Virginia Women's Lacrosse Rides Fast Start to Beat No. 18 Clemson 18-12
Virginia women's lacrosse played its first ACC road game and first road game against a ranked opponent on Saturday and passed that test with flying colors. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 5-1 lead and behind hat tricks from four different players, No. 14 Virginia (5-1, 1-1 ACC) picked up its first conference win of the season with an 18-12 victory at No. 18 Clemson (4-1, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.
The first quarter was the Morgan Schwab show, as the quarterback of the UVA offense assisted on three goals by three different Cavaliers. Kate Miller, Mackenzie Hoeg, and Katia Carnevale each scored one of those goals assisted by Schwab and each of them also tallied unassisted goals to help Virginia take a 6-2 lead at the end of the opening period.
The Tigers scored three of the first four goals of the second quarter, including a pair of goals from Claire Bockstie, to draw back within two, but the Cavaliers closed the half on a 3-1 run to push their lead back up to four at 10-6 at halftime. That run included goals from Jenna Dinardo and Morgan Schwab that were separated by just 15 seconds.
Clemson stormed out of the gates after halftime, as Caitlin McElwee scored 15 seconds into the third quarter and then later bookended a 3-0 Tiger run with another goal to make it 10-9. UVA answered with a pair of goals from Hoeg and Kate Galica, but Shannon Brazier responded with a goal for Clemson to make it 12-10 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Tigers had a significant possession advantage in the second half with a 9-3 edge in draw controls and a 12-8 advantage in groundballs in the second half. Clemson had more shots and shots on goal in the second half, but Mel Josephson stood tall when it mattered most with six second-half saves.
With the game still very much in the air entering the final frame, the Cavaliers seized control of things for good with a 4-0 run to start the fourth and a dominant final period overall. Kate Galica scored twice during that run and Katia Carnevale scored two goals in the fourth as well to help Virginia pull away for the 18-12 win.
Carnevale led the Cavaliers with four goals on six shots, while Morgan Schwab had five points on four assists and a goal. Kate Galica, Kate Miller, and Mackenzie Hoeg each had a hat trick and Kiki Shaw had two goals and an assist. Mel Josephson earned her fifth-career win in cage with nine saves versus 12 goals allowed.
Up next, Virginia dips back into non-conference play with an in-state matchup against Richmond on Wednesday at 5pm at Klockner Stadium.
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