Overtime has been kind to the Cavaliers this season. The No. 8 Virginia field hockey team remained perfect in overtime after pulling out a 2-1 victory over No. 15 James Madison (8-5) last night at University Hall Turf Field.
Virginia junior Kelli Hill intercepted the ball with 4 minutes, 31 seconds left in the sudden death overtime period and brought it downfield before dishing to a wide-open Katie Slocum on the right side. Slocum deked around the Dukes' goalie and put the ball in the unguarded cage to give Virginia (9-3) the victory.
"I'm really proud of Katie Slocum," Virginia senior co-captain Carrie Goodloe said. "She was so poised. We had talked about pulling around the defender and when she came down the field I thought 'Pull! Pull! Pull!' It was perfect. I'm really proud of her."
The Cavaliers played aggressive hockey for the 70 regulation minutes but struggled to convert on their offensive opportunities. They had an impressive 12 shots on goal to James Madison's five, but netted just one score when Goodloe, senior co-captain Mason White and sophomore Katie Jo Gerfen combined on a penalty corner with 8:29 left in the first half. The goal was Gerfen's second of the season. Goodloe notched her team-leading 10th assist and White added her sixth.
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The Cavaliers missed out on many prime opportunities to score, however. Virginia often sent shots just wide of the goal or handed over possession of the ball.
"It's very frustrating to do all that work and then come down and put it over the end line," Goodloe said of the team's offensive struggles. "Finishing is something we're working on in practice."
"We really did a good job going around the low defender and looking to create attacking opportunities, but we had trouble finishing," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "It was a hard-fought game but it was clean. Our kids did what they needed to do to win. There's nothing wrong with a hard-fought game."
Virginia freshman goalkeeper Logan Carr got her first collegiate start and allowed only one goal, an unassisted shot by the Dukes' Janelle Perlis 24:47 into the first half.
Carr also made a crucial save three minutes into overtime that stopped a potential James Madison game-winner. The Virginia defense has been solid this season, allowing just 1.12 goals per game, good enough to rank them 10th nationally.
"JMU is always a good team and they're always tough for us," Goodloe said. "I was expecting a battle. They're a very physical team and you've got to play with them."
The Cavaliers returns to action against No. 5 North Carolina at home Sunday. Goodloe knows the defensively strong Tar Heels will challenge the Virginia offense.
"We've got to work on finishing because UNC won't give us many opportunities," Goodloe said.
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