugh though, as sophomore attacker Olivia Matthews scored on a free position shot with just 93 seconds to play — the nail in the coffin for the Cavaliers.
Coach Sonia LaMonica was positive after the game, worried less about the play of her team as a whole and more about capitalizing on a higher percentage of the opportunities they created for themselves.
”Today was a tough one. We had some great opportunities, and we’re just not capitalizing on them,” LaMonica said. “We’ve got to execute things a little bit better in pressure moments. It’s just really what it’s coming down to.”
A season that has seen significant highs and lows for Virginia reached another low point Wednesday, but there’s no doubt that the Cavaliers will have plenty of chances to rebound. Their next chance comes at noon Saturday, a road matchup with Louisville.
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