Virginia run ends two-year championship stretch for women’s lacrosse
By: Justin Feil
In the national semifinals Friday, the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team used a huge 6-0 second-half run to propel itself into the national title game.
In the national title game, however, it was the Tigers who were on the short end of a 5-0 Virginia run that helped the Cavaliers capture the NCAA championship game, 10-4, Sunday before 4,922 at Princeton Stadium.
It was the lowest offensive output and tied the highest amount of goals given up for the Tigers, who lost for the first time in 29 games in a streak dating back to last season, and finished this season with a 19-1 record. They tied the NCAA record for lowest goal output in a championship game. Virginia improved to 19-3 overall, and avenged a 12-9 loss to Princeton in the regular season March 14. It was the Cavaliers third national championship and snapped Princeton’s two-year reign.
The Tigers used superb ball control and patience before taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Elizabeth Pillion off a feed from Jamie Sundheim with 22:31 left in the first half. That ball-control offense kept Princeton in control for two-thirds of the first half before Virginia tied the game, 1-1, on a goal by Tyler Leachman. Virginia added two more goals – one by national leading scorer Amy Appelt and a second by Leachman – in the next 1:26 for a 3-1 lead. Goals by Caitlin Banks and Appelt gave the Cavaliers a 5-0 run and a 5-1 lead by halftime.
Princeton, which had never trailed by more than three goals, and only trailed by that deficit twice this season, cut the Cavaliers lead to 5-2 on a goal by Kathleen Miller barely four minutes into the half. The goal ended a stretch of 26:45 without a Tiger goal, but they never drew closer as Virginia rebuilt a four-goal lead seven minutes later.
After a goal by Lindsey Biles with 15:58 to go brought the Tigers back within three scores, 6-3, Virginia added three straight goals before Pillion’s second goal of the game broke another Cavalier run.