No. 16 Cavaliers Complete Second-Half Comeback for 10-9 Win Over Stanford

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Powered by a second-half run, and a pair of clutch saves from sophomore goalkeeper Mel Josephson, the No. 16 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (2-0) erased a two-goal deficit in the second half to earn a 10-9 victory over Stanford (0-1) on Sunday (Feb. 11).

A total of seven Cavaliers scored goals as Katia Carnevale, Kiki Shaw and Mackenzie Hoeg all tallied a pair each. Carnevale (2g, 1a), Shaw (2g, 1a), Kate Miller (1g, 2a) and Madison Alaimo (1g, 2a) all led the Cavaliers with three points each on the day.

On the defensive end, Mel Josephson once again proved to be a difference maker for the Cavaliers making 12 saves in her second consecutive game while stopping 57-percent of the shots she faced. Five of her nine goals allowed came from free position attempts. Defenders Maggie Bostain and Olivia Bruno each forced a pair of turnovers.

How it Happened
Virginia scored the first two goals of the game with Hoeg and Carnevale finding the back of the net to give UVA the early advantage. A free-position goal for Stanford halved the Virginia lead before the Cardinal leveled the score minutes later to end the first quarter tied at 2-2.

Stanford continued its scoring run in the second quarter outscoring the Cavaliers 5-1 over the stretch as Virginia went into the half trailing 5-3.

Starting with a power-play advantage in the second half, UVA came out firing as Shaw converted on a free-position to cut the lead in half. Shaw’s goal ignited a 3-1 scoring run for the Cavaliers to tie the game at six. After trading goals, freshman Madison Alaimo found Morgan Schwab on the crease who gave UVA a one-goal advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

After Stanford opened the scoring to even the game in the fourth, Kiki Shaw dodged down the middle to score a go-ahead goal for the Cavaliers who took the lead at 9-8. A slick pass from Kate Miller to Katia Carnevale on the crease set up what would prove to be the game-winning goal for Virginia.

Stanford would score once again to make the score 10-9 in favor of Virginia with just over three minutes to play. Goalkeeper Mel Josephson delivered in the clutch for Virginia making a pair of crucial saves for the Cavaliers to secure the one-goal victory.

From the Locker Room
Head coach Sonia LaMonica on the team’s performance…

“We showed resiliency today. It was a good, tough, gritty win. The conditions weren’t great, but they worked through it and continued to stay the course. There are some things we need to work on. Annabel Frist just had a day on the draws and we struggled to find some answers there so that is something we will continue to improve, but this was a great, great win on a two-game weekend.

Mel Josephson on the defensive performance…
“Our defense is such a solid unit. I played well today, but it’s really because the girls in front of me played even better and they make my job a lot easier.”

Hear from head coach Sonia LaMonica after a 10-9 win over Stanford 🎙️#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/7npOQYlmpp

— Virginia Women’s Lacrosse (@UVAWomensLax) February 11, 2024

With the Win:

• Virginia improves to 5-0 in the all-time series against Stanford
• Sonia LaMonica improves to 2-0 as Virginia head coach

Notes

• With one assist on the day, Morgan Schwab is now just a single assist away from tying Lauren Aumiller (’03) for fifth on the program’s all-time list
• Virginia was a perfect 17-17 on clears for the game
• Freshmen Madison Alaimo and Jenna Dinardo each found the back of the net as each scored in the first two games of their UVA careers
• The Cavaliers overcame deficits in the ground ball (13-16), and draw control battles (5-16)

Up Next:
Virginia will be back on the field at Klöckner Stadium for the second outing of a three-game home stand when the Cavaliers face off with Princeton on Saturday (Feb. 17). First draw is set for 12 p.m.