Lacrosse

A late-game push by the Wildcats fell short on Sunday as their mid-game slump proved to be too great to overcome.

No. 10 Virginia (1-0) narrowly edged No. 4 Northwestern (1-1) 10-8 at the Cobb County Classic in Kennesaw, Georgia, in a battle of possession and goalkeeping.

In an otherwise statistically even game, the Cats struggled with possession in the midfield. A slew of fouls and sloppy ground balls awarded the ball to the Cavaliers on crucial possessions.

NU also struggled with draw controls, particularly in the first half, nabbing eight draw controls to the Cavaliers’ 12, and only one in the first half.

The Cats came out fiery in the first half, however, scoring first with a bullet of a shot by senior attacker Kaleigh Craig. The teams traded a handful of goals over the next 15 minutes, evening the score at 3-3 with ten minutes to play in the half.

NU’s defense began to lag, giving up a free position goal on a call for 8 meters and allowing another Virginia goal off a successfully timed cut. The Cats went into halftime down by 2.

The first five minutes of the second half saw a newly motivated NU team. Chippy play in the midfield gave the Cats possession and opportunity in front of the goal. Within four minutes, sophomore attacker Shelby Fredericks and sophomore attacker Selena Lasota had each scored. 

From there, however, the Cavaliers dominated as NU failed to convert opportunities into points. Despite an impressive pair of last-minute Cats goals, a late run by Virginia lifted it to victory 10-8.

Though the second half proved to be much more balanced in terms of possession and opportunity, sloppy defensive play ultimately cost NU the game.

The Cats also struggled to score against Virginia goalie Rachel Vander Kolk who recorded 12 saves, making a few particularly impressive snags on the crease.

After their opening week of play, the Cats sit 1-1 following a victory against then-No. 4 Duke last Sunday.

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Twitter: @clairechansen