No. 2 Terps Outlast Determined Hokies

The Virginia Tech Women’s Lacrosse team (5-11, 0-5) lost to Maryland (14-12, 4-1) 21-17 Sunday in their final game of the season held in Blacksburg. But don’t tell them that they didn’t win. Following the game, you would never know that the Hokies were defeated as they were probably feeling better than they have all week. “It was an amazing day all the way around ... our kids showed the character of Virginia Tech,” said Virginia Tech Head Coach Katrina Silva.

Despite the tragic events of the past week, the Lady Hokies were able to give a tough Maryland team almost more than they could handle as they threatened the No. 1 ACC team throughout the entire contest. Silva said of her team: “Our kids refused to go away ... they just stopped looking at the scoreboard.”

For Tech, this game was not only about getting back to normal, but was also about honoring the last regular season game for six seniors. Those seniors are Bryana Keenan, Kate Schilling, Jamie Webster, and tri-captains Jackie Gray, Britt Faulkner, and Lindsay Pieper.

The game started out as many thought that it would as the Terps jumped out to a 5-1 lead over the first 15 minutes of play. Tech’s lone goal during the stretch came from Pieper, her first of a season-high five goals.

Despite the slow start, Tech would bounce back with an incredible 11 minute run that saw the Hokies gain a 6-5 lead. During the run, Pieper notched her second goal along with goals by Kady McBrearty, Faulkner, and two goals by sophomore Rachel Culp. Maryland would respond with one goal to tie the score at halftime.

“We followed our game plan so well in the first half and that’s why it was 6-6. ... We were holding the ball on offense and keeping Maryland out of a rhythm,” said Silva. Unfortunately, Tech would get away from its game plan to start the second half, when both teams would explode offensively.

Maryland opened the second half with a 9-1 run to take what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. Many of the Terps goals during this stretch came off of fast breaks where possession lasted just seconds. Tech responded with goals by Pieper and McBrearty to cut the lead to six.

The teams then traded goals for the next 12 minutes before Tech finished the game with a three-goal run, with scores by McBrearty, Culp, and Pieper, to arrive at the 21-17 final.

“The first half was awesome and coming back at the end was awesome. It was a big confidence boost,” said Faulkner.

Despite the great showing by the Hokies, they could have been in even better position to win had fast breaks gone differently. The Terps used their speed to take advantage and score on many of their breaks. However, it seemed that every time Tech tried to run, they were stopped by a foul by the Terps, who had 40 in all to Tech’s 11, which suppressed the Hokies' momentum over and over again.

Other than fouls, the rest of the stats were fairly even. In the end, Pieper led the Hokies with five goals and an assist. McBrearty also recorded six points, with four goals and two assists of her own. Culp and Faulkner also recorded hat tricks, with three goals each.

Faulkner will end her career second in career goals and fifth in career points, while Pieper will finish third in career goals and third in career points.

For Maryland, senior Krista Pelizzi had a huge day, scoring four and assisting on three goals for a total of seven points. The Australian, Casey Magor also added a team-high five goals for the Terps.

Following the game, Pieper commented on what the team’s performance meant to everyone: “It was really good for us today to come out here and be able to play lacrosse and kind of forget about what’s gone on for a little while and concentrate on something else and then to come out and be able to play for our school. And I think we definitely represented Virginia Tech really well,” she said.

While no one in Blacksburg can completely forget about the tragedy of April 16, we are all constantly reminded that we are not alone in coping with these hard times. Silva remarked after the game that “This is the best school in the nation. This school, this community, everything that’s associated with Virginia Tech is all about character first. ... I couldn’t be prouder of where I live and who I work for.”

The Virginia Tech community has not just come together but has also grown across the nation. Before this game, the parents of the Maryland lacrosse team presented the Hokies with a check for $3,000 for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Maryland also brought orange t-shirts bearing the VT logo on the front and the word ‘STRENGTH’ on the back. These t-shirts were worn by both teams during warm ups and the Maryland players proudly displayed them on their bench throughout the game.

While Tech did lose the game, it was still hard to ask for more from them. “We just went out there and played like there’s no tomorrow ... and if we can play with the No. 2 team in the nation, we can play with anyone,” said Gray. However, there is a tomorrow for Tech as they look forward to the ACC Championship Tournament.

The tournament will start April 26, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tech’s first opponent will be UNC, who beat the Hokies 15-5 just one week ago in Blacksburg. Despite that hard loss, Tech remains optimistic. Gray says “UNC’s one of those teams that we always give a fight when they don’t expect it.” Silva was also very encouraged by her team’s performance today. “I think [with] the confidence we’re going to get today ... who knows what’s going to happen,” she said.