Ashlyn McGovern, Virginia Cavaliers women's lacrosse — Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Communications

UVA Women's Lacrosse Falls to No. 2 Boston College in ACC Semifinals

The Cavaliers' run at the ACC Championship came to an end in the semifinals with a loss at the hands of the defending national champion Eagles

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
May 2, 2022 3:12 PM EDT
Original:
May 2, 2022

For three quarters, the Cavaliers went punch-for-punch with the defending national champions. A goal from Kate Miller late in the third quarter capped a 3-0 UVA run that brought the Hoos to within three goals of Boston College (17-2). It seemed the second semifinal of the 2022 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship was destined to come down to the wire.

Instead, the Eagles showed why they are the defending national champions and the No. 2-ranked team in the country, outscoring the Cavaliers 6-1 for the remainder of the game and outlasting Virginia (9-9) 20-12 on Sunday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium at Notre Dame.

Virginia's upset win over No. 3 Syracuse in the ACC quarterfinals on Friday night was crucial, as it meant the Cavaliers were guaranteed a .500 winning percentage, making them eligible for the NCAA Tournament, and the victory over the third-ranked team in the country was a massive resume-builder for UVA.

Still, the Cavaliers entered Sunday's semifinal with their NCAA Tournament fate still entirely in the air. A victory over the Eagles would go a long way towards preserving Julie Myers' perfect record of never missing an NCAA Tournament in her 27 years as Virginia's head coach.

Boston College came out of the gates on a mission, scoring five of the game's first six goals. Virginia responded with a 3-0 run and trailed BC 7-4 at the end of the first quarter.

Cassidy Weeks scored four of her game-high six goals in the first half to help the Eagles build a lead as large as six. UVA's Rachel Clark tallied a goal late in the half to make it 11-6 in favor of BC at halftime.

Boston College had a massive advantage in possession time thanks to a 21-12 edge in draw controls and 19 Virginia turnovers, 12 of which were caused by the relentless pressure the Eagles put on the Cavalier ball carriers in the midfield.

Such a lopsided possession battle led to the Eagles nearly doubling the Cavaliers in both shots (40-21) and shots on goal (28-13). The game would have been a blowout from the beginning if not for the valiant efforts of UVA goalkeepers Ashley Vernon and Abby Jansen, who combined for eight saves.

Boston College opened up a 14-8 lead in the third quarter, but UVA responded with a 3-0 run sparked by back-to-back goals by senior Ashlyn McGovern, who led the Cavaliers with four goals on four shots. Kate Miller then scored to make it 14-11 with 2:40 left in the third quarter. Miller finished with two goals and one assist in the game.

With Virginia looking to stage a comeback, Boston College put an end to the UVA rally, allowing just one Cavalier goal in the final 17:40 of the game.

The BC defense did a fantastic job of shutting off Virginia's first year phenom Rachel Clark, who had two goals on just three shots. Mackenzie Hoeg, Kiki Shaw, and Jaime Biskup each tallied one goal and one assist.

Boston College had six players score multiple goals, including four players with at least a hat trick. Surprisingly, none of those three-goal scorers were reigning Tewaaraton winner Charlotte North, who was held to just two goals on eight shots. Nonetheless, the Eagles showed their depth on the offensive end and had no problem reaching the 20-goal mark despite a relatively quiet showing from their superstar.

Boston College outscored Virginia 4-1 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory and book a ticket to the ACC Championship Game against North Carolina next week in Chapel Hill, where the Eagles will look to win their first-ever ACC title.

For Virginia, there is nothing to do but wait. The Cavaliers will discover their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday on May 8th at 9pm on ESPNU.

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