CHARLOTTESVILLE - It was the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers that shut down the offensive minded No. 4 Syracuse Orange, 13-8, in a showdown between two top-five ranked teams Saturday afternoon in Klockner Stadium.

The Orange entered the game averaging 21 goals per outing this season, but were limited to only 23 shots in today's contest. Virginia used a 32-23 edge in shots and a 13-10 advantage in draw controls, including winning eight in the second half, to hold off the potent Syracuse offense.

“We knew at any point that Syracuse could rattle off 20 goals,” head coach Julie Myers said. “We wanted to make sure that we had possession of the ball because we didn't want their attack to have it. We wanted them to get frustrated with not having possession as much as they were used to. But, at the same time, it's only our third game, so we wanted to take the opportunity to get used to having the ball and be comfortable running some of our sets against a solid defense.”

Syracuse's defense allowed only 2.13 goals per game coming into the game, but junior All-American Blair Weymouth, playing in her first game of the season due to an early injury, tallied five scores alone for the Cavalier offense. Sophomore Brittany Kalkstein netted a season-high four goals herself, while junior Ashley McCulloch was a huge addition to settling and setting up the offense, as she dished out a game-high four assists.

“We weren't sure how much Blair was going to be able to play today, but she obviously proved she could do an awful lot,” Myers said. “We didn't play her in her power spots, so she didn't touch the ball as much as she usually does. But she certainly found a way to put the ball in the back of the net. She did a tremendous job with using the space that she was given.”

The Orange opened the game notching the first score of the day just 50 seconds into play. It wasn't until the 21:35 mark that senior Megan O'Malley put Virginia on the board, with her first of two goals on the day. Kalkstein then netted her first goal at 19:38, scoring on a pass from McCulloch. McCulloch then set up Weymouth for a second straight Cavalier goal before junior Jenny Hauser made it three straight at the 8:50 mark for Virginia.

Syracuse called a timeout while down 1-4 to regroup, and came out of the huddle firing three straight goals past Cavalier goalie Kendall McBrearty to knot the score at four all.

At the 6:37 mark, Syracuse's Christina Dove was awarded an eight-meter shot from an awkward angle. McBrearty anticipated the pass behind the cage and when she jumped to intercept the pass, Dove dodged McBrearty and slipped the goal into the net. Forty-four seconds later, Dove set up Halley Quillinan for a second straight score for the Orange, before Katie Rowan tallied her second goal of the game to knot the score at 4-4.

Redshirt sophomore Whitaker Hagerman responded less than a minute later for Virginia, allowing the Cavaliers to take a 5-4 advantage into halftime.

“Kendall played awesome today,” Myers said. “Although she let in a few early goals that were reflective of a hurried decision or something not fully thought through, they really woke her up. She certainly turned it around from there and played smart and tough down the stretch, and when you have a goalie who is making big athletic saves, your team gets fired up.”

McBrearty led the defense in the second half stopping seven of Syracuse's 11 second half shots to tally a season-high 12 saves on the day.

To open the second half, the Orange again scored first, but it was a three-goal spurt of the Cavaliers' late in the half that pushed them ahead. Weymouth and Kalkstein together scored five of the last six goals of the contest to secure the 13-8 victory for Virginia.

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2008-03-01