Maybe it was being on familiar home turf or maybe it was letting go of built-up anger.
Whatever it was, something powered the Virginia field hockey team past in-state rival William & Mary last night. The Cavaliers (4-3) pocketed their fifth straight victory over the Tribe (7-3) by a score of 6-1.
No. 10 Virginia was coming off two straight losses on the road before facing No. 13 William & Mary yesterday. The Cavs lost to then-No. 2 North Carolina Sept. 17 and fell to No. 2 Old Dominion Sunday. They were determined to turn things around in front of their home crowd.
"I thought the team was very focused," Cavalier coach Jessica Wilk said. "They wanted to get back on track and make some corrections. They really felt that they were not playing the way they were capable of playing the past two games, and they wanted to get back to playing our game. They wanted to make sure they were getting it done at home."
|
Virginia exploded offensively in the first half and led the Tribe 5-0 at the break. Junior midfielder Carrie Goodloe led the Cav surge with two goals and two assists. Senior forward Lorraine Vizzuso also added one score, while junior midfielder Jessica Coleman tallied two goals. Sophomore midfielder Abby Crawford and senior back Julia Richardson recorded one and two assists, respectively.
"We talked a lot about coming out hard," Goodloe said. "A lot of times we let the other team set the pace, but this time we came out and set the pace. We just wanted to put it all together."
|
William & Mary earned four penalty corners in the first half, but the Cavs' defensive efforts prevented the Tribe from getting anything up on the scoreboard.
Senior goalkeeper Becky Worthington recorded seven saves while guarding the Cavalier cage, moving her past Amy Brockman into seventh all-time at Virginia in saves (233).
The Cav attack slowed down in the second half and play was more even, as both teams tallied six shots, four penalty corners and one goal each. With just under 23 minutes left to play, Virginia sophomore forward Rosie Walker fired in a goal to increase the lead to 6-0. A minute and a half later, William & Mary sophomore midfielder Kristen Sutherland returned the favor on a penalty corner, preventing a Virginia shutout.
Despite the slight second-half letdown, Wilk said she was satisfied with her players' effort and relieved they were able to bounce back from disappointing road losses.
"Overall, for the game as a whole, I'm pleased with the performance," Wilk said. "This time we played together as a team and we came out and we really focused on trying to set the tone of the game early."
The Cavs have one of their biggest challenges of the year Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host No. 1 Maryland.
Read More
Virginia baseball boasts the best catcher in the country — a Division III transfer
By Xander Tilock | 14 hours agoFerence has replaced Teel admirably, and will look to lift Virginia back to the College World Series.
Lacrosse defenseman Cole Kastner announces transfer to Stanford basketball
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayKastner is reviving a hoops career that has lain dormant since he graduated high school.
Virginia gets second Notre Dame rematch in a dynamic ACC Tournament bout Friday
By Michael Liebermann | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers will get a shot at redemption against a vaunted ACC foe, in a game with serious postseason seeding implications.
