Thursday evening, No. 22 Virginia women’s lacrosse (8-8, 6-4 ACC) brought a taste of Charlottesville to Blacksburg, Va., for the final game of the regular season against Virginia Tech (9-8, 3-7 ACC). With their triumph, the Cavaliers not only clinched the Commonwealth Clash, but stoked a fiery momentum going into the championship season.
The matchup opened to an energetic start, with the Cavaliers seizing the opening draw and immediately taking early free-position opportunities. Quick to respond, the Hokies notched the first goal of the game, and, in doing so, set the scene for an exciting back-and-forth that would persist until the game’s concluding moments.
The remainder of the first quarter was dominated by a series of goals, first beginning with sophomore midfielder Livy Laverghetta off of an assist by junior attacker Jenna DiNardo. Junior Kate Galica, the 2025 ACC Midfielder of the Year, followed with a hat trick that included the 100th goal of her career, which positioned Virginia with a comfortable 4-2 lead going into the second quarter. Or, so it seemed.
Virginia Tech kept Virginia on its toes with a swift recovery early in the second quarter. Biting back with three consecutive goals of their own, the Hokies managed to string together a 5-4 edge over the Cavaliers.
Towards the end of the first half, however, Virginia seemed to regain its footing. Sophomore midfielder Payton Sfreddo’s goal off an assist from sophomore midfielder Sophia Conti was followed by two free position shots by sophomore attacker Fiona Allen and DiNardo. Allen has been a reliably powerful presence on Virginia’s roster this season, scoring both a career and program-high six goals in a single game in the win against Boston College Saturday.
Virginia’s push during the latter half of the second quarter secured a narrow 7-6 gain over Virginia Tech. Still, the first half — which began with a strong start and had a shaky in-between — finished with a tight conclusion and an attempted shot by Galica.
Holding a 35-21 overall edge in shots, Virginia continued to take opportunities when it could. But, so did Virginia Tech. The third quarter turned into a battleground for exchange, as the Cavaliers fought to hold off the Hokies, but ultimately failed when the score tied 9-9, then tilted in favor of Virginia Tech late into the quarter. With just over a minute left, sophomore attacker Gabby LaVerghetta reignited the fire that kept Virginia warm entering the final quarter with a game-tying goal off of a clean assist from junior attacker Madison Alaimo.
Although the Cavaliers entered the fourth quarter in a tie, they wasted no time widening the gap with key turnovers and tight play both offensively and defensively. The concluding quarter opened with a goal by freshman midfielder Megan Rocklein off of an assist from Alaimo and a free position shot by Livy LaVerghetta. Alaimo, who led with five out of seven of Virginia’s assists, delivered one final feed to Galica to score the goal that capped their 13-10 victory with just over three minutes remaining. Goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle played a pivotal part in securing the rivalry clash, saving three shot attempts from the Hokies in the concluding two minutes.
So, what’s next for the Cavaliers? The ACC Championship will take place in Charlotte April 22-26, and the tournament bracket is slated for release Friday. After a sweet ending for Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash, the Cavaliers now ride into next week’s ACC Championship already victorious.
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