The #9 Virginia women's lacrosse team beat Richmond 18-9 Wednesday night to earn its first win of the season.

The Cavaliers were 0-2 heading into the match after losses against Top 10 opponents Northwestern and Loyola.

Head coach Julie Myers says, "0-2 is not a spot that we've ever been in, so to just get one here right now is pretty nice."  

Junior Courtney Swan had a career-high six points with five goals and an assist against the Spiders, while senior Liza Blue added four goals and an assist.

Senior goalkeeper Liz Colgan made 11 saves in net for UVa.

"We have lots of momentum to build on," says Myers, "and we're going to have our hands full on Sunday with Syracuse.  They're one of the best teams in the country, and one of the best teams they've ever had at Syracuse."

Virginia will host #2 Syracuse Sunday at one o'clock.