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Cavaliers Fall to Northwestern 15-13 in NCAA Championships Final
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May 27, 2007
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The Virginia women’s lacrosse team scored 13 goals on Northwestern, more than twice their average goals allowed, and more than any other team has scored on the `Cats in 2007, but the Cavaliers still fell 15-13 in the NCAA Championship final. The two-goal deficit was also the closest any other team has come against the Wildcats in the final 21 games of the season. Virginia (19-4) had eight different players score goals, including Megan O’Malley, who had three goals; Megan Havrilla had two goals and added two assists to end up as the Cavaliers’ top scorer. Kaitlin Duff had three caused turnovers to lead all players, and Brittany Kalkstein had five draw controls to lead UVa.
Virginia burst out of the gates, scoring twice in the opening 90 seconds as O’Malley and Ashley McCulloch both scored to stake the Hoos to a 2-0 lead. NU countered with a 7-0 run, with Hilary Bowen scoring two of her game-high five goals in that run. The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half, and Northwestern took an 11-6 lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers, who staged the largest comeback in NCAA history in the semifinals against Duke by coming back from a five-goal deficit at halftime, opened up the second half with a 5-1 run in the first eight minutes, with goals coming off the sticks of five different players. Kate Breslin’s goal at 21:44 on an 8-meter shot pulled the Cavaliers to within one at 12-11. A Meredith Frank goal off a pass from Hannah Nielsen pulled the “Cats back in front by two, but Duff caused a turnover in the deep corner and started a clear that saw McCulloch covert a pass from Havrilla to cut the deficit back to one at 14-13 with 16:25 to play.
Again NU stretched the lead back to two as Bowen scored her fifth goal of the game at 13:24. And again UVa pulled within one as Duff caused another turnover and McBrearty grabbed the loose ball, starting a clear that saw McCulloch dump the ball in front to O’Malley, who scored her third goal at 10:21 for a 14-13 score.
The `Cats won the draw and stalled for four minutes before losing the ball and Virginia went on the attack. A point-blank shot was saved by Lathrop with just under three minutes to play, and NU quickly advanced the ball upfield where Katrina Dowd scored her third goal of the game with 2:29 to play to give NU another two-goal lead. Frank won the draw for Northwestern, but Duff caused a turnover that gave the Cavaliers the ball, but a turnover by UVa on the clear gave NU the ball back. Northwestern was able to kill off over a minute, and the Cavaliers were unable to complete the comeback.
Ashley McCulloch, Jess Wasilewski, and Kaitlin Duff were named to the All-Tournament team.
The 19 wins in 2007 tied the record for wins in a season, set by the 2004 national champions. Kalkstein ended the season with 69 draw controls, breaking the old record for draw controls in a season by 12. Breslin’s goal gives her 96 points on the season, and her 14th goal in NCAA Championships history moves her up to fourth all-time for a single tournament. The 13 goals scored by Virginia ties the record for the most goals scored by a losing team and is the most scored by a losing team in regulation in NCAA Championships history.
Linescore 1 2 F (records)Virginia 6 7 13 (19-4)Northwestern 11 4 15 (20-1)
Scoring: VA: Havrilla 2-2=4; O’Malley 3-0=3; McCulloch 2-1=3; Duff 2-0=2;Kalkstein 1-1=2; Weymouth 1-1=2; Breslin 1-0=1; Wasilewski 1-0=1 NU: Bowen 5-2=7; Nielsen 1-4=5; Frank 2-2=4; Dowd 3-0=3; Josephs 2-0=2; Kjellman 1-1=2; Donohoe 1-0=1
Keepers: VA: McBrearty (60 mins, 8 saves, 15 GA) NU: Lathrop (60 mins, 7 saves, 13 GA)
Draws: VA 13, NU 17Total shots: VA 23, NU 28Field shots: VA 17, NU 28Ground balls: VA 6, NU 8Turnovers: VA 9, NU 10Caused turnovers: VA 5, NU 48-meter attempts: VA 6, NU 18-meters shots: VA 6, NU 0Clearing: VA 8-12, NU 9-9