Women’s Lacrosse: No. 15 UVA storms back for 16-11 win against No. 13 Duke

By Colin Moore
JerryRatcliffe.com correspondent

The No. 15 Virginia women’s lacrosse team came back from a huge early deficit to eventually earn a 16-11 victory over No. 13 Duke at Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Duke (6-3, 2-2 ACC) came out as the aggressor, as the Blue Devils scored the first 6 goals and also held the Cavaliers scoreless in the first quarter. The physicality of the match was something the Wahoos were not prepared for early on.

Virginia (5-3, 2-2) opened up the scoring in the second, as Kate Galica scored just over 30 seconds into the quarter. Galica went on to register a hat trick and also fought extremely hard, winning 11 draws at midfield.

The Hoos and Blue Devils then traded goals for the remainder of the quarter, as Duke took a 9-4 lead into halftime. Virginia decided to make a goalie change, bringing off Mel Josephson and playing Abby Jansen the remainder of the match. Jansen did not disappoint, stopping 5 shots and allowing 3 goals in just under 40 minutes off the bench.

The second half began with a flurry of Cavalier goals, scoring the first 4 of the second half bringing Duke’s lead to just 1. Addi Foster was the recipient of a fast start for UVA, scoring her first of three of the afternoon. Jenna Dinardo and Abby Manalang also registered goals early in the third quarter to push the Hoos past the Blue Devils.

The Hoos slowly began to pull away, going on another run of 6 consecutive goals to make it 15-10. Kate Demark, Jenna Dinario, and Gabby LaVerghetta all joined in on the scoring sheet with goals of their own. Laverghetta put one away in front of goal and her teammates and the bench immediately erupted for the freshman’s first collegiate goal.

Jansen made some huge timely saves with 4 won ground balls to help prevent the Blue Devils from crawling back into the match. Dinardo, Galica and Manalang all scored 4 goals, while Dinardo also made 4 assists. UVA’s assist leader was Madison Alaimo, who made a remarkable 6 assists in the game.

ADDITIONAL NOTES
Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia outshot Duke 21-5 in the second half
• Duke was 0-of-8 on free-position shots
• Kate Galica won 11 draw controls for the Cavaliers, her fifth game this season with double-digit draw controls
• Madison Alaimo tied a career high with six assists
• Abby Manalang also had an assist, giving her a career-high five points. Manalang also won four draw controls
• Abby Jansen made five saves, allowing three goals. It was her first time being credited with a win since her sophomore season
• Duke’s two goalkeepers combined for nine saves

FROM HEAD COACH SONIA LaMONICA

“Duke’s a great team. We knew that coming in. This is a key matchup. We obviously got off this very slow start in the first quarter. I think this game really was a testament to the grit and the belief that our group had, particularly in that third quarter when we came out of halftime. We were missing fire in the beginning of the game. They showed the fire in that second half. I’m really proud of how they stepped up collectively.

“Obviously had some standout play. We’re really proud of Abby Jansen, who came in and was a spark for us in goal today. As well as Madison Alaimo, who saw a face guard, but still put up six assists today. And Kate Galica on the draws, she really dominated. That positioned us well to be able to come from behind, and forge forward in a great, great win today. Abby Manalang had a heck of a day. She was a spark, I think, for our team’s momentum coming out of the half. Tat’s what you look for in your upperclassmen. She’s a fourth year for us, and she really helped lead in that aspect.

“So overall, incredible game and outcome.

“I have to shout out Caylee Waters, our assistant coach here, who brought really strong emotion as we got into the game. Down into that second quarter, she really lit a fire under their butts. And it worked. And you know, Caylee has a lot of heart. She really led with that, and I think the team responded. And that taught us as coaches that maybe we need to bring more fire to this younger group this year, and they’re going to respond. So that was maybe a bit of a breakthrough for us.”

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers play at No. 14 James Madison on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Virginia returns home to host Pitt on Saturday at 3 p.m.