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Monday Motivation: Virginia Lacrosse on the rebound

Men's lacrosse picks up some wins, and a Virginia football alum on a television show?

Greg Coholan - UVA Lacrosse
Greg Coholan - UVA Lacrosse
(Credit DANNY NECKEL / StreakingtheLawn.com)

While the thermometer may not quite reflect it yet, spring is certainly underway on the field. Or court. You know what I mean. Let's get to it.

Rapid Fire

-Incoming first year Kyle Guy had a big week with seven points and two assists in 12 minutes of the McDonald's All-America game, as well as finishing second in the three-point competition and putting on a show in the Powerade Jam Fest. While his performance on the court gave Virginia fans something to look forward to, he proved he is ready to be a Cavalier for the impression he left throughout his time in Chicago.

To follow up that performance, Guy took home the three-point title at the High School Slam.

On top of all that, Guy showed some 'Virginia Pride' after the win.

-Former football standout, and now New England Patriot, Chris Long, made an appearance Sunday night on Spike's 'Bar Rescue'. Long, along with Barstool Sports' Big Cat, went undercover for Jon Taffer at O'Kelley's in St. Louis. Check out the highlights here:

I feel like we could use this gif frequently as well...

-No.15 Women's Lacrosse held off a late surge from No.10 Boston College to get a crucial ACC win on Senior Night. Fourth year Kelly Boyd scored three goals - including the eventual game winner - and the Hoos got four goals each from Kasey Behr and Maggie Jackson. Jackson got her first goal 13 seconds into the game as she won the draw control cleanly and took it straight to cage, switching hands to finish with a strong lefty goal.

Virginia's goalie Rachel Vander Kolk had 10 saves as the Eagles outshot the Cavaliers 33-24. The Hoos never trailed in the game, which was their first ACC victory of the season. Next up, Virginia will take their 6-6 (1-4 ACC) record on the road with four straight away games to finish the regular season. The Cavaliers will face Navy on Wednesday, then No.6 Louisville on Saturday.

Make sure to watch the jab step outside shot by Behr at the 1:28 mark. She's an animal, and it's amazing (for those that aren't particularly familiar with women's lacrosse, that is INCREDIBLY difficult with those sticks).

-Last Monday, a post from Amanda Sovik-Johnston provided yet another reason to be thankful for Tony Bennett and the basketball team.

Just ran into these amazing men (and the rest of the team) on the lawn today. I cried as I told them how much they've...

Posted by Amanda SJ on Monday, March 28, 2016

Sovik-Johnston, a psychologist in Charlottesville and a double-Hoo (CLAS '02, Curry Ph.D. '11), said this regarding the team:

"These guys are helping us all teach our kids about hard-work, perseverance, servanthood, kindness, prayer, and loving each other. UVA basketball is the first thing that my sons and I share together and I treasure it."

If you haven't seen the season recap video "Joy Will Come", check it out. If you're ready. Have tissues on hand.

When does next season start?

-As football season inches closer, take a look at some video from practice number six, courtesy of VirginiaSportsTV.

-Women's Golf won the Bryan National Collegiate Title, their third victory in this event in the last four seasons. The Hoos finished six strokes ahead of second place South Carolina, despite windy weather conditions. Four Cavaliers - Lauren Coughlin, Elizabeth Szokol, Lauren Diaz-Yi, and Anna Redding - placed in the top ten for the event. Next up, the Hoos head to the ACC tournament April 15-17 in Greesboro, NC.

-No.3 Men's Tennis bounced back from a close 4-3 loss to No.1 UNC with a 6-1 drubbing of Duke. Virginia is now 17-3 (7-1, ACC) on the season. Next up, the Hoos will play at Florida, Georgia Tech, and Clemson before returning home to take on No.6 Wake Forest on April 15.

HOO-Mongous Wins

-The No.20 Men's Lacrosse team got back on track this week, building off of their dramatic overtime victory over Johns Hopkins with back-to-back wins over VMI and Richmond.

Against VMI, the Hoos started slowly but closed strong, outscoring the Keydets 18-2 over the final three quarters of the game. Virginia had nine different goal scorers, and 16 different players contributed at least one point. James Pannell led the way with four goals, while Tyler Breen and Joe French each had three goals.

Six players made their collegiate debut, two players scored their first collegiate goals (Breen and Will Sipperly), and two players notched their first career points (Matt Dziama and Townsend Brown).

Saturday, the Cavaliers traveled to Richmond to face the up-and-coming Spiders. Richmond came into the matchup with a 7-2 record, including an upset win over Duke. Virginia got on the board quickly by way of a Ryan Lukacovic score with 14:01 remaining in the first quarter. Virginia managed one other goal in the first quarter with a D'Amario put back on a rebound, and the Hoos extended their lead to 4-0 by halftime.

Virginia cruised in the second half, relying on tenacious defense and a big day from goalie Matt Barrett, who finished with 12 saves. Barrett had arguably his best game of the season, leading Virginia to their first shutout, 9-0, since 2007. AJ Fish, Matt Emery, and Lukacovic all finished with two goals apiece, and D'Amario, Greg Coholan, and Zed Williams all added one.

Next up, Virginia (6-5, 0-2 ACC) travels to No.11 North Carolina for a crucial ACC matchup. Game is Sunday at 2pm and will be televised on ESPNU.