Following a dramatic victory over nationally-ranked Boston University in its last game, the men’s lacrosse team dropped a contest against the University of Virginia, falling 13-8 last Saturday.
After the Cavaliers (6-7 overall) netted the opening score minutes into the first quarter, the Leopards (4-3 Patriot League, 8-5 overall) quickly answered, with senior attacker Riley Sullivan finding freshman attacker Joshua Heaney for his 23rd goal of the season.
“That was actually something that our coaches showed us on film,” Heaney said. “We knew the way they like to play defense, and with Riley’s passing ability, that looked like that was gonna be open, and we just happened to hit it early, so it was a good way to start the game.”
Unfortunately for the Maroon and White, the team’s offense stalled afterward, going scoreless for almost a quarter’s worth of game time, while the Cavaliers rallied off five consecutive goals.
“Against such a great team like Virginia, I think we started to see that we were making a couple small mistakes, sometimes we can get away with,” freshman midfielder Joseph Duggan said. “But playing a team of that caliber, they really exposed those even little mistakes.”
In just a few minutes, however, the Leopards quickly picked up steam, scoring three straight goals to narrow the gap to 6-4.
“At the end of that first quarter, Coach brought us in and told us to settle in and try not to do too much and make the home run plays and just kind of chip away,” Duggan said. “See if we could bring their lead down little by little, just one goal at a time and I think that kind of settled us in.”
Virginia responded with a pair of scores to make it an 8-4 game heading into halftime.
“You try not to change your mentality at all,” Heaney said of facing the deficit. “You try to score one possession at a time. There’s no two-point plays, so you just take it one possession at a time and claw your way back in.”
The Cavaliers kept their foot on the gas, scoring another pair of goals to take a 10-4 lead midway through the third. Seeking signs of life, senior midfielder Liam Sargent tallied the Leopards’ fifth goal of the contest, and Duggan assisted senior midfielder John Galbraith on a buzzer-beating goal to end the quarter.
“I think we’re really good in transition, whether that’s riding or clearing,” Duggan said. “That was a scenario where we had a good clear and a good breakaway right at the end.”
To open the fourth quarter, it was again the Cavaliers who seized control, scoring two early goals en route to the 13-8 victory.
The Leopards struggled with turnovers, racking up 26 in the contest. Virginia outshot the Maroon and White 40-32, with Heaney pacing the Leopards with six shots and four shots on goal.
“I think a lot of those shots just came from our offensive scheme,” Heaney said. “Me and the rest of our team have to just can the opportunities when we get them, especially a really good team like that, you don’t always get that many shots.”
Closing out the regular season, the Maroon and White take on rival Lehigh University (4-3 Patriot League, 5-8 overall) on Friday night.
“We’re going to have a lot of emotions,” Duggan said. “Whether it’s nerves or just that excitement, anger, whatever it may be, so I think it’s important that we play with that excitement, and we play with a lot of energy and passion, but we don’t let it take over.”
Currently in fifth place in the Patriot League standings, Friday’s contest will decide the Leopards’ postseason fate.
“Our emphasis right now is we control our own destiny, if we win, we’re in,” Heaney said. “I think some people would say it’s a little bit of added pressure, but I think it’s a privilege. We don’t have to rely on another team beating anyone. We know what we have to do and how to get it done.”
