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No. 17 Johns Hopkins (14-3) vs. No. 7 Penn State (14-4)
Winthrop Eagles (17-3) at No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (11-6)
Date and Time Friday, May 8, 2015, 4:00 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Location Charlottesville, Va. | Klöckner Stadium
Media | |
PSU/Hopkins Streaming Video | Virginia/Winthrop Streaming Video
Additional Information NCAA Bracket | UVa Season Stats |
Game Notes | 2015 Fact Book | ExperienceUVaWomensLacrosse |
Parking Map
Social Media @UVAWomensLax Twitter | UVaWomensLax Instagram | Facebook

May 7, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s lacrosse team (11-6, 4-3 ACC), the No. 7 seed in the 2015 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, takes on Winthrop (17-3, 6-1 Big South) on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. in a first-round game at Klöckner Stadium.

Penn State (14-4) faces Johns Hopkins (14-3) in another first-round game at Klöckner Stadium on Friday at 4 p.m.

Both games will stream live online for free on VirginiaSports.com. Live statistics (GameTracker) will also be available. The video and live stats also can be accessed through the Virginia Sports app, which is available through iTunes.

The winners of Friday’s games will play one another in a second-round game on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.

The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to play in a quarterfinal match-up on May 16 or 17 at a location to be determined against the winner of the first and second round games being contested in Chapel Hill, N.C.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Virginia and Winthrop and the first time the Cavaliers have played a team in the Big South.

This is Winthrop’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the program’s third year of competition. The Eagles won the Big South Tournament and the NCAA Tournament automatic bid with a 13-8 victory over Liberty on Sunday. Junior Shannon Gallagher was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by sophomore Paige Jenkins and freshmen Katie Clark and Kristen Shriver. The Eagles also won the Big South regular-season championship, finishing 6-1 in league play.

Winthrop as a team is fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 15.4 goals per game, and is also fourth in caused turnovers, averaging 10.35 per game. Winthrop’s defense is 10th in the nation, allowing 7.6 goals per game. Big South Attacking Player of the Year Jenna Kasmarik leads the nation with a 4.05 goals-per-game average. Goalkeeper Alaina Girani, the Big South Freshman of the Year, is seventh in the nation with a 49.1 save percentage.

This is Virginia’s 20th-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and its 28th-overall appearance. The Cavaliers are 33-24 in tournament games with 14 semifinal appearances, eight trips to the National Championship game and three NCAA titles (1991, 1993, 2004).

Senior Courtney Swan (Vero Beach, Fla.) continues to lead the ACC in assists, averaging 1.88 per game, and is fourth in the ACC in draws at 4.47 per game. Senior Casey Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.) is second in the ACC in assists, averaging 1.65 per game, and is fifth in points, averaging 3.88 per game.

Redshirt senior Liza Blue (Butler, Md.) leads the team with 41 goals this season.

ACC Freshman of the Year Rachel Vander Kolk (Severna Park, Md.) has played every minute in goal this season for the Cavaliers. Vander Kolk leads the ACC with 7.82 saves per game.

Virginia is 8-2 in its last 10 games, including wins over then-No. 4 Duke (13-10) and then-No. 2 Boston College (15-13). Both of its losses in that span have been to Notre Dame.

Fans may purchase tickets for the NCAA First and Second Round games online at VirginiaSports.com, by calling (800) 542-8821, or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall.

Reserved tickets are $7. General admission tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for youth 18-and-under and students of the participating schools with a valid student ID.

There will be a $5 cash parking fee for the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and McCue Center parking lots on Friday and Sunday because UVa is hosting NCAA Lacrosse Championship games at Klöckner Stadium. The parking charge does not apply to baseball fans holding a reserved parking pass for the University Hall parking lot. Free parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Garage and Culbreth Garage.

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