Thomas hat trick helps Duke advance

DURHAM, N.C. – Kat Thomas scored three goals as seventh-seeded Duke beat Virginia 11-9 on Sunday in the first round of the NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament.

Maddy Morrissey added two goals and an assist, and her second goal broke a 9-all tie with 15:44 remaining. Kim Wenger added an insurance goal with 2:47 for the Blue Devils (12-6). Duke advances to play defending champion Northwestern, the No. 2 seed.

Katie Slater scored her fourth goal with 17:06 left to tie it at 9 for Virginia (11-8), before Morrissey put the Blue Devils on top for good.

Sophomore Katie Slater matched her career high with four goals for the Cavaliers.

Freshman Morgan Stephens registered a pair of goals while seniors Josie Owen, Julie Gardner and Ainsley Baker also scored for Virginia.

Duke (12-6) finished with a 23-18 advantage on shots, including a 10-5 margin in the second half. The Blue Devils also won 15 draw controls compared to seven for UVa.

Slater’s fourth goal came with 17:06 to play in the game to knot the score 9-9, the fifth tie of the contest. Duke rebounded quickly for a 10-9 lead and then had an open net opportunity to expand its lead to 11-9 with 2:47 remaining.

The Blue Devils outscored Virginia 4-2 in the second half after the first stanza ended in a 7-7 tie.

Duke opened the scoring before Slater answered, and when the Blue Devils went up 2-1, it was again Slater who connected for a 2-2 tie. After Stephens’ notched her first of two goals on a free position opportunity, Slater and Baker scored back-to-back goals to give the Cavaliers a 5-2 lead with 15:21 to play in the half.

The Blue Devils then scored three consecutive goals to match Virginia at 5-5, forcing the Cavaliers to call timeout. Gardner ended the drought and Stephens followed with her second goal to put UVa back out in front, 7-5, with just under six minutes remaining. Duke tallied two more scores to pull even just before the half.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.