No. 4 Cavaliers Outshoot Monarchs
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Four Cavaliers completed hat tricks for the No. 4 Virginia women’s lacrosse team Wednesday evening to help dominate Old Dominion. Led by sophomore Kaitlin Duff’s career-high five points, the Cavaliers outscored the visiting Monarchs, 10-2, in the opening half, en route to a 15-3 victory in Klckner Stadium.
Sophomore Caity Whiteley had a career night for Virginia as well, notching a personal-best three goals. Juniors Jenny Hauser, the ACC Player of the Week, and Blair Weymouth also contributed three goals and a helper, for four points each. Red-shirt sophomore Whitaker Hagerman had two goals and sophomore Brittany Kalkstein added a goal and an assist. Senior Megan O’Malley rounded out the scoring with an assist.
Kalkstein and senior Claire Bordley helped control the game from the start. With the duo winning four draw controls each, the Cavaliers were able to use two 5-0 runs to open both halves of tonight’s game and put the contest out of reach for Old Dominion.
Behind Hauser’s back-to-back goals to open the game, Virginia led 5-0 by the 21:07 mark. Hauser opened the scoring with a goal at 26:33 and another at 24:13. Duff then fired a shot into the net at 23:39 and Hagerman made it 4-0 only 19 seconds later with a free position goal. Duff finished the run with her second goal at 21:07.
Jessica Noone tallied the Monarchs’ first goal on an open net at 20:19. Prior to the goal, Noone fired a shot toward senior goalkeeper Kendall McBrearty who made the save and chased the loose ball behind the cage. Ashley Kellogg won the ground ball and dished it to an open Noone before McBrearty made it back into the crease. Noone flipped the ball into the open cage to cut into Virginia’s lead to four, at 5-1.
Hauser won the ensuing draw control and the Cavaliers strung together four more unanswered goals by the 5:55 mark. Weymouth assisted Kalkstein to begin the run and the junior tallied her first score to end the run. Hauser fired a free position shot into the net at 12:50 and Whiteley connected on a pass from Duff at 9:48 for the 9-1 lead.
Noone dished a pass to Sigrid Paulus for ODU’s second score at the 2:46 mark, but Whiteley tallied one more with 17 seconds remaining before the intermission.
Whitelely then completed the hat trick of her career with the first score of the second half, 7:31 into play. Hagerman notched her second on the day at 19:13, sandwiched between two goals from Weymouth. Duff then converted a free position shot with 12:26 remaining.
ODU’s Nicole McMahon scored the final goal of the game at 7:41 to bring the final count to 15-3.
The Cavaliers converted a season-high 5-of-7 free position shots, while the defense held the Monarchs scoreless from the arc and to a season-low of three goals. McBrearty stopped eight shots, while junior Sara Hairfield, playing the final 10 minutes of the game, made one save.
Senior Alice Hughey collected a game-high four ground balls and three turnovers to lead the defensive unit.
With the victory, the Cavaliers move to 9-2 on the season, while the Monarchs dropped their first game this season, falling to 4-1.
Virginia will be back in action this Saturday playing host to Boston College in its final regular-season ACC game this season. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Klckner Stadium.