COLLEGE PARK, Md.-The Virginia field hockey team survived a furious onslaught and disastrous late goal by Duke yesterday to beat the Blue Devils in overtime, 2-1, in the first round of the ACC Tournament in College Park, Md.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers (13-6) continue play today when they face off against top seed North Carolina, ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Sophomore back Molly McManus got the Cavs on the board with exactly 27 minutes left in the second half, but Duke's Melissa Yuppa sent the game to overtime by scoring the tying goal with just 7.2 seconds left in regulation.
The golden goal overtime period was filled with near misses by both teams, but Virginia junior midfielder Carrie Goodloe had the last say. Goodloe had a nifty takeaway in Blue Devil territory and scored the winning goal with 2:47 left, propelling Virginia to the semifinals.
|
Goodloe, who also beat Duke in overtime last week in Durham, said the Cavaliers obviously were pleased to advance to the ACC second round but were not entirely happy with their overall play.
"We did what we needed to do to win," Goodloe said. "But we certainly didn't play like we're capable of, and like we're going to tomorrow."
At halftime the game remained scoreless, with the Cavs leading fifth-seeded Duke (7-12) by the meager shot count of 2-1.
Virginia struck first with exactly 27 minutes left in the second half. On a corner play, freshman back Katie Jo Gerfen trapped the ball, then dished it to McManus, who blasted it home for a 1-0 lead.
Duke challenged the Cavaliers' defense with a relentless attack from then on, racking up eight shots and seven corners in the rest of regulation. Virginia senior goalkeeper Becky Worthington kept the Blue Devils down until the very end of regulation. But with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Duke's Courtney Sommer received a corner and made a nice pass to Yuppa, who blasted the ball by Worthington.
"Having a goal scored with seven seconds left to go in the game can be very deflating," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "We just came in after the end of regulation and said, 'You know what? It's a whole new game. We need to go out and we need to go after it.'"
Goodloe had the first scoring chance of a thrilling overtime period, beating several defenders in an impressive run down the middle of the field before Smith saved the shot. Three minutes later, Duke's Robin Merritt out-ran Virginia's defenders but her breakaway shot on Worthington sailed barely wide.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, Goodloe converted her final chance, sending them to the second round and a rematch with UNC (17-2). The Heels won both regular season matchups, so the Cavs are looking for a little payback.
"We had a tighter game then the [3-0] score would have indicated with Carolina the last time we played them," Wilk said.
Senior co-captain Lorraine Vizzuso put it even more bluntly: "We owe Carolina. We haven't gotten them in about three years, so we owe them big time"
Read More
Mel Josephson and women’s lacrosse prepare to take center stage
By Xander Tilock | 15 hours agoJosephson's ability to perform throughout a game's biggest moments is crucial for the Cavaliers.
Virginia schools can pay players through NIL, but the University should proceed with caution
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayGiven the unique academic and athletic opportunities Virginia is able to offer its athletes, it is not shocking that Virginia has been resistant to extravagant, NIL-induced changes.
Record-setting weekend for Virginia track and field at Penn Relays and Virginia High Performance
By Tanmayi Patil | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers took down records across two events over the weekend.
