No. 3 Virginia field hockey was challenged with three ranked matchups to start the 2025 campaign. The result? Three ranked wins, with the latest coming in the form of a 1-0 triumph over Rutgers. Sunday afternoon marked yet another quality outing for the Cavaliers (3-0, 0-0 ACC). The matchup was reminiscent of the last time these teams last met nine years ago. Fast forward to 2025, and it took a late offensive push to topple the Scarlet Knights (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) by a single goal.
Much like in their match against Ohio State earlier in the weekend, the Cavaliers were forced to rely on their defensive prowess. Coach Ole Keusgen knew that the Scarlet Knights’ greatest strength was their ability to shut down the back third of the field. Just last year, Rutgers held top 15 rankings in both goals-against-average and save percentage, making them a formidable adversary for an offensive unit that saw success against fellow Big Ten foe Penn State.
“We played against a very well-organized and deep team,” Keusgen said. “We knew we had to play with patience, and that paid off at the end of the game.”
Virginia was tested early on when junior forward Olivia Fraticielli found herself in a one-on-one with junior goalkeeper Nilou Lempers. Undaunted by the rapidly approaching Scarlet Knight, Lempers stepped forward and deflected Fraticielli’s shot wide. It was the first and only shot for either team in the opening half.
The Cavaliers upped the ante offensively in the second half, tallying seven total shots, five of which were on goal. Comparatively, Rutgers only managed two shots the entire match. While Virginia’s defense and midfield exceeded expectations in closing off the back third, the offensive line struggled against Rutgers’s equally impressive defense.
The Cavaliers finally found a crack in the Scarlet Knights’ armor with just over three minutes left in regulation. After a skirmish in front of goal on a corner, the umpire awarded Virginia a second chance.
At the whistle, senior midfielder Madison Orsi sent the ball to junior midfielder Mia Abello at the top of the circle. Rather than take a shot of her own, Abello elected to slide a tricky pass to freshman back Lauren Sloan, the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Week. As white-clad defenders rushed to stop her from shooting, Sloan diverted the ball to Orsi on the post. Orsi dropped to the ground and swept the ball past freshman netminder Emily Nicholls, putting the Cavaliers up by one.
In such a tight game, one goal turned out to be the deciding factor. Keusgen emphasized the importance of capitalizing off of every opportunity, an area where Virginia struggled.
“We couldn’t convert on our penalty corners early in the game, which would have made the game a lot easier,” Keusgen said. “We dominated for over 60 minutes — now we need to start scoring more goals.”
The Cavaliers return home to host James Madison at University Turf Field Sunday. The match will begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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