Carnevale’s Spectacular Second Half Lifts No. 6 Virginia over Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — An electric second half from Katia Carnevale powered the No. 6 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (13-3, 6-3 ACC) to a 14-12 win over Virginia Tech (9-8, 2-7 ACC) on Wednesday night (April 17) at Thompson Field. The win featured a pair of milestones for Madison Alaimo and Kate Galica who each broke UVA freshman records.

Carnevale (5g) led the team in goals scoring each in the second half. Kiki Shaw (4) registered a hat trick of her own while Mackenzie Hoeg (2g, 1a) and Jenna Dinardo (2g, 1a) each scored twice. Defender, Maggie Bostain (1g) scored her third goal of the season.

Bostain was a difference maker on the defensive end as well accounting for three of UVA’s five caused turnovers, two ground balls and a pair of draw controls. Kate Galica soared past the UVA single-season freshman record with 11 draw controls on the night matching a career-high.

How it Happened
Virginia fell behind early after the Hokies scored the first two goals of the contest. The Cavaliers managed eight total shots in the first quarter but were unable to break through until Dinardo found the back of the net with just over two minutes to play in the opening period. The Cavaliers entered the first quarter break trailing by a score of 2-1.

Hoeg tied things up with a goal at the start of the second quarter as the Cavaliers went on a 4-1 scoring run bridging the first and second quarters. The Cavaliers ripped off six goals in the second frame as Bostain scored her third of the season on a solo clearing effort, while Hoeg and Shaw each netted a pair in the period. At the end of the first half, Virginia went into the locker room with a 7-5 lead.

Carnevale started the second half hot scoring just 13 seconds into the third quarter. She would score again just a few minutes later to give Virginia a 9-6 lead. The Hokies responded with a pair of goals to cut the Cavalier lead to just one, but again it was Carnevale who kickstarted a 3-1 Cavalier run to keep Virginia Tech at arm’s length. The teams traded goals throughout the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers notched a 14-12 win. 

Carnevale is a PROBLEM tonight 🔥#SCTop10 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/dx32OSyHZ7

— Virginia Women’s Lacrosse (@UVAWomensLax) April 18, 2024

From Head Coach Sonia LaMonica:
“This was such a key game. We knew Virginia Tech is going to battle us all the way down the wire. And we knew we were going to have to grind through four quarters. So this is a great victory. They really toughed it out and get the job done on the road. So, I’m really proud. It wasn’t our prettiest game, but that’s okay. It shows that we have resiliency and heart that we are looking for.”

With The Win:

• Virginia improves to 13-3 overall and 6-3 in ACC Play
• The Cavaliers improve to 27-3 in the all-time series with Virginia Tech
• Virginia records 13 wins in a season for the first time since 2019

Additional Notes

• Kate Galica set the Virginia single-season freshman record with 11 on the day to push her season total to 76. Passing the previous mark of 69 set by Brittany Kalkstein (’07).
• Madison Alaimo’s 22^nd assist of the season set a UVA single-season freshman record surpassing Blair Weymouth (’06) and Amy Appelt (’02).
• Katia Carnevale scored five goals on the night marking her fourth game with five or more goals
• Kiki Shaw set a season-high netting four goals on the day
• The Cavaliers won the draw control battle by a margin of 16-13
• Virginia scored on three power-play opportunities while killing off it’s only card of the game

THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions. With tonight’s win, Virginia leads the competition by a score of 10-6.5.

Up Next:
Virginia will wait to discover its seeding in the ACC tournament following the conclusion of league games on Thursday (April 18). As a top-six finisher, Virginia has clinched a first-round bye in the ACC tournament and will travel directly to Charlotte for the quarterfinals on Wednesday, April 24.