No. 25 Louisville’s Rally Comes Up Short at No. 8 Virginia, 13-12

Saturday, March 6

Charlottesville, VA

11 a.m. ET

University of Louisville

2-2, 0-1

Virginia

4-0, 2-0

Louisville

Virginia

No. 25 Louisville’s Rally Comes Up Short at No. 8 Virginia, 13-12

March 06, 2021 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Cardinals rallied from four goals down to tie it, but came up just short in Charlottesville, Va.

By: Conor Mullaney

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 25 University of Louisville women's lacrosse opened ACC play on the road and came up just short in a 13-12 loss at No. 8 Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Cardinals drop to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the ACC, while the Cavaliers improve to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in league action.

"I thought we played extremely well, and I thought it was great to take a top-10 team right down to the wire," said head coach Scott Teeter. "They made one more play than we did today. Even though we played well, I still think we have another gear and can play better."

Louisville found themselves down 1-0 less than two minutes into the game after giving up the opening goal for the first time this season. But, the deficit didn't last long as Kokoro Nakazawa evened things up soon after.

The game went back and forth early on as the two teams traded goals throughout the first half. Allegra Catalano tied the game 4-4 with 14:49 left on the clock, but the Cardinals couldn't find the net again as Virginia scored four unanswered goals to take an 8-4 lead at the end of the first half.

Heading into the break, Catalano had two goals and Hannah Morris tallied one.

Ally Hall and Morris scored two consecutive goals to start the second half as the Cardinals cut the deficit down to two. Over the next seven minutes, the Cavaliers scored three goals to Louisville's one until Alex McNicholas and Caroline Blalock combined for three straight to get the Cardinals back within one.

Virginia scored to take a two-goal lead, but again Louisville would not be denied. Caroline Blalock and Morris scored back-to-back goals to tie the game at 12-12, but the late rally wasn't enough as Virginia scored once more with 5:46 remaining to seal the game.

Caroline Blalock had a game-high five points on two goals and three assists. Morris ended the game with four goals, while Catalano and McNicholas added two apiece.

Louisville won the draw control battle with 16 compared to Virginia's 12, with Caroline Blalock and McNicholas leading the team with four each.

In net, Rachel Florek concluded the game with 10 saves and Virginia's goalkeeper Charlie Campbell finished with seven.

The Cardinals travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on Central Michigan on Friday, March 12 at 1 p.m.

For the latest information on Louisville lacrosse, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @LouisvilleLax or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLLacrosse.