Three years into Coach Ole Keusgen’s tenure, Virginia field hockey may finally have what it needs to break through.
After two straight seasons of promising records dissipating into losses in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, the program is in position to make a return on investments in a more seasoned sophomore class, eight new recruits with a wealth of offensive power and new coaching. Not to mention a literal investment per a seven-figure commitment from an alumni couple made in April 2026.
The 2025-26 season started incredibly strong, with Virginia going undefeated until a narrow 0-1 loss Oct. 10 against North Carolina. The Cavaliers, on their second-straight week of being ranked No. 2 in the NFHCA poll, suddenly slipped to the Tar Heels’s no. 3 ranking. But although the loss interrupted their position and the nine-game winning streak that surrounded it, they bounced back with a seven-game string of victories, seemingly taking cues from the loss — until North Carolina defeated them for the ACC Championship.
Instead of another bounce-back performance, what followed the conference tournament was a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament against Miami University. Although Virginia ended the season ranked fifth in the nation, there was a feeling that the team’s resilience and young talent had been squandered, truly threatened by only two opponents, when it should have been white-hot.
But despite the early exit, the squad has a chance to carry those experiences forward with a formidable sophomore offense, defensive linchpin in senior goalie Nilou Lempers and new blood from seven true freshmen — with four in the top 50 of the national recruit rankings. The Cavaliers’ last addition is junior Louisville transfer back Emily Eaton, a two-year starter for the Cardinals and former USA U18 National Team member.
New assistant coach Brendan Creed is another addition, with Keusgen announcing Creed’s hiring July 20. Creed has extensive experience abroad with the United States, Great Britain and England field hockey national teams as a player and coach, with 144 caps in his time representing England and Great Britain. Creed’s expertise as a defender and 2020 Olympian should be a coaching asset to a team with six US U21 National Team members on its roster.
Although Virginia must fill the gap left by graduate forward Suze Leemans, the second-highest leading scorer of last year’s squad with 15 points, the offense still boasts senior midfielder Mia Abello, who led the team with 20.
Among senior forward Emma Watchilla, junior forward Catalina Quinteros and sophomore midfielder Mary Adams, new additions are set to bolster Virginia’s production. Freshman forward Caitlin Connell joins the Cavaliers as the sixth-highest high school goal scorer of all time, with 223 goals. Virginia had 15 different players notch goals last year, with a spike following its pivotal regular-season loss to North Carolina, but this year’s offense will feel more pressure to maintain that same aggressive presence.
Lempers is the obvious anchor of the Cavaliers’ defense coming into this season, with eight shutouts that marked a high point of last year’s campaign. Although senior back Madison Orsi could be a noticeable absence from the back line, Lempers, Abello and sophomore back Lauren Sloan’s return are proof that Virginia’s defense has the pieces it needs to reach the same consistent impenetrability it has built a reputation for.
One thing to watch from last season, however, is how a supercharged offense will protect the circle, and avoid a midseason surge in penalty corners which grew from an average of four to 5.25 in 2025.
The season will kick off with three exhibition games, with one played at home against ODU and two others away against Liberty and American. The first regular season game is slated for Aug. 28 at Penn State, who Virginia defeated 5-1 at home last year.
The first stretch of regular season games are almost identical to last year’s lineup — Penn State, the ACC-Big Ten Challenge against Ohio State and Rutgers and a match against JMU, although an additional regular season contest against Liberty will also test Virginia before its ACC slate begins. If last season’s nonconference schedule is any evidence, this year should see the Cavaliers able to come out strong and subdue their first five matches, although a freshmen-heavy team could take time to assemble a cohesive offense.
A late Oct. 19 contest against CAA team Monmouth, who knocked off Cal and Rutgers in decisive victories last season and posted a 3.94 season scoring average — second in the NCAA only to Miami of Ohio — could sneak up on Virginia if they lose focus.
In terms of the ACC, Virginia’s toughest opponents will likely remain the same in the Tar Heels and Wake Forest, with Duke giving the Cavaliers a test in their double overtime win against them last October.
Beginning the slate with Duke and North Carolina in away games Sept. 18 and 20 are a chance for Virginia to put its new talent and grit on display, particularly as a less threatening sequence of Syracuse, Stanford, Cal and Boston College wait on the other side. Another high-stakes match will materialize against Wake Forest Oct. 16 before Virginia rounds out the conference against Louisville at home.
Virginia field hockey’s roster and depth of experience — particularly with losses that have become lessons over the season — indicate that this year’s team has what it needs to surmount the regular season and look beyond it.
Having not won an ACC Championship outright since 2016 and denied an NCAA Tournament run beyond semifinals, the Cavaliers should have more than enough firepower to break the ceiling of postseason woes, starting with the regular season slate ahead of them.
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