Leaves may be withering and falling all over Grounds, but on the University Hall Turf Field, Carrie Goodloe already is blooming for the Virginia field hockey team.
Goodloe has scored 16 of her 18 points this season in the Cavs' last five games and looks as though she is getting better and better with every game.
"I've just been working really hard," she said. "All I want to do is help my team and help us win."
Goodloe's recent outbreak has done more than just help the Cavaliers win four of their last five. With five goals and six assists over the past two weeks, the junior midfielder has put herself in the Cavalier history books. Her hat trick in the Cavaliers' 6-0 shutout of Virginia Commonwealth Oct. 4 was the 57th in school history and made her the 22nd Cavalier ever to notch three goals in a game. Three days later against West Chester, she recorded her 29th assist to take sole possession of sixth place on the Virginia all-time assist chart. And when she assisted on another goal Sunday against Ursinus, she became only the sixth Cavalier in school history with 30 or more career assists.
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Not to say that Goodloe hasn't made a mark before. Last season, she led the Cavs with 19 assists, which ranked 12th nationally. It also earned her the Virginia record for assists as a sophomore and was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. In 1998, Goodloe led all Virginia freshmen in scoring with six points. Her four assists that season still ranks seventh all-time for Virginia freshmen.
"She's a tremendous player," coach Jessica Wilk said. "She does so many things and she does them so well. She's just a very complete player who distributes the ball very well and does a great job defensively. She's also really started to step up and has developed into a scoring threat."
But don't think Goodloe's success has gotten to her head. One of her team's top midfielders, she says she still gets fidgety before matches and needs to calm her nerves. That's why she wears the same pair of socks to every game. And that's why her father Allan Goodloe, a lawyer in St. Louis, flies to every game he can, home or away. When Carrie looks up in the stands, there is her father, along with her boyfriend Kyle and other buddies, all carrying signs and t-shirts reading "Absolut Goodloe."
On the field, Goodloe's "tremendous work ethic," as Wilk described it, makes her stand out. But off the field and in the classroom, Goodloe, a Commerce student, thrives. Last year she was an Academic All-American. She said she's "very driven to do well in school" but also "very driven to do well in athletics."
For now her focus is firmly on her play and her team's performance.
"I would love to win an ACC Championship and a national championship," Goodloe said. "It's my dream. Anything is possible for us."
One thing is clear: If Goodloe continues to bloom, something will be growing on the Virginia Turf Field before winter.
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