Virginia Uses Third-Quarter Surge to Down Duke, 16-11

Saturday, March 15

Charlottesville, Va.

12 p.m.

Duke University

6-3, 2-2ACC

Virginia

5-3, 2-2ACC

Duke

Virginia

Virginia Uses Third-Quarter Surge to Down Duke, 16-11

3/15/2025 3:16:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 15 Virginia scored 10 goals in the third quarter to come back from a 6-0 Blue Devil lead in the first quarter and defeat No. 13 Duke, 16-11, on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils stand at 6-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play.

Duke led for most of the game, opening with six unanswered goals in the first quarter. However, the Cavaliers tied the game with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter and scored six out of the last seven goals to secure the upset victory.

Graduate student Callie Hem led the offense with four goals on five shots. Senior Kerry Nease and sophomore Reese Woodworth each scored twice, while sophomore Bella Goodwin, redshirt sophomore Eva Pronti and senior Mattie Shearer added one goal.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke opened the game with a six-goal run in the first quarter while holding Virginia scoreless.
Woodworth netted the first goal of the game at 13:56, bouncing the ball between the Virginia goalie's legs off a feed from Pronti. Just 47 seconds later, Pronti found the back of the cage to put Duke up 2-0.
At 9:20, Nease slotted in her first goal after dodging a defender, extending Duke's lead to 3-0. The Blue Devils continued their offensive surge with goals from Hem at 7:28 and Goodwin at 6:10. Hem added her second goal of the quarter off another Pronti assist at 2:29, closing out the period with Duke ahead 6-0.
Virginia got on the board just over 30 seconds into the second quarter, but Duke still held a 6-1 advantage.
Duke responded with a two-goal run, as Hem scored at 11:52 and Nease followed at 10:52 to increase the lead to 8-1. Virginia answered with two quick goals at 9:58 and 8:52, cutting the deficit to 8-3. Woodworth snapped the Cavaliers' run with her second goal of the game at 7:26. Virginia scored the final goal of the half with 23 seconds remaining.
Duke went into halftime up 9-4.
In the first half, Duke outshot Virginia 18-11, led 7-3 in ground balls and went 8-8 on clears. Defensively, the Blue Devils forced three turnovers, while redshirt junior Kennedy Everson recorded four saves.
Virginia dominated the third quarter, scoring 10 goals while holding Duke to just one. The Cavaliers opened the half with a four-goal run from 14:28 to 11:34 before Hem briefly stopped the momentum to put Duke ahead 10-8. However, Virginia responded with six unanswered goals to close out the period, entering the fourth quarter with a 14-10 lead.
With 10:21 remaining, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 15-10. Shearer scored at 9:27, but Virginia secured the 16-11 victory with its final goal at 7:26.

NOTES

Duke falls to 18-28 all-time against Virginia, including 8-13 in Charlottesville.
The Blue Devils drop to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play.
Duke has scored 10 or more goals in every game this season.
Callie Hem led the offense with four goals.
Reese Woodworth recorded a career-high two goals.
Kerry Nease matched her season-high with two goals.
Amanda Paci led Duke with two caused turnovers.
Kennedy Everson tallied six saves, while graduate student Chloe Provenzano added three.
Eva Pronti recorded a career-high seven assists.
Virginia outshot Duke 32-23 and won 19-13 in draw controls

UP NEXT

Duke returns home to host Cal for an ACC matchup March 21 at 5 p.m. before traveling to Greenville, N.C., for a game against East Carolina March 25 at 5 p.m.

For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX".

#GoDuke