No. 16 Virginia Downs Princeton 14-12

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On the back of a six-point performance from captain Morgan Schwab, the No. 16 Cavaliers (3-0) outlasted Princeton (0-1) to win 14-12 and earn its third straight victory on Saturday (Feb. 17) at Klöckner Stadium. With four assists on the day Schwab moved into fourth in career assists at Virginia.

A total of seven Cavaliers scored goals as Katia Carnevale (3g, 1a) and Kiki Shaw (3g) each recorded hat tricks while Morgan Schwab (2g, 4a), and Mackenzie Hoeg (2g) each added a pair.

On the defensive end, Mel Josephson turned in another impressive outing making 12 saves in goal for the third consecutive game. Freshman defender Kate Demark caused a pair of turnovers while picking up a ground ball.

How it Happened
Virginia jumped out to a quick two-goal lead as Morgan Schwab found Mackenzie Hoeg on the crease for the game’s opening goal while Kiki Shaw scored her fourth of the season on a solo effort. Freshman Kate Galica recorded her first career goal on a dodge through the teeth of the Princeton defense before Katia Carnevale scored the final goal of the period as the Cavaliers took a 4-2 lead into the second quarter.

Virginia capped a three-goal run in the second quarter scoring a pair inside of the first three minutes of the period, but Princeton would score three of the next four goals to cut the Virginia lead to two.

With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Carnevale converted on a free position attempt which ignited a four-goal run for the Cavaliers that bridged the halftime break. Schwab and freshman Jenna Dinardo each contributed two points on the UVA run as the Cavaliers took their largest lead of the game at 11-5.

At the start of the game’s final period, Mel Josephson made an early save on Princeton’s Samantha DeVito. Josephson hit her outlet in Maggie Bostain who legged out a solo clear and found Carnevale on the wing in an unsettled situation. Carnevale made the extra pass to Schwab on the crease, who finished off the Virginia break with a slick behind-the-back finish for her second goal of the game.

Despite a late run from the Princeton offense, Virginia held on to secure the 14-12 victory.

WOW 🤩🤩

Morgan Schwab scores in STYLE after the save from Mel Josephson #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/dcbq8TpMWe

— Virginia Women’s Lacrosse (@UVAWomensLax) February 17, 2024

From the Locker Room
Head coach Sonia LaMonica on closing out the victory…
“We talk a lot about resiliency as a team. The game is going to have a lot of ebbs and flows and sometimes a team will have some momentum but it’s about how we respond in those moments. I think defensively we came up with some huge stops during some of those runs and attempts at a comeback.”

With the Win:

• Virginia improves to 24-19 in the all-time series against Princeton
• UVA improves to 2-0 at Klöckner Stadium in 2024
• Sonia LaMonica improves to 3-0 as Virginia head coach

Notes

• With four assists on the day, Morgan Schwab increases her career total to 106 and moves up to No. 4 in career assists at UVA
• Mel Josephson recorded 12 saves for the third consecutive outing while improving to 3-0
• Katia Carnevale recorded her second hat-trick of the season and extended her scoring streak to 11 consecutive games—the longest active streak among Cavaliers
• Mackenzie Hoeg scored two goals for a second consecutive game
• Madison Alaimo continued her hot start to the season notching a her first multi-goal game as a Cavalier
• Despite losing the draw control battle (10-19) UVA earned the victory and improves to 3-0 when facing a draw-control deficit

Up Next:
Virginia will be back on the field at Klöckner Stadium when the Cavaliers open ACC play against North Carolina on Friday (Feb. 23) at Klöckner Stadium. First draw is set for 5 p.m.