The No. 5-seed Virginia field hockey team (9-8, 2-4 ACC) defeated No. 4-seed Boston College (10-9, 2-4 ACC) Thursday in the opening game of the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship. The 1-0 win secured the Cavaliers’ eligibility for an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, which requires that teams have at least a .500 record.
Virginia fell to Boston College, 2-0, when the teams first met in Newton, Mass. this September. After finishing the regular season with three straight wins—including an upset of then-No. 2 Maryland—the Cavaliers shut out the Eagles in the conference tournament rematch and will advance to the semifinals.
Neither team scored in the first half, and Virginia struggled to create offensive opportunities on three shots and a single penalty corner. The Eagles tallied eight shot attempts, including four in the first ten minutes of the game, but could not get past senior goalkeeper Carrera Lucas. Freshman back Annie McDonough also made a major save in the early minutes of the game, deflecting a high shot in front of the cage.
The Cavaliers pushed into the circle at the start of the second period and were awarded two penalty corners before the 45-minute mark. Junior back Anzel Viljoen’s shot was wide on the first. Five minutes later, junior back Colleen Norair made her first goal of the season, rebounding a teammate’s initial shot into the net on the second corner attempt.
Boston College attempted 10 shots in the second half, including a sequence of three shots after a corner where the Eagles appeared to score. The goal was reversed upon review, and Boston College was unable to tie up the game after pulling its goalkeeper in the final minutes.
Heading into the semifinals, Virginia will now face top-seeded North Carolina (17-0, 6-0 ACC). The Tar Heels are undefeated and shut out the Cavaliers 3-0 when the teams met earlier this season. The game is scheduled Friday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m.
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