Hoos Building Momentum for Postseason

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Not until late Thursday night will the University of Virginia women’s lacrosse team learn its seed in next week’s ACC tournament in Charlotte, N.C.

Not until May 4, when the NCAA tournament field is announced, will the Wahoos learn if they’ll play at Klöckner Stadium again this season. Amid that uncertainty, the ninth-ranked Hoos continue to trend in a positive direction.

“Obviously, the ACC is very strong, and I think we’ve done a lot of good work,” said Sonia LaMonica, Virginia’s second-year head coach. “Our résumé is strong.”

UVA (11-5 overall, 5-4 ACC) won four of its final five regular-season games, capping that stretch with an emphatic victory over in-state rival Virginia Tech (9-8, 3-6). Led by record-setting sophomore Kate Galica, the Cavaliers crushed the visiting Hokies 19-9 in a Commonwealth Clash contest Wednesday night.

“We just didn’t allow Tech to have an inch,” LaMonica said.

The Hokies were coming off an upset of then-No. 11 Syracuse, which defeated Virginia late last month, and they scored the first two goals Wednesday night. After that, though, it was all UVA. The Hoos led 6-3 after one quarter and 11-4 at halftime.

The objective “when you get those runs,” Galica said, is to “continue to score so you have no lulls, and I think we did that great today.”

With 8:13 left in the third quarter, sophomore Jenna DiNardo scored on a free-position shot to give Virginia a 10-goal lead, and the rest of the game, save a 66-second span late in the fourth quarter, was played with a running clock.

“You have to be ready for anything, you have to be prepared for anything, and you have to be ready to adjust as the game goes on,” LaMonica said. “I expected [that] Tech was going to give us a good hard game. They’re certainly a tough team and they’ve had some really great wins this year, so we were not overlooking this team for a second.”

In its final non-conference game of the regular season, Virginia knocked off then-No. 9 Maryland 13-9 on April 9 in Towson, Md. Three days later, the Hoos faced reigning NCAA champion Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and suffered their most one-sided loss of the season. UVA trailed by only one goal midway through the second quarter, but second-ranked BC pulled away for a 24-11 victory.

“It wasn’t a lack of effort our last game,” LaMonica said Wednesday night. “That was a tough road trip. We had two-and-a half weeks of game after game, midweek, weekend, and some tough travel to Baltimore and then back home, back up to BC. I think despite the score, our group battled hard and they were able to come back, regroup, refocus and just come out firing on all cylinders [against Virginia Tech]. That certainly was how we wanted to end the regular season and bounce back.”

Galica, who led Virginia with goals and eight draw controls against BC, said she and her teammates focused on “learning from our mistakes in that game and growing from that, because realistically, we do have a lot more season ahead of us. We have ACCs and NCAAs. So although that was a tough loss for us, for sure, I think we can learn from that loss. And I think we did, and we showed it [against Tech].”

No. 5 put on a show in the regular-season finale. Galica won 17 draw controls—a new single-game record at Virginia—and her dominance in that area starved the Hokies of possession.

That wasn’t the only milestone she reached Wednesday night. Galica’s 155 draw controls are a single-season record at Virginia. Aubrey Williams (149) held the previous mark.

“She’s next level,” LaMonica said of Galica, who’s from Wayne, Pa.

In 2024, when Galica was named ACC Freshman of the Year, she led Virginia with 97 draw controls. She knew she could improve, however, and Galica made that a priority in the offseason.

“She’s constantly working on her craft,” LaMonica said. “She is just dedicated to being the best, and that drive, that’s part of what makes her such a special player.”

When Galica joined the program, she said Wednesday night, “I wasn’t really expecting to take any draws. So I kind of ended up putting that on my back to take initiative and work at it and watch film. And even if I was losing draws, I wanted to figure out why I was losing.”

For the Cavaliers, the victory was their fourth straight over Virginia Tech in a series they lead 27-3.

Sophomores, as usual, spearheaded the Hoos’ offense. Addi Foster scored a career-high four goals, and Galica and DiNardo added three apiece. Madison Alaimo matched her career high with six assists.

“We saw some different defensive strategy against us,” LaMonica said. “I thought Jenna DiNardo did a great job. She was getting face-guarded. The team moved the ball well and we attacked pressure and created great scoring opportunities.”

On defense, junior Mel Josephson sparkled in goal, making six saves before giving way to senior Abby Jansen late in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers entered the regular-season finale having clinched a berth in the eight-team ACC tournament, which starts with the quarterfinal round Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. The Hokies are currently in eighth place, and the conference’s other 10 teams conclude the regular season Thursday.

The ACC championship game is Sunday, April 27, and the NCAA tournament selection show is a week later. Each of the top eight seeds in the NCAAs will host a four-team pod on the tournament’s opening weekend. UVA was awarded the No. 5 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament and hopes to be in the top eight again this spring.

“Playing at Klöckner is so special,” Galica said.

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