Saturday afternoon was a tough ending for No. 21 Virginia women’s lacrosse in what began as an exciting goal-for-goal battle against No. 9 Clemson. The Cavaliers (5-5, 3-2 ACC) ultimately fell to the Tigers (5-4, 2-3 ACC) with a 12-10 loss at Klöckner Stadium despite a momentary surge in which Virginia strung together back-to-back goals.
After a goal from Clemson early in the game, the Cavaliers quickly settled into a rhythm and even seized a consecutive streak starting with freshman midfielder Megan Rocklein scoring her first career goal off an assist from junior attacker Madison Alaimo. Alaimo spearheaded Virginia’s early response to Clemson, tallying four assists and serving as a key catalyst for the team’s high-powered offense.
In the final minutes of a promising opening quarter, junior attacker Jenna DiNardo secured a draw, and, after a defensive foul from Clemson, scored on a free position shot. That quick run of plays sent Virginia into the second quarter not only with a 4-2 advantage, but with an energy that continued to manifest itself between the scoreboard, the field, and the team through the succeeding quarters.
Early in the second quarter, sophomore midfielder Livy LaVerghetta wasted little time riding off that first quarter high by finishing a feed from sophomore attacker Jayden Piraino and stretching Virginia’s lead to 5-2. The Cavaliers continued to create opportunities for themselves off the draw, with junior midfielder Kate Galica securing possession and contributing to what would become a 12-11 overall edge over the Tigers in draw controls.
Galica, who became the Cavaliers' all-time leader in career draw controls with 333 in the road win at Florida State March 8, demonstrated that dominance offensively with a hat trick.
“I think [Clemson] has a really high pressure zone which means the back side is gonna be open, so the faster you move the ball, the quicker the middle is gonna be open,” Galica said. “I think the times we were able to look at that … when you can keep your head up as the ball is moving, it’s a huge moment for the middle. Our missed shots and missed opportunities were when we were not going off the principles of the back end zone.”
Those missed opportunities began to reveal themselves as the game neared its halfway point. Clemson scored twice in the final 1:11 minute of the second quarter to make it a one-point lead for Virginia, edging up on them with a score of 7-6 at the break.
Through a slow and steady third quarter, the Cavaliers clung to an 8-7 lead by the skin of their teeth. What they missed in a couple attempted shots was decisively made up in tight defensive pressure and key turnovers.
However, as the quarter dragged on, Virginia lost its grip on the narrow lead. Into the fourth quarter, the game saw a surge from the Tigers, who began capitalizing on their dwindling momentum. Clemson freshman and midfielder Aubrie Eisfeld tied the game 8-8 with a goal off an assist. Virginia answered with a man-up free position goal from Galica, but Clemson quickly bounced back with dominance on draw and an aggressive offensive push, ultimately delivering a five-goal streak that pushed them ahead and secured a 12-10 triumph over the Cavaliers.
“I think our stick work was good,” Head Coach Sonia LaMonica said after the match. “We were connecting on our passes and finishing some great options. Just something that we needed to do particularly during that final quarter, which we sort of struggle with, as well as earlier in the game in that first quarter. We just need more consistency of that play throughout.”
LaMonica went on to reflect on the team’s drop off after a strong first half.
“We've got to put four quarters together,” LaMonica said. “I think this was the first time we saw a higher-pressure defense ... I think we allowed it to take us out of our abilities a little bit too much. We didn't have our best day in terms of our stick work connecting. There were lots of good moments as well, but we just lost steam at the end, and that's probably why we came out short today.”
The Cavaliers will look to reignite that first-half steam Saturday as Virginia prepares to host No. 14 Syracuse at Scott Stadium for the program’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. The first draw is set for 2 p.m. and the event, which features alumni events and a doubleheader with the men’s team, will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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