In collegiate field hockey, conference opponents might face each other twice in regular and postseason play, but those teams rarely match up in back-to-back games, let alone twice in one week in the same city. When the No. 12 Cavaliers head to Durham, N.C. to take on No. 5 Duke today in the first round of the ACC Tournament, however, the two teams will recreate the matchup that took place Saturday in Durham.
Virginia (12-7, 2-3 ACC) had a hard time closing out its season, losing five of the last seven games, but the Cavaliers recently have shown some signs of improvement. They were able to win 4-3 against Duke (14-4, 2-3 ACC) on the road Saturday, improving their road record to 2-5.
“It’s [going to] be tough because they have seen our game and how we play,” senior midfielder Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn said. “It’s always tough to beat a team twice.”
Freshman back Floor Vogels was named ACC Player of the Week Tuesday for her performance against Duke Saturday. Vogels scored the game-winning goal, her sixth of the season, while contributing an assist in the game, which secured the Cavaliers’ No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. The goal by Vogels was her third game-winning goal of the season.
Sijpesteijn and freshman forward Paige Selenski have received individual accolades for their performances this season, as both were named to the All-ACC team along with 15 other players in the conference. Selenski leads the team with 39 points on 16 goals and seven assists, while Sijpesteijn has contributed eight goals and four assists. This is the third straight year that Sijpesteijn has received the All-ACC honor, and this is the first season since Virginia field hockey’s 1999 campaign that the Cavaliers have placed more than one player on the All-ACC squad.
The winner of the Duke-Virginia game will take on top seed Maryland Friday. If they are to advance further in the tournament, the Cavaliers need to return to the form that helped them start the season 10-2.
“You need 11 people on the field,” senior goalkeeper Amy Desjadon said, “Everyone needs to stick to the game plan and have faith in it, even if there are moments when it’s not working. You just have to keep plugging along because that is what sets us apart from the other teams and it’s what makes us better.”
The Cavaliers may be regaining their stride at the right time and finding some of the swagger that made them one of the most feared teams in the country.
“We have to get back into that rhythm,” Desjadon said. “We just need to stick to our game plan and not rest for a single minute.”
The Cavaliers also will benefit from the return of several injured players unable to play for the last couple weeks of the regular season. Most notably, junior forward Lauren Elstein will return after missing the last six games with a broken clavicle. Elstein is currently tied with Selenski for second on the team in assists. Her presence on the field will help a Cavalier offense that lately has been inconsistent, as the team was shut out in two of its last five games.
“The team that comes out with the mentality to win [has the advantage],” Virginia coach Michele Madison said. “It’s a whole new season; last week has nothing to do with this week, and that’s the mind-set we have to have.”
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