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Cavalier Women's Lacrosse to Host James Madison
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Oct. 17, 2006
The Virginia women’s lacrosse team will host James Madison in their only competition against outside competition at home on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The opening draw is slated to take place at 7:00 at the University Hall Turf Field. The following day, Thursday, Oct. 19, the 2006 ACC Champions will be honored at the Virginia football game against North Carolina. The Virginia women will close out their fall ball portion of their schedule with a game against the two-time defending national champion Northwestern side at Notre Dame Prep in Baltimore, Md on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2:00 pm.
The Cavaliers and the Dukes have one of the most exciting rivalries in the Commonwealth, with Virginia holding a 24-10-1 record in the series after a 17-6 win for the Cavaliers in 2006, the Hoos’ fifth consecutive win in the series. The Dukes are led by Kelly Berger, a member of the US Elite team along with former Cavaliers Amy Appelt and Nikki Lieb.
The Virginia Cavaliers won the 2006 ACC women’s lacrosse title with a rousing 13-8 victory over top-ranked and top-seeded Duke in a game held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. In the semifinal match against UNC, the Cavaliers trailed by two with 3:37 to play, but Jess Wasilewski won the next two draws and Tournament MVP Tyler Leachman sandwiched a pair of goals around a tally by Nikki Lieb to push the Cavaliers in front. After UNC rallied to send the game into overtime, Virginia won all three draws in the extra session, including Julie Hauser’s control to start the second half of overtime. Kate Breslin scored on an 8-meter to take the lead, and Leachman scored her seventh goal of the game for the final margin of 12-10. Leachman set the ACC record with a seven-goal performance to lead the Cavaliers offensively while Ginger Miles had 10 saves.
On Championship Sunday, the Cavalier defense held the nation’s second-highest scoring offense to a season-low eight goals, thanks in large part to Leachman’s five draws and eight saves by Ginger Miles. After Duke rallied to tie the game late in the first half, it was a Leachman tally that put Virginia ahead to stay with 10 seconds to go in the period. In the second half, the Cavalier defense, led by All-Tournament selections Nikki Lieb and Julie Hauser, held the Blue Devils to just five shots in the first part of the period. At the other end of the field, National Rookie of the Year Blair Weymouth scored six goals, including three in a 6-0 run to open the second half. Weymouth’s six goals tied the record for goals in a final game, while Leachman’s four goals gave her 11 for the weekend, setting a new record for scoring in the ACC tournament. The 13-8 triumph was not only Duke’s worst loss of the 2006 season but also allowed the Cavaliers to claim their second ACC title in three years.
On Saturday, Oct. 21 Virginia will travel to Notre Dame Prep in Baltimore to take on the two-time defending national champion side Northwestern. The Cavaliers, who won the NCAA title in 2004, defeated NU 15-11 in Charlottesville before falling to the `Cats 10-13 in the NCAA title game in 2005. A number of Virginia lacrosse players have attended NDP, including current defender Sarah Hackman. Game time against the `Cats is slated for 2:00.