With two wins in its first two games, the Virginia field hockey team started its season off right in a weekend doubleheader at the University Hall Turf Field. Just one day after leading the team to an 8-2 victory over Bucknell Saturday, sophomore Mia Link again provided the spark for a Cavalier triumph against Appalachian State, 3-0.
Link compiled 14 total points with six goals and two assists over the course of the weekend. Link held the starring role in Saturday's game, but Sunday featured the Virginia defense as the key to a narrow shutout win.
"We did everything we could to pull out a win," Link said. "We could not have done any more defensively to be able to hold them scoreless."
The Cavaliers had possession for almost the entire first half of play, holding the Mountaineers of Appalachian State without a shot on goal until 10 minutes of play after halftime. Appalachian managed only five shots on goal through the entire match, compared to 21 for Virginia, and was dominated in penalty corners, 12-1.
In the last 35 minutes of the game the Mountaineers began a strategy of earning possession with near field-length slap shots from their defensive backfield, but Cavalier second-half goalie Katherine Blair stifled all of Appalachian's opportunities with four saves.
Captain Allison Flynn started the contest with her second goal of the season, followed by tallies from Link in both halves. The Virginia offense then held control of the ball with far more accurate passes than their opponent and a better shot and pass selection.
"We didn't finish the way that we wanted to, but we did well to create opportunities through the middle of the contest," coach Jessica Wilk said.
With five minutes remaining in the game and the Appalachian faithful cheering for a comeback, Link tacked her second goal on a pass from midfielder Megan Ponessa. Link's shot cut from a difficult angle on the right of the inner goal circle, pounding against the lower left of the metal goal, reminiscent of the nails pounding into the Mountaineers' coffin for the afternoon.
Link established herself as the team's most obvious offensive star throughout the weekend. Her 10 points on four goals and two assists in Saturday's match were the most for Virginia since Sue Cox's five goals in 1975. Link always finds a way to be involved in the action in any part of the field and proved herself to be a special asset in matching her 2003 goal total in just two games in 2004.
"She's a fighter," Wilk said.
Ponessa and forward Abby Taylor, both freshmen, performed impressively on each side of the doubleheader. Taylor intercepted the Mountaineer pass which resulted in Flynn's early goal and notched two goals on Saturday afternoon against Bucknell. Ponessa performed well on both sides of the ball with pinpoint passing to set up the offense and one assist after earning increased playing time on Sunday.
"We're trying hard to increase the level of competition in practice," coach Wilk said. "The girls compete really well against one another."
Virginia, still attempting to find which of the team's near majority of freshmen will step up to earn playing time, will have one week of experience before the team's first true test Sunday at home against No. 5 Michigan State, last year's Big 10 champion.
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