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No. 2 Virginia opens season with 14-6 win over Virginia Tech
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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Senior attacker Megan O’Malley and sophomore Brittany Kalkstein got off to a hot start for the No. 2 Virginia women’s lacrosse team, scoring three goals each to lead the Cavaliers to a 14-6 victory over instate and ACC-rival Virginia Tech in their season opener, played Wednesday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.
Juniors Jenny Hauser and Ashley McCulloch led all Cavaliers with four points each. McCulloch scored two goals and assisted on two others, while Hauser notched her first goal as a Cavalier and helped on three more. O’Malley and Kalkstein each notched three goals, while juniors Whitaker Hagerman and sophomore Caity Whiteley each tallied two points each. Sophomore Kaitlin Duff and freshman Molly Millard rounded out the scoring for Virginia with a goal each.
Defensively, Kalkstein, the 2007 National Rookie of the Year, led all players with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers. In the cage for Virginia, senior Kendall McBrearty came up with six saves and five ground balls.
For Tech, senior Kady McBrearty, twin sister of the Cavaliers’ goalkeeper, led the Hokies with four points, while freshmen Allie Emala and Caitlyn Wier scored two goals each. Junior keeper Kari Morrison collected a game-high 12 saves, and had five ground balls.
McCulloch put Virginia on the board first, firing a shot into the back of the Hokies’ net 2:04 into the contest. The goal marked a 5-0 run of the Cavaliers’, highlighted by two goals from O’Malley in a 15:17 span.
Tech’s McBrearty halted the run with a score for the Hokies at the 11:41 mark. But, five more Cavalier goals gave Virginia a 10-1 advantage heading into halftime.
The Hokies rallied in the beginning of the second half, cutting Virginia’s lead to six by the 17:43 mark, but Millard’s first collegiate goal was the first of a three-goal run for the Cavaliers to push them ahead 14-5.
Emala scored for the Hokies with 9:30 remaining in the contest, but the goal proved to be the final score of the contest, as Virginia improved to 1-0 on the season and 1-0 in ACC play. The Hokies fell to 0-2 on the season, and 0-1 in the league.
Virginia will face its first ranked opponent of the season next Wed., Feb. 27. No. 19 Richmond will play host to the Cavaliers for game slated for 3 p.m., in Richmond, Va.