Defense was the name of the game at Turf Field this weekend. The Virginia women’s field hockey team put on a suffocating defensive performance, beating William & Mary 5-0 Friday and following that up with a 4-1 victory against Providence Sunday. Virginia’s defense allowed a meager four shots on goal throughout the weekend.
“We were able to come up with a lot of turnovers,” Virginia coach Michele Madison said, “with a lot of pressure and a lot of work off of the ball.”
Virginia uses a two-goalkeeper system of senior Amy Desjadon and sophomore Devon Burnley that has proven effective so far in combination with a strong backfield: William & Mary and Providence both failed to get a shot on goal in the first half of their respective games.
“I think we have been working a lot on communicating between each other and stepping up in certain areas,” senior midfielder Lucy Meyers said. “So when [the defense] steps up, everyone else can step up.”
Strong defense helped Virginia dominate the possession battle against Providence and give the offense plenty of time and opportunity. The Cavaliers got a slow start against Providence, netting only two goals in the first period after seeing many opportunities pass them by.
“The first half we started out a little slow but then we came out in the second half and scored two goals in the first three minutes,” Meyers said. “You have to think that is pretty good execution.”
Despite not scoring a goal Sunday against the Friars, junior midfield/forward Traci Ragukas contributed by overpowering the Providence defenders, clearing the way for scoring chances. Freshman midfielder Paige Selenski led the way over the weekend with a goal against both William & Mary and Providence.
Though Virginia got off to a slow start Sunday, it had no problem dismantling the Tribe earlier in the weekend.
Virginia got off to a quick start against William & Mary with goals in the fourth minute and 12th minute by Selenski and sophomore midfielder Taylor Swezey. So far this season Virginia has outshot its opponents on goal by a margin of 27-4. The Cavaliers also boast more penalty corners than their opponents by a margin of 13-4.
“We were trying to go with the simple obvious passes,” Madison said. “We were trying to build the attack.”
The freshman class — in combination with the leadership of Meyers and senior midfield/back Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn — has guided the Cavaliers to their first two wins.
“Everyone is contributing; that is why everyone plays,” Madison said. “That is our goal for everyone: to contribute and add to the execution.”
Among the freshmen standouts is midfielder Michele Vittese, who also contributed a goal to the winning effort against Providence this weekend.
“They are like little spark plugs,” Meyers said of the team’s freshmen. “They are so fast, and they have a lot of experience so they have helped everyone else step up in their areas.”
Despite dominating performances at home, the Cavaliers still have a lot to work on as they approach the heart of their non-conference schedule, which continues at home next weekend against Vermont and No. 8 Old Dominion.
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