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Seven Cavaliers Score to Lead No. 12 Virginia to Upset Over No. 6 Syracuse
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 12 Virginia women’s lacrosse team used a balanced attack and stingy defense to upset No. 6 Syracuse, 14-13, Saturday afternoon at the UHall Turf Field. The loss marks the first for the Orange this season, as they fall to 2-1, while the Cavaliers improve to 2-1.
Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein paced the Cavaliers throughout the entire field – tallying two goals and two assists, in addition to winning nine draw controls to tie a career-high for the school’s career record holder. Her total also moves her career mark to 214 – breaking the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time record of 205 held by Maryland’s Dana Dobbie from 2007-08.
Sophomore Julie Gardner led the Cavaliers’ attack with three goals and two assists for a career-high five points, while sophomore Charlie Finnigan contributed three goals and an assist. Three Cavaliers tallied two goals – Kalkstein, senior All-American Kaitlin Duff (2 goals, 1 assist) and redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker (2 goals), while senior Caity Whitely and sophomore Josie Owen rounded out the scoring with a goal each.
For Syracuse, Halley Quillinan scored a game-high four goals and tacked on an assist for five points. She also won four draw controls and caused four turnovers. In cage, Liz Hogan stopped a game-high nine shots for the Orange.
For the first time this season, the Cavaliers gave up the first goal of the game, as Syracuse scored 1:08 into play.
Kalkstein got Virginia on the board at 25:47 with an unassisted score, but the Orange responded with two-straight goals to take a 3-1 lead at 23:45.
Owen won the ensuing draw control and weaved a pass to Gardner who found Finnigan for a score at 23:35. Kalkstein followed up the goal with her second of the game to knot the score at three all.
Syracuse scored three of the next four goals – UVa’s lone score came from Duff – before Virginia went on a four-goal scoring spree to close the half. Finnigan converted a free position shot at 8:50 and Baker fired her first goal of the season into the net 20 seconds later.
Gardner then found Finnigan at the 3:57 mark to give Virginia its first lead of the game, before Gardner tallied a score herself with four ticks remaining on the clock before halftime, giving Virginia a two-goal cushion, 8-6, heading into the intermission.
Owen started the second half scoring with a goal at 27:49 and Duff extended Virginia’s run to six-unanswered goals with a score at 25:44.
Syracuse halted the streak by calling a timeout and regrouping to score four-straight, evening the score at 10-10 with 16:42 to play.
Gardner converted an 8-meter shot at 12:20, before Gardner slipped a pass to Baker who fired a shot past Syracuse’s keeper at 11:12, extending Virginia’s lead back to two, at 12-10.
The Orange rallied to knot the score at 12 with back-to-back goals, but Whiteley netted her first goal of the game to keep Virginia on top.
Syracuse tied the game for a seventh time at 5:39, but it was the Cavaliers’ offense that prevailed as they won the draw control and fought for loose balls before Kalkstein was able to find Finnigan for the game-winning goal at 1:33.
Defensively, Duff led the Cavaliers with three caused turnovers, while junior Liz Downs scooped up three ground balls. Duff and junior Marghi Walters each won three draw controls to help lead Virginia to a 20-9 advantage in the category.
The Cavaliers will look to extend their two-game win streak next week as they head on the road for back-to-back contests. Virginia will play at No. 2 Maryland before heading to State College, Pa., to face No. 14 Penn State.