Scoreless Second Quarter Dooms Pirates in 14-10 Loss at Virginia Tech

Tuesday, March 31

Blacksburg, VA

1:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

4-6,1-1

Virginia Tech

8-6,2-5

East Carolina

Virginia Tech

Scoreless Second Quarter Dooms Pirates in 14-10 Loss at Virginia Tech

March 31, 2026 | Lacrosse

Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The East Carolina lacrosse team fell on the road to Virginia Tech, 14-10, on Tuesday afternoon at Thompson Field. The Pirates had moments of excellence in the game but a scoring drought in the first half spelled doom.

It's rare that there is a particular phase of game that can be easily pointed to as the difference in the game, but on Tuesday, in what ended up being a four-goal victory for the Hokies (8-6, 2-5 ACC), the 4-0 second quarter proved to be just that.

The Pirates (4-6, 1-1 American) threw the first punch in the game, leading 5-4 after what was a terrific opening 15 minutes of lacrosse. That period was bookended by ECU goals; first on a Sarah Goodison buzzer-beating effort, then on a customarily impressive solo effort from Kayla Wilkes—more on her later.

Then there was that second quarter. Four goals for Virginia Tech, and ECU simply couldn't buy one. The team fired six shots in the period, only one fewer than the Hokies, and three of them were on goal, but none of them found the net. For Tech, Lauren Render led the way with a pair of scores in that period.

Into the second half, the Pirates were able to get back within a goal on Rachel Chessock and Riley Matthiesen tallies but were answered by another pair of Virginia Tech goals which made the third quarter a wash. Each team put up two goals on three shots on goal in the third to send the teams into the fourth quarter with the math looking much the same as it had coming out of the halftime locker room.

This time, ECU did not have an answer. Virginia Tech scored the first two goals of the period, its run broken up only by a Katelyn Sclafani goal before putting two more on the board for what was a 14-8 run with 5:44 to play after Cassandra Montgomery scored the Hokies' final goal of the day.

Wilkes gave ECU one last gasp attempt at a comeback with two more goals. The Pirates even won the draw control after her last goal with 2:44 remaining—the team fared well on the draw on Tuesday with a 15-11 margin—but were unable to get the goal to cut the deficit to three as the ensuing possession ultimately resulted in a turnover.

In totality of picture, Wilkes had a fabulous individual effort once again with a stat line of four goals, one assist, three ground balls, three caused turnovers, three draw controls and no turnovers. With those three draw controls, she now has 100 for her career.

Wilkes was joined by Matthiesen as the only other Pirate with multiple goals while Sclafani notched two points on a goal and an assist.

For Virginia Tech, a hattrick by Ally Phalines highlights the scoring line, but it was Malie Follet in cage who came to be perhaps the biggest singular contributors as she shook off a saveless first quarter to make seven stops in the game, including three in that ever critical second quarter.

Jaime Behar went the full 60 minutes tending goal for the Pirates, making six saves in the loss.

Up Next
The Pirates remain on the road for a conference contest with Vanderbilt on Saturday at 12 p.m.