Virginia women sink Navy, 15-12, to move on to NCAA quarterfinals

A late rally from the Navy Midshipmen kept things interesting, but the No. 6 seeded Virginia Cavalier women’s lacrosse team came out with a 15-12 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It’s the first trip to the quarterfinals for Virginia since 2014.

“I think it is more of a hump for me, since am the one that has been here so long, but for the girls to be able to get into that round of eight is huge,” Virginia head coach Julie Myers said of the win. “There is pressure going in as a 6-seed and getting that bye. It had been a long time since we had played, so it was nice to see us start strong in that first half and built on the lead. For the girls to feel the elation of continuing on for another week, it is a time to play and have fun and find the excitement and energy in each other. We are excited for this next week.”

Sammy Mueller led the Hoos with a career-high six goals and added two assists in the win, while Maggie Jackson scored a hat trick.

After scoring the first goal of the game, Virginia put three straight goals on the board to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Scoring runs of two, three, and two goals over an 18:26 span in the second half cut a one time six-goal Virginia lead to two at 14-12 with 3:20 left in the game. A well-timed draw control gave the Hoos the ball, and Mueller’s sixth and final goal with 1:57 remaining sealed the deal for Virginia.

Virginia took a 9-5 lead into the halftime break behind hat tricks from Mueller and Jackson, plus two goals from Courtlynne Caskin and a score from Lillie Kloak. Charlie Campbell notched nine saves in the game, coming up with huge stops late in the game to limit Navy’s momentum.

Campbell’s performance was especially critical when considering Virginia’s struggle at the draw circle. The Hoos won just nine of 28 draws, including Navy going 10-of-13 in the second half, but Virginia got control when needed to put the game away.

Check out the full highlights below:

Now, the Cavaliers hit the road to face a familiar foe in North Carolina. No. 3 seed UNC, which took out Florida 15-11 Sunday afternoon, will host the quarterfinal as the highest remaining seed. Virginia dropped a heartbreaker in Chapel Hill back in March, falling 13-12 after the Tar Heels scored the final two goals of the game.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, and times will be announced later.