Virginia's field hockey team played its final home game in style, defeating Duke, 2-1, in overtime. The Cavaliers accomplished their goal of trying to play well together and control the tempo of the game by exhibiting excellent ball control and improved passing.
"Our biggest thing was trying to play well together," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "I'm really proud of the way that they fought - proud of everyone - people on the bench and in the game pulled together for a team win."
Opening play went back and forth with first the Cavaliers and then the Blue Devils vying for control. Duke out-cornered Virginia six to one in the first half, but was unable to convert on any of the attempts.
Play turned in Virginia's favor with 17 minutes left in the first half, when junior Katie Slocum broke away down the sideline, getting the ball into the Cavaliers' offensive area. A few minutes later, senior co-captain Carrie Goodloe darted though the Duke defense, dribbling the ball into the circle. At the sweet spot she fired the ball into the goal, putting Virginia on the scoreboard with an early 1-0 lead.
Virginia kept up the intensity in the second half, forcing five corners to Dukes' four. Each team received a green warning card for rough play as the contest heated up. Midway through the half, Blue Devil senior Angie North received a pass from freshman teammate Chrissy Murphy at the top of the circle. She slammed in a reverse stick shot to put Duke on the board and tie the game, 1-1.
Intense play continued for the rest of regulation, with Virginia freshman goalie Emily White making several great saves to take her team into overtime.
During the 15-minute sudden death period, Virginia looked aggressively for the early goal. The Cavaliers fought hard to keep the ball in Blue Devil territory.
With six minutes left, Goodloe picked the ball off a Blue Devil defender and passed it to senior co-captain Jessica Coleman, setting her up for the winning goal. Coleman faked past the defender and shot the ball to the opposite corner, sealing the Virginia 2-1 win.
"Playing our last home game was so sad," Goodloe said. "I tried not to think about it that much. The ACC [tournament] is coming up and I'm not planning on having my last Virginia game any time soon."
Coleman added that it was bittersweet as usual, coming to an end after working so hard for four years. There was a short ceremony after the game in which Wilk and the team honored senior co-captains Mason White, Goodloe and Coleman for their contributions to the program.
Coleman noted that everybody has to grow up and move on at some time. The time has not yet come, however, for the senior women of Virginia's field hockey team, as now they head toward the ACC tournament.
"Today we were able to play together and use each other to execute the game plan," Coleman said. "The ACC is like our second season - we'll keep on playing well, there's more to come"
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