Cavaliers Dominate Blue Jays for 400th Program Victory
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – History was made in Klckner Stadium Sunday afternoon, as the Virginia women’s lacrosse team dominated No. 16 Johns Hopkins, 17-6. The win extended the Cavaliers’ win streak at home to 11 straight games, while it also brought the program it’s 400th win and head coach Julie Myers her 100th win in Charlottesville.
“To be able to hit this 400-win milestone is incredible,” Myers said. “It is a direct reflection of the program that I have inherited from Jane Miller and of the players that have played for Virginia in these first 34 years of being a program. It takes a lot of teamwork to get a win. To be in front of a program that has worked together with great discipline to get to this point and to get this win, it’s something I’m really proud to be a part of.”
Virginia is just the third program in NCAA women’s lacrosse history to reach the 400-win mark, as Maryland and Penn State have already accomplished the feat. Myers, in 13 seasons with the Cavaliers, has recorded 197 career wins in 256 attempts, making her the third winningest coach in NCAA women’s lacrosse history. In Charlottesville, Myers has guided Virginia to 100 victories in just 124 tries, an .806 win percentage.
“This 100th win at home is a feat that I could not have accomplished on my own,” Myers said. “It is a reflection of the players that I have coached in the last 13 years and of my staff that has been with me pretty much every step of the way, particularly Heather. She has been my assistant the entire time and Colleen has been here 11 years now. Their devotion to this team and this program has gotten us here, and I truly believe that without their help and endless effort, we wouldn’t be anywhere near this milestone.”
In earning the win, the Cavaliers jumped out to a 9-0 lead by the 10:15 mark and never looked back. Junior Ashley McCulloch led the opening rally, marking the first score of the game at 27:33 and completed a hat trick by the 13:30 mark. Sophomore Kaitlin Duff contributed two scores in the run and capped the streak at 10:15 with her second score. Sophomore Brittany Kalkstein, junior Blair Weymouth and seniors Megan O’Malley and Kaitlin Swagart added the other four goals.
Johns Hopkins responded with four of the next five goals, scoring the first with 8:01 remaining in the first half. Kalkstein snuck her second score in at the 6:01 mark, but the Blue Jays scored the final two of the half to cut Virginia’s lead to 10-3 going into the break.
Lauren Schwarzmann scored the first goal of the second half at 27:53, cutting Hopkins’ deficit to six, but that was a close as the Blue Jays would get, as another six unanswered from the Cavaliers put Virginia up 15-4 with 9:30 remaining.
The Blue Jays struggled to find an answer, but did manage to tally two scores within 1:30 of each other. Kadie Stamper scored her second of the day at 7:04 and Paige Ibello added another at 5:34.
Sophomore Marye Kellerman tallied her first point of the season with 3:22 left to play, assisting McCulloch on her fifth goal of the game, marking a career-high for the junior. Sophomore Caity Whiteley added a final tally for the Cavaliers, bringing the final score to 17-6.
Senior Kendall McBrearty had a solid day in goal for the Cavaliers, stopping seven shots and collecting three ground balls. Sara Hairfield played in the final minutes and stopped two shots without allowing a goal. The junior also scooped up a ground ball and caused a turnover.
Defensively, senior Alice Hughey had a career day, winning two draw controls and causing a game-high five turnovers for the Cavaliers. Senior Claire Bordley and junior Jen Holden also contributed to the defense, collecting three ground balls each, and causing a turnover.
The Cavaliers (11-3, 4-1 ACC) will close out their regular season on Wednesday, hosting No. 12 George Mason in Klckner Stadium at 7 p.m. Virginia’s four seniors, Bordley, Hughey, McBrearty and O’Malley will be honored prior to the start of the game.