Box Score (PDF)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The George Mason University women's lacrosse team matched 12th-ranked Virginia goal for goal during a strong 45 minutes of competition but hit a dry spell late as the Cavaliers hung on to win 14-8 at Klockner Stadium.
Mason led 8-6 in the second half and was knotted at eight with the Cavaliers at the 22:45 mark. But the Patriots would not be able to find the back of the net for the rest of the contest against the team's second nationally-ranked opponent in five games this season.
"These types of games expose what we need to work on as a team," head coach Jessy Morgan said. I think the girls played hard. Virginia made slight adjustments that we weren't able to overcome. We stopped winning draws in the second half, which hindered our ability to score."
The Patriots controlled the draw in the first half (10-3), but the Cavaliers were able to take eight of the 11 draws in the second stanza. UVa also held a 20-11 edge in ground balls for the game.
Sophomore Deanna Balsama led the Patriots with four points on three goals and an assist. She also tallied three draw controls on the day.
Junior Abby Folker chipped in two points (1g, 1a) and three draw controls while four other Patriots tallied goals in the game.
Senior goalkeeper Melissa Semkiw played well while making 12 saves in all 60 minutes in the cage.
Two goals from Balsama gave Mason the early 2-0 lead, but UVa answered with a pair to tied it up at the 20:47 mark of the first half. Mason went up 5-4 after a score from senior Julianna Brown and took a 6-5 edge on Balsama's third goal. The teams entered the half tied at 6-6.
The Patriots rocketed out of the gate in the second half, as junior Erin Donoghue and senior Hailey Johnson tallied scores to give Mason an 8-6 edge just 2:52 into the final half. But from there, UVa would hold the Patriots without a goal en route to the win.
Mason now begins a two-game California swing over spring break. First up is a contest at San Diego State on Sunday at 4 p.m.
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