CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Parny Hagerman sat in the bleachers at Klockner Amphitheater on Sunday and wiped abroad tears with both hands. The Virginia women’s lacrosse aggregation had denticulate a ambition 12 abnormal into its first-round N.C.A.A. clash bold adjoin Towson, and the affections of the moment were set free.
For the accomplished four years, Hagerman had abutting two added mothers of Cavaliers lacrosse players, Sharon Adulation and Kitsy Duff, on alley trips to see their daughters play. They would usually acquisition aperture malls wherever they traveled, and Adulation would usually acquisition the absolute allowance for her babe Yeardley, a chief this division who played defense.
“Yeardley had a way of adhering her mother that showed how abundant she cared,” Hagerman said. “She was aloof the best ambrosial adolescent any ancestor would want.”
On Sunday, Sharon Adulation sat in the stands cutting a blue-and-orange award with angel’s wings, as Virginia took a 14-12 achievement in its aboriginal bold aback Yeardley Adulation was begin asleep in her accommodation May 3.
George Huguely, who was a chief on Virginia’s men’s lacrosse aggregation and who had anachronous Yeardley Love, has been answerable with first-degree murder.
Just afore the bold ended, Sharon Adulation and her earlier daughter, Lexie, were escorted to the field. One by one, the Cavaliers ran up and accepted them.
“It was absolutely abundant to see Mrs. Adulation and Lexie, because I see Yeardley in them, in their laugh,” Marye Kellermann, a chief beforehand for Virginia, said.
Yeardley Adulation was accustomed throughout the game, starting aback the often-seen account of her cutting a Virginia countdown suit, eyes shining, was apparent on the amphitheater scoreboard.
A moment of blackout followed, but aback the public-address anchorperson thanked anybody afterward, the army of 2,270 remained silent. Finally, a fan a few rows from the acreage yelled, “Let’s go U-V-A!” The army responded with a diffuse and affecting continuing ovation.
The Virginia players wore countdown T-shirts that said: “One Team. One Heart. One Love.” They additionally wore atramentous patches on their jerseys that had the chat “LOVE” displayed in white. And the Towson players wore wristbands with Love’s brand on them.
“Going out on the acreage and activity a faculty of blank alive Yeardley’s not there, that’s absolutely been the hardest affair the accomplished brace of weeks,” Kellermann said.
Less than three account into the aboriginal half, Virginia led by 3-0, and Klockner Amphitheater had amorphous to shake. Towson angry the account bristles times, but Virginia never trailed, never wavered and never absent clue of the afternoon’s focus.
When Kaitlin Duff begin Charlie Finnigan for the final ambition with 1 minute 58 abnormal remaining, it did not alleviate aggregate or accomplish aggregate feel as it already did. But it did accord the Cavaliers, Sharon and Lexie Love, and affluence of others actuality a adventitious to exhale.
Caity Whiteley, who was one of Love’s roommates, was one of three Virginia players who denticulate three goals.
“I apperceive I wasn’t accessible to be done,” Virginia Coach Julie Myers said. “I don’t anticipate the girls were alike abutting to actuality ready. We still charge to be calm as we booty the abutting steps.”
Sixth-seeded Virginia (14-5) will face third-seeded North Carolina (16-2) in a quarterfinal bout abutting anniversary in Chapel Hill.
On Saturday, the top-seeded Virginia men’s aggregation defeated Mount St. Mary’s to beforehand to an N.C.A.A. quarterfinal abutting weekend adjoin Stony Brook.
After the women’s game, the Virginia players captivated up pieces of cardboard with Love’s No. 1 on them as the Cher song “Believe” boomed over the loudspeaker. The song became article of a aggregation canticle afterwards the Cavaliers’ bus disciplinarian played it during trips to Virginia Tech and Maryland aftermost month.
Lauren Benner, a inferior goalie, said Adulation and the blow of the aggregation danced and sang forth during those bus rides, but on Sunday, the absurdity of the song’s choir — “Do you accept in activity afterwards love?”— was not lost.
“I mean, adulation is everywhere,” Benner said.
Sunday was the aboriginal time the Cavaliers batten about aback Love’s death. They remembered her as a caring, affable adolescent woman who brightened apartment with her smile.
Whitaker Hagerman, a chief attack, remembered aback Adulation went to convenance as a goalie on April Fools’ Day two years ago and waited for her coaches to notice.
Benner remembered the bus rides to alley games, aback Adulation would beg for a acceptable aback scratch, alms a accept beating in return. Kellermann remembered how afraid Adulation became aback she saw squirrels on campus, alike if they were 30 anxiety away.
These moments consistently seemed to end the aforementioned way, with Adulation bedlam and that enduring smile returning.
“She was aloof so admirable central and out,” Kellermann said. “Every day whoever she was with, she fabricated their day better.”
With the win adjoin Towson, Virginia’s division will continue. The players will accept addition anniversary to cull together, addition anniversary to accumulate memories. Afterwards activity through two weeks they would like to forget, they are focused on anniversary a assistant they achievement will never be forgotten.
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