VCU lacrosse got off to a slow start in its matchup with bitter rival Old Dominion University, which ultimately resulted in a 19-2 loss at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.
ODU scored two goals in the first 42 seconds of the game. VCU redshirt-freshman midfielder Sky Hyatt scored her 18th goal of the season at the 5:30 mark in the first half. Redshirt-freshman attack Megan Williamson was credited with the assist.
The Monarchs continued to pour it on in the first half, outscoring VCU, 12-1.
ODU Junior midfielder Connor Carson played a key role in the Lady Monarchs’ offense, scoring three of her game-high four goals in the first five minutes of play. Fellow midfielder Natalie Ledwitz and attacker Morgan Marrale also netted a pair of goals in the opening half.
“Our midfield played superbly,” said ODU head coach Heather Holt. “They had some great breakouts from our goalie and taking it all the way down the field. They made good choices and got ahead of the ball and that enabled us to get a leg up and have fastbreak situations.”
At the half, ODU outshot the Rams 22-5 and held an 11-3 edge in draw controls.
Freshman goalie Ria Peralta recorded five saves in the first half to extend her total to 45 saves this season.
ODU carried its momentum into the second half, once again holding the Rams to just one late goal and outscoring VCU 7-1 in the second half.
Freshman attack Molly Barcikowski scored her 18th goal of the season with the help of an assist from freshman midfielder Sofia Emond; the Tampa native has five assists this season for the Rams.
Defensively, ODU was led by redshirt-senior defender Morgan Gallagher, who recorded a team-high three caused turnovers.
The Rams took more shots in the second half but were still outshot 31-12. Each team collected 17 ground balls.
The Rams play cross-town rivals University of Richmond on April 1 at 5 p.m. on Cary Street Field.
Staff Writer, Sophia Belletti
Sophia is a sophomore print/online journalism major with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies. She enjoys writing about current events and sports and hopes to one day be a sports reporter, covering soccer, basketball and baseball. You can usually find Sophia drinking way too much coffee and laughing at her own jokes. // Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn