Virginia women's field hockey coach Michele Madison earned her 250th career victory Friday as the Cavaliers dispatched No. 20 Providence (0-2), 2-1. Freshman midfielder Tara Puffenberger, in the best performance of her very young collegiate career, scored both goals for the Cavaliers (3-0).\nVirginia trailed for the first time this season when Providence senior forward Nellie Poulin notched the game's first goal. The Cavaliers did not get on the board until early in the second half when Puffenberger scored her first collegiate goal on an assist from sophomore midfielder Michelle Vittese.\nPuffenberger later sealed the victory for Virginia with her second goal off an assist from sophomore back Floor Vogels on a penalty corner.\nThe Cavaliers outshot their opponents by a significant margin for the third game in a row, totaling 20 shots to Providence's eight, and held an 8-2 advantage on penalty corners.\nJunior goalkeeper Kim Katsuk started in goal for the Cavaliers for the second time this season, playing the entire game and recording one save.\nVirginia will now continue its five-game road trip and take on No. 16 Old Dominion today. The Monarchs (2-1) have had an impressive start to their season, defeating No. 11 Penn State and Villanova before falling to No. 1 Maryland 6-3 despite scoring first.\nOld Dominion returns 10 starters from a team that went 10-13 (6-2 CAA) last season. The Monarchs, however, are picked to finish first in the CAA this season. The CAA includes talented teams such as William & Mary and James Madison.\nThe Monarchs are led by senior back Kathleen Shea who was a First Team All-CAA player last season with five goals and five defensive saves. She was third on the team in shots and points last season.\nThe Cavaliers, though, have had success in the past against in-state opponents, going 5-1 last season and only losing to James Madison. Virginia also boasts a balanced offensive attack; eight different players have already notched a goal this season.\n"There are a lot of hard workers," senior forward Traci Ragukas said. "We have a lot of legs out there. Everybody can pretty much go out there and keep up with everybody. Everybody has potential."\nTo win against the top teams in the nation, though, Virginia must translate that potential into success. For example, the Junior World Cup trio of midfielders - which includes sophomores Paige Selenski and Vittese and Puffenberger - have scored a combined four times and assisted on four more scores. But those figures betray a need to finish scoring runs more effectively, as the talented group has taken 30 shots along the way.\n"We just have to get them to finish," Madison said.\nThe Cavaliers also will need to rely on the veteran leadership of the team's only two seniors, Lauren Elstein and Traci Ragukas, to keep the team focused during its longest road trip of the season.\n"My goal is to get the team never to give up - not letting up for 70 minutes and keeping the team focused on what is happening now," Ragukas said.
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