Following two tough losses in a row, the No. 13 Virginia field hockey team (5-3) looks to get back on track today against the James Madison Dukes. One key area in which the Cavaliers need to improve is efficiency in offensive and defensive penalty corners.
In Virginia's three losses this season, the team's main weakness has been penalty corners. The Cavaliers have struggled to take advantage offensively on penalty corners and have not been able to play consistent defense on opponents' corners. Virginia's performance in penalty corners this season has served as a reliable barometer to measure whether the team has won or lost a given game.
Against the University of North Carolina Sunday, Virginia had just two corners compared to eight for the Tar Heels. UNC converted on two of these eight opportunities en route to a 4-0 victory.
In Richmond last Wednesday, the Spiders scored a goal on their first penalty corner and had 12 penalty corners in the game, compared to Virginia's four. Only the strong play of goalkeeper Logan Carr kept the game close. Carr registered 14 saves in the 2-1 loss.
"They are pretty nerve racking, but I know that I have a great defense," Carr said of penalty corners. "We're a team back there, and are all working for each other, so we just want to see the ball and clear it out as fast as possible."
In their biggest win of the season so far, the Cavaliers outcornered the No. 12 Boston College Eagles 8-6, and won the game 4-3. Virginia converted on two of the eight penalty corner opportunities. The Cavaliers had to defend against a late corner awarded to the Eagles. Carr made a crucial save and Dana Anderson cleared the ball out of the circle to secure the Virginia victory.
Katie Jo Gerfen and Mia Link play major roles in defending against opponents' corners. Link stopped five corners defensively in the Richmond game.
"She's really fast, and she sees the ball really well," Carr said of Link. "It helps having her in front of me."
Gerfen contributes on both offensive and defensive corners by either taking shots on goal or clearing balls out of the circle.
"I just want to get the ball out of their attack and into transition," Gerfen said of defensive corners. "I want to get the ball to the forward left."
The failure to convert on penalty corners helped keep the Cavaliers from registering an upset victory over the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans. Virginia had 13 penalty corner opportunities compared to Michigan State's four, but the Cavaliers scored a goal on only one of those opportunities, allowing the Spartans to escape with a 6-2 victory.
"I think clearly it is an area that is going to get some attention in practice, both defensively and attack-wise," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said after that game about penalty corner chances. "They shot them a little better than us today, and that made the difference."
Today, the Cavaliers face a JMU team struggling with a 1-6 record. The Dukes, who lost to the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Saturday, should provide Virginia with an opportunity to tune up on offensive and defensive penalty corners. If the results so far are any indicator, the Cavaliers will have to maintain consistency in these areas in order to achieve success throughout the rest of the season.
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
TILOCK: The real Virginia baseball just stood up
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' chronic issues are dwindling, and underperforming stars are ascending.
Dietrich’s comeback clincher sends No. 7 seed men’s tennis to NCAA quarterfinals
By Margaret Piatos | 3 days agoFor the 18th time in 20 years, Virginia is headed to the quarterfinals.
