Big First Half Propels No. 8 Virginia Past No. 13 Duke, 17-12

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 8 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (9-3, 1-3 ACC) picked up a 17-12 victory over No. 13 Duke (7-3, 2-1 ACC) on Saturday (March 23) at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
 
Senior Maggie Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) led the Cavaliers with four goals. Freshman Lillie Kloak (Ridgewood, N.J.) and sophomore Ashlyn McGovern (Phoenix, Md.) scored three goals apiece. Charlotte North led the Blue Devils with four goals. Junior goalkeeper Charlie Campbell (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) made nine saves for UVA. Virginia scored 14 of its 17 goals on Duke’s starting goalkeeper Gabbe Cadoux, who made three saves.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, netting the half-dozen goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Duke ended the run by scoring with 20:59 remaining in the first half, but Kloak reignited the offense with an unassisted goal with 15:17 remaining, the first of four-straight to put the Cavaliers ahead 10-1 with 12:51 remaining in the first half. UVA went into the break with a 12-4 advantage, but duke came out firing in the second half, scoring three goals in the first five minutes to cut the deficit to 12-7. Back-to-back scores from Jackson and McGovern stopped the Duke run and gave the Cavaliers a seven-point advantage. A goal from North with 10:12 remaining pulled the Blue Devils to within four, 15-11, as close as they would come the entire game, but Jackson answered almost immediately, pushing the lead back out to 16-11 with 9:38 remaining. Both defenses dug in with the teams scoring just a single goal apiece for the remainder of the contest and the Cavaliers’ picking up the 17-12 victory.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“This was a really important win,” said Virginia head coach Julie Myers. “I loved our first half more than our second half, but I give Duke a lot of credit. They won a ton of draws and they just played with pride in that second half and they made us make some stops. All in all, this was a great team effort for us.”
 
NOTES

• Duke had a 20-11 edge in draw controls
• Virginia outshot Duke 22-11 in the first half, but Duke took three more shots than the Cavaliers in the second half
• Maggie Jackson’s four goals are a season high. This was her third hat trick of the season and 16th of her career
• Lillie Kloak had her fifth hat trick of the season and her second straight
• Ashlyn McGovern had her third hat trick of the season
• Avery Shoemaker extended her streak of games in which she has scored a goal to 23 straight. She scored two goals with two assists
• Junior Sammy Mueller (Pelham, N.Y.) scored two goals with an assist
• Sophomore Katie Railey (Towson, Md.) scored her first goal of the season
• Freshman Courtlynne Caskin (Potomac, Md.) scored a goal with an assist
• Junior Nora Bowen (Lovettsville, Va.) scored a goal, her fourth-straight game in which she has scored

 
UP NEXT

• Virginia will take on No. 1 Boston College (11-0, 2-0 ACC) next Saturday, March 30 at 12 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Mass.