The No.9 Men's Lacrosse team rebounded from back to back ACC losses with a 12-9 victory over visiting Georgetown. The Hoyas jumped out to a 3-0 lead quickly, but Greg Coholan answered, followed shortly by a blast from Owen Van Arsdale, both of whom were honored during the Senior Day recognition pregame.
Ryan Tucker, Tanner Ottenbreit, Thompson Brown, Tyler German, and Davi Sacco were also recognized in the ceremony before the game, but it was second-years Ryan Lukacovic, Zed Williams, and Joe French who stole the show.
Lukacovic started out slow with a couple shots blocked by Georgetown's stellar freshman goalkeeper Nick Marrocco, but ended up with four goals and three assists on the afternoon. The four goals matches a career high. Because Georgetown plays solely zone defense, Lukacovic was able to get open on the backside of the crease several times, as well as keep his head up to find teammates throughout the game.
Matt Barrett was solid in goal once again with 11 saves on 34 shots face. Michael Howard and Logan Greco were phenomenal in the first half against the senior Hoya duo of Bo Stafford and Riley O'Connor, and Davi Sacco was solid all afternoon with all of the matchups he faced.
The play of the day, though, was missed by most of the fans. After an out of bounds shot, Williams picked up the ball, unnoticed by the players. Well, all but one. French, his roommate and fellow box-league enthusiast, saw that Williams had possession and decided to try his luck.
French motioned as if he had picked up a ball on the endline and started cutting towards the cage on the quick restart. This naturally drew the attention of Georgetown's defense, with two players paying French attention by means of poke checks and body pressure. Meanwhile, Zed strolled around the front of the cage and let one rip, surprising not only the goalie, but his teammates, coaches, and the crowd as well.
Check this out...
The goal tied the game at five apiece, and emphatically put momentum in Virginia's favor. That goal was second in a seven goal run by the Hoos that gave them control of the game for good.
Tyler German added three goals in the affair, and Zed Williams finished with two.
Full game highlights here:
Next up, Virginia travels to Philadelphia for the "ACC/Penn Showcase Game", or as I call it...the ACC tournament consolation game. The win today helped solidify Virginia's case to host a home game for the NCAA tournament, especially if they take care of Penn next weekend.