Despite Virginia’s patented patient offense throughout the second half, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team used a spurt of goals and stellar defense to runaway with a 11-5 victory on Friday night.
The No. 9 Cavaliers (2-2, 0-1 ACC) stalled for the first 10 minutes of the second half before the No. 2 Terps (4-0, 2-0) could form a possession that lasted more than a minute. But when they finally had the opportunity, the Terps used a flurry of passes to quickly sprint down the field, punctuated by a Sarah Mollison goal.
The sequence of events started an offensive run for the Terps to elevate them to the victory.
The Terps held Virginia scoreless in the second half and scored five of their own goals to build a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Attacker Karri Ellen Johnson led all scorers with four goals and an assist, while midfielder Caitlyn McFadden added three goals of her own. Attacker Sarah Mollison also played an exceptional game with two goals and three assists.
While the Terps tripled Virginia in shot count (33-to-11), coach Cathy Reese was not happy about the shot percentage. For the first time this season they did not score 17 goals. But the defense has become a major force, as the unit has allowed a combined nine goals to two top-ten teams in a row.
Kaitlin Duff led Virginia with two goals in the chilly College Park night game. More to come with Monday’s edition of The Diamondback.
Chris Eckard is the Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter for The Diamondback. He can be reached at ceckard@umdbk.com