Cavaliers Ty Up ACC Title With Win Over #1 Duke, 13-8

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April 30, 2006

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Virginia’s defense held the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils to five shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half, with none of them connecting, and the Cavaliers opened up an 11-4 lead before cruising to a 13-8 victory in the ACC title game. Virginia (14-3) used a five-draw control performance from Tournament MVP Tyler Leachman to gain critical possessions, and Leachman scored four goals to set the tournament record for goals in a tournament with 11 after scoring seven in the semifinal win over UNC. Blair Weymouth scored six in today’s game, tying the record for goals in a final game, including three in the critical 6-0 stretch to open up the second half, to set the tone for the Hoos. Ginger Miles stymied the Duke attack, notching eight saves and holding the No. 1 Blue Devils to a season-low eight goals.

The Virginia representatives on the ACC All-Tournament team included Leachman, Weymouth, Miles, Nikki Lieb and Julie Hauser.

The Cavaliers got on the board first as Hauser, a member of the ACC All-Tournament team, intercepted a ball in the arc and started a clear that got the ball to Weymouth at the center stripe. Weymouth drove in from there, scoring at 2:55 to give UVa the 1-0 lead. Duke answered as Carolyn Davis scored and then assisted Katie Chrest five minutes later to give the Blue Devils their only lead of the game at 10:28.

Again Hauser stepped up to the plate and caused a turnover that was scooped up by former high school teammate Jen Holden, and started a Virginia possession that saw Leachman feed Megan O’Malley, who quicksticked the ball into the net to tie the game at 14:54. An offsides call on Duke gave the ball to O’Malley above the restraining line, and O’Malley transitioned the ball upfield where Virginia settled the ball before Weymouth was fouled in the arc. She took the center hash and scored her second goal of the game at 18:52 to put the Hoos back on top 3-2.

A Claire Bordley interception on a Duke clear gave the ball back to the Cavaliers, who settled their offense again before drawing a three-second violation on the Duke defense. Weymouth was again placed on the eight and she converted the shot, giving her a hat trick at 22:09 and the Cavaliers a two-goal lead at 4-2. Miles continued to stop the Blue Devils, making six saves in the half before Chrest scored just over a minute later on an 8-meter to pull Duke within one, and then converted a feed from Kristen Waagbo with 44 seconds left in the half to tie the game.

But MVP Leachman won the ensuing draw, and the ball came back to her where she took it straight to the cage and scored with 10 ticks on the clock for a 5-4 lead, which the teams took into the break.

The Cavaliers came out on fire in the second half as Weymouth won the draw and Virginia controlled the ball in their attack zone before Duke knocked the ball loose. Jess Wasilewski was there to retain possession for the Cavaliers and the Hoos reset their offense. On the restart, Nikki Lieb got the ball behind the cage and fired a pass to a cutting Kim Connors, who jacked the ball into the upper-90 for a goal at 34:05 and a two-goal lead. An errant Duke pass was scooped up by Holden, and at the other end of the field Virginia patiently worked their offense, but a Duke crosse knocked the ball free briefly before Lieb again retained possession for the Hoos. Weymouth drew a foul, one of Duke’s 28 on the day, and scored her fourth goal of the game at 38:21, putting UVa up 7-4.

Miles made her first save in the second half on Duke’s second shot of the period, and Virginia cleared the ball where Leachman fed a pass across the mouth of the goal to a waiting Lieb, who quicksticked the ball into the cage at 44:25, doubling Duke’s score at 8-4.

Weymouth won the ensuing draw on a minor foul, and the Cavaliers settled the ball before she took it in from the top, scoring at 46:22. Duke gained possession but turned the ball over in the arc, and Miles scooped up the ground ball in her goal circle. Virginia got the ball to Weymouth at the center stripe, and Weymouth ran it in from there, scoring exactly two minutes after her last goal to notch her sixth goal of the game, giving UVa a 10-4 lead at 48:22. Her six goals ties the ACC record for goals in a title game.

Duke gained possession but threw the ball away into the far corner where Bordley raced over to it and scooped it up. Virginia cleared the ball and worked the ball to Leachman, who was behind the cage. Leachman rolled the crease and used an Erin Brown flip shot to put the Cavaliers on top 11-4 with 10:19 remaining in regulation. Duke finally broke the scoring drought as Megan DelMonte scored unassisted 38 seconds after Leachman to pull within six at 11-5.

Again though Bordley stopped the Blue Devils as she gained the loose ball and Virginia cleared the ball upfield where Lieb fed Leachman as she cut the cage; Leachman’s goal gave the Hoos a 12-5 lead with 7:48 to play in regulation. DelMonte again tried to rally Duke with an unassisted goal just over a minute later.

The Cavaliers won the draw but turned the ball over in the arc, with Duke keeper Megan Huether racing out of the goal circle to gain possession. She lost the ball, however, and O’Malley was there to gain control. She flipped the ball ahead to Leachman, who scored her 11th goal of the tournament with 4:08 remaining in the game. Leachman’s 11 goals breaks the record set by Maryland’s Jenni Adams who had 10 in 1999. Leigh Jester assisted Davis and then scored off a feed from Del Monte in the final minute of the game, but the Cavaliers hung on and won their second title in three years with the 13-8 victory.

Miles’ eight saves give her 324 for her career and she is now tied with Frances Segarra on the career charts in seventh.

Lieb’s draw control moves her into sole possession of second place on the all-time draw controls list with 134, passing All-World Cherie Greer (`94).

Leachman’s six points give her 260 in her career, and she now has 195 career goals and 65 career assists, which ties her for sixth all-time in career assists with All-American Beth Potter. Her 86 points this season is the sixth-best single season in school history, and her 30 assists ranks eighth in a single season. Her five draw controls give her 40 for a single season, which ties her career high gives her 108 for her career, and she passes All-Americans Peggy Boutilier (105) and Cary Chasney (104) for eighth all-time in a career.

Weymouth’s six goals is a career high and she now has 48 goals and 20 assists as first year, which ranks her second all-time in points, goals and assists as a first year.

The rest of the ACC All-TOurnament team included Duke’s Davis, Chrest, Sanford and Waagbo, UNC’s Brooke Dieringer, Maryland’s Delia Cox, and Virginia Tech’s Lindsay Pieper.

Virginia now awaits the NCAA announcement of bids to the 2006 NCAA Championships. Announcements of the bids will be made on May 8.

Linescore	1	2	F	recordsVirginia	5	8	13	(15-3)Duke		4	4	8	(15-2)

scoring summary:2:55 V Weymouth — 1-04:46 D Davis — 1-110:28 D Chrest Davis 1-214:54 V O’Malley Leachman 2-218:52 V Weymouth 8m 3-222:09 V Weymouth 8m 4-223:35 D Chrest 8m 4-329:16 D Chrest Waagbo 4-429:50 V Leachman — 5-434:05 V Connors Lieb 6-438:21 V Weymouth 8m 7-444:25 V Lieb Leachman 8-446:22 V Weymouth — 9-448:22 V Weymouth — 10-449:41 V Leachman — 11-450:19 D Del Monte — 11-553:12 V Leachman Lieb 12-553:43 D Del Monte — 12-655:52 V Leachman O’Malley 13-659:14 D Davis Jester 13-759:30 D Jester Del Monte 13-8

Scoring: VA: Weymouth 6-0-6; Leachman 4-2-6; Lieb 1-2-3; O’Malley 1-1-2; Connors 1-0-1 DU: Chrest 3-0-3; Davis 2-1-3; Del Monte 2-1-3; Jester 1-1-2; Waagbo 0-1-1

Keepers: VA: Miles (60 mins, 8 saves, 8 GA) DU: Huether (60 mins, 9 saves, 13 GA)

Draws: VA 12, DU 11Shots: VA 25, DU 22Ground balls: VA 20, DU 19Turnovers: VA 20, DU 15Caused turnovers: VA 4, DU 10Clearing: VA 15-19, DU 13-178-meter positions: VA 5, DU 28-meter shots: VA 4, DU 1