CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A homecoming for head coach Jessy Morgan, the George Mason women's lacrosse team played tough against one of the best teams in the country.

The Patriots battled hard in the first half before eventually falling 20-9 to No. 6 Virginia on a cold Wednesday evening at Klockner Stadium. Senior captain Chachi Kelehan and junior attacker Hailey Johnson each scored three goals and junior goalkeeper Melissa Semkiw made a season-high 13 saves on 45 shots faced.

Mason (3-3) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end but took some positives out of its second road game against a top 10 opponent this season (the Patriots opened the year at No. 2 Maryland).

"I think it was a confidence builder," said Morgan, who played at Virginia from 2004-07 and later served as an assistant coach at her alma mater. "Despite the score, I think we need to use these games against highly ranked opponents wrapping up non-conference play and going into Atlantic 10 play. That's why we put them on the schedule."

The first 20 minutes featured a tight affair with three ties and three lead changes.

Kelehan scored the first goal of the game just 69 seconds into the contest to put the Patriots in front. After Virginia (6-1) rattled off three straight goals, the Patriots responded with a three-goal flurry of their own. Johnson scored on consecutive free-position shots to tie the game. Then freshman Deanna Balsama put the Patriots in front on a driving goal as she scored high past Virginia goalkeeper Charlie Campbell.

Virginia's Lillie Kloak scored twice in less than a minute as the Cavaliers regained the lead but the Patriots once again responded. Sophomore Erin Donoghue scored right in front of the goal on a great feed from Balsama for a 5-5 tie with 15:42 to go in the first half.

Avery Shoemaker, however, scored two of her game-high six goals on free positions shots to put Virginia in front for good. Kelehan scored on a nice cut and move to the net to pull within one but that's as close as the Patriots would get as the Cavs scored five straight goals and took a 13-7 lead into halftime.

Virginia never looked back but the Patriots did keep it a six-goal game until late in the half.  

In addition to her goal, Donoghue led the team with nine draw controls as the Patriots held a 12-9 edge in draw controls after the first half. Balsama had four ground balls in addition to a goal and two assists and junior Julianna Brown also scored.

Semkiw snagged a career-high six ground balls in addition to her 13 saves. Twenty turnovers hurt the Patriots, though, as they were able to fire off just 21 shots compared to Virginia's 45.

Morgan was making her first trip to Klockner Stadium as an opponent. Mason's fifth-year head coach was an All-American defender for the Hoos and helped them win the 2004 national championship. She then served as recruiting and defensive coordinator under Virginia head coach Julie Myers for four years from 2011-14 before taking the head coaching job at Mason.

"I enjoyed coming back. I wasn't sure if I was going to," Morgan said. "I played a lot of games there. I played an entire career on that field. A lot of great moments. Those are my coaches on the other side of the ball. I owe a lot to them for giving me a lot of opportunities. I care for them like family. It is hard to compete against people you care about. But I think it is growth for us. I'm glad she has allowed George Mason to come back to Virginia. It is a rivalry that I would like to continue. It is good for the state of lacrosse.

"I enjoy the team at George Mason and I am here for a reason. I am at the right place in my career to be at George Mason."

The Patriots return to action with a trip to Iona at 1 p.m. Saturday in New Rochelle, N.Y.