It should have been another road win for Virginia. The No. 15 Cavaliers (6-5, 2-4 ACC) were back on the road facing Boston College after a win and loss against Stanford and Cal at home, and odds of victory seemed promising against a team who had yet to win a single conference match.
But Virginia would leave the field Friday night suffering another upset, this time 4-1, with failures to capitalize on scoring opportunities, struggles to connect to the circle and a flurry of cards responsible.
A goal from Eagles (5-7, 1-3 ACC) senior midfielder Laila Rosenquest a minute into the first quarter would set the tone, with a ball from senior forward Madelieve Drion connecting to Rosenquest’s stick as she tipped it past Cavalier fourth-year back Mia Abello. But Virginia would answer quickly, with second-year midfielder Bella Moore chipping through defenders for a fast break into the circle, slamming a shot towards senior keeper Charlotte Kramer and lodging it in the net for the equalizer.
The Cavaliers again faced difficulties connecting to the circle, with the Boston College defense able to easily break up passes, and both teams made impressive use of aerials in trying to effectively break away. Some of Virginia's composure would start to fray as second-year midfielder Rylee Dennis received the first yellow card of the match, putting the Cavaliers a man down through the end of the first quarter and into the second.
The Eagles were quick to take advantage of the situation, with junior forward Ava Meehan tapping in a ball in mid-air from a high deflection in the final 30 seconds of the quarter, right over fourth-year keeper Nilou Lempers’ helmet. It was the kind of unlikely, almost indefensible goal that would eventually define the outcome of the match for Boston College.
Virginia had multiple opportunities for decisive goals of their own, with a late second-quarter aerial from first-year Marisa Fahning in the backfield connecting with fourth-year forward Emma Watchilla. Watchilla hit the ball in, finally speeding past the Eagle’s strict defense and passing to first-year forward Caitlin Connell, but Connell would not be able to get a forceful shot off.
The sequence should have made for another equalizer, putting the Cavaliers and Boston College two and two, and sent Virginia on its way back to regaining control of play and defeating a team 0-3 in the ACC. But like other moments that night, from corners to successful transfers, the Cavalier offense would leave the circle with nothing on the scoreboard to show for it.
A scoring drought would take hold of both teams for the second and third quarters as play grew more physical. Virginia was awarded five penalty corners, at least one in each quarter, but uncharacteristic issues on receiving the ball from the insert would disrupt two. The others were easily blocked by keeper Kramer, who made her presence felt in goal as one of the conference’s best, with six saves and an 0.857 save percentage — her second-highest of the season. It would make the difference in a match where the Cavaliers outshot the Eagles 14 to seven.
Fouls would continue to pass between both teams, and Virginia third-year back Emily Eaton would receive a yellow card for a push, with the Cavaliers going a man down for the majority of the third quarter. Third-year Amelie Rees would receive another yellow card in the fourth quarter for a push from behind, with officials opting for the maximum 10-minute suspension, and Virginia’s third total man-down scenario would strain the offense as converting in the circle remained elusive.
Boston College’s third goal, a second shot during a corner that slipped by Abello’s defense at the goalpost again would lead to more desperation for the Cavaliers, and Coach Ole Keusgen pulled Lempers from goal to substitute another field player. A final unsuccessful penalty corner for Virginia, a powerful shot from Abello blocked by sophomore midfielder Alex DeCain, would lead to an Eagle empty net goal, an easy shot from freshman forward Maren Boyle.
“Right now, we are finding too many ways to lose a game and not enough ways to win them,” Keusgen said. “We need to convert the chances that we have and play forward with more desire. Right now, we are not playing good enough to earn a win.”
The Cavaliers’ final road game of the season awaits against No. 8 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, and a win will demand composure and aggression from Virginia, who now has little room for mistakes as conference play winds down.
Adair Reid is the newsletter editor for the 137th term of The Cavalier Daily, former humor editor for the 136th term and staff writer on the sports desk. She is a fourth-year College student, majoring in English and Media Studies. She is from Richmond and enjoys writing about the University’s Olympic sports teams and the changing landscape of college athletics.
Read More
Curzan shines yet again in Virginia’s second CSL victory, clinching championship berth
By Lauren Halak | 3 hours agoThe Cavaliers became the first to clinch one of four spots in the championship meet Nov. 6. On top of Williamson and Curzan’s outstanding performances, Virginia combined to win 13 individual races in addition to a relay, Skins event and Super Skins relay.
Virginia shuts out California as Dos Santos strike proves enough
By Noah Cinel | 3 hours ago“We know we can beat any team on any given night,” Dos Santos said.
George Gelnovatch took a ‘leap of faith’ 43 years ago on Virginia, and he’s never leaving
By Michael Liebermann | 11 hours ago“I think about it actually a lot,” Gelnovatch said,
