No. 13 UVA Women's Lacrosse Bounces Back with 23-13 Victory Over No. 16 Stanford

The Cavaliers snapped a three-losing streak against ranked opponents with a ten-goal win over the Cardinal

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Feb 27, 2022 2:20 PM EST
Original:
Feb 27, 2022

No. 13 Virginia women's lacrosse continued its brutal stretch of ranked matchups, as the Cavaliers hosted No. 16 Stanford on Sunday at Klockner Stadium. After suffering three-consecutive home losses to ranked opponents (No. 5 Maryland, No. 11 Princeton, No. 1 Boston College), UVA snapped the losing streak with a resounding victory 23-13 victory over Stanford.

Rachel Clark was the catalyst for the Wahoos, as the freshman midfielder recorded four goals and four assists. Five of those points came in the opening quarter, as Clark scored two goals and dished out three assists as part of an explosive first quarter that saw the Cavaliers build an 11-4 advantage.

Stanford outscored Virginia 5-4 in the second quarter and the third quarter was even at four goals apiece, so the Cardinal stayed within a reasonable striking distance heading into the fourth quarter. But, UVA delivered a stifling defensive effort in the final period, shutting Stanford out and putting up four goals in the fourth as the Cavaliers rolled to the ten-goal victory.

Ashley Vernon made eight saves versus 13 goals allowed, but UVA's defensive execution was greatly aided by the team's advantage in possessions. Draw controls were 28-12 in favor of the Cavaliers, largely thanks to Aubrey Williams, who recorded 15 draw controls in the match.

Ashlyn McGovern and Kate Miller joined Rachel Clark in scoring four goals apiece and Morgan Schwab tacked on three goals and an assist. Annie Dyson recorded one goal and three helpers.

The win gets Virginia back to .500 at 3-3 on the season. The Cavaliers will hit the road for the first time since the season opener as they travel to Notre Dame to face the No. 17 Fighting Irish next Sunday (3/6) at 12pm.

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