The No. 18 Louisville lacrosse team fell 13-12 in overtime to No. 12 Virginia (11-7) in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Championship on Thursday night at Sports Backers Stadium. The Cardinals were led by Meghan Siverson with three goals. Ashley Lynch, Hannah Koloski and Elise Koehl each scored twice for the Cardinals.
“We left our heart on the field tonight but needed a little more grit to secure the win,” said head coach Kellie Young.
Louisville (11-7) started the game with a 2-0 run. Madison Hoover scored at the 27:30 mark while Meghan Siverson scored a minute later to give the Cards a 2-0 lead. The Cavaliers answered with a 3-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 3-2 lead.
The Cardinals answered with a 3-0 run of their own to take a 5-3 lead with 20 minutes remaining in the first half. Lynch scored at the 20:28 mark then Jillian Balog scored a minute later while Siverson scored at the 20:16 mark. The Cardinals used a 2-1 run to take a 7-5 lead with nine minutes left in the half. The Cavaliers scored two goals in the final 1:46 to tie the game at 7-7 at the break.
Siverson scored 10 seconds into the second half for an 8-7 lead. That would be the final goal for the sophomore draw specialist as she was forced to leave the game following her second yellow card with 21:17 to play.
The second half remained equally tight. Goals by Koloski and Taylor Webster put the Cardinals in front 12-10 with 9:40 remaining. But Virginia countered with a goal at the 8:28 mark to get within one. With 1:16 left in regulation, Virginia tied the game at 7-7. The Cardinals had the last opportunity, winning the draw in the final minute but Virginia forced a turnover in the final seconds, forcing the overtime period.
The Cavaliers won the draw in overtime and converted it into a goal for the 13-12 win.
Virginia held a 38-30 advantage in shots and a 14-11 advantage in ground balls. Louisville held a slight 15-12 advantage at the draw.
Brittany Read finished the game with a season tying 15 saves while Virginia finished with 10 saves. Read also led the team with three ground balls. Siverson led the team with four draw controls.
The Cardinals will now wait for the NCAA Tournament bracket to be revealed on Sunday, May 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Kimberli Pemberton
Assistant Sports Information Director
University of Louisville
