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Jan. 29, 2007
Current University of Virginia student-athletes and two lacrosse alumnae helped the US National Lacrosse teams win games at the 2007 Champions’ Challenge, sponsored by US Lacrosse and held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports today (Jan. 28) in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The US Developmental team, which claims Jen Holden, Jessy Morgan, Megan O’Malley, and Blair Weymouth, held Massachusetts to a goal in each half as the Americans won 17-2. The US Elite team rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the two-time defending national champion Northwestern 12-7 as UVa alumnae Amy Appelt and Nikki Lieb both contributed to the victory.
In the second match of the day, the USA scored the first eight goals, including one by Weymouth, to race out to a 9-1 halftime lead over Massachusetts. Morgan and Holden were part of the US defense that allowed the Minutewomen only six shots, with their first goal coming at 19:20. Weymouth started the second half with a goal, the first of eight consecutive for the USA, while Morgan and Holden helped the Americans hold off the Minutewomen for the first 28 minutes of the second half before a late goal made the final score 17-2. Morgan had two draw controls in the game while Holden had a caused turnover and a ground ball to help the defensive effort.
“Playing for the US is great because you get to see the impact lacrosse is having on people all around the country,” said Morgan. The US team has organized clinics in Florida over the last seven years, and in that time two colleges have announced they are adding the sport at the varsity level.
In the US Elite game vs Northwestern, Nikki Lieb (’06) led all players with two ground balls as the US rallied from a 6-4 second-half deficit to defeat the reigning national champions 12-7. Amy Appelt (’04) had a hat trick, including two goals in the decisive second half.
Virginia returns to action at the South of the Border Tournament on Feb. 11 in Durham, N.C. “It is rewarding to be able to take the intensity of this weekend back to our practices at Virginia and help the rest of our team prepare for our season,” said Holden.