The No. 18 Virginia field hockey team continued its worst season start in more than a decade after a disappointing weekend in Evanston, Ill.
For most of Michele Madison's tenure as Virginia's field hockey coach, the results have been impressive.
Following a disappointing 3-0 shutout loss against Michigan State Saturday, the Virginia field hockey team received positive news Tuesday as it was announced that senior midfielders Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese would participate in the upcoming Pan American Games for Team USA. The qualifier tournament, which will be held Oct.
The No. 7 Virginia field hockey team lost its third game of the regular season this past weekend, marking its worst start since 2005.
After slipping from their top-three preseason ranking, The No. 7 Virginia field hockey team heads to Oxford, Ohio this weekend for matches against Miami and Michigan State. Virginia goes into the weekend after a needed 3-0 shutout Wednesday at James Madison, during which a more cohesive Cavaliers team controlled almost all aspects of the game and held the Dukes to a 13-3 shot deficit.
The No. 7 Virginia field hockey team defeated James Madison last night with a 3-0 road victory behind a trio of goals from three different players. The Cavaliers (3-2) dominated defensively during much of the first half, holding the Dukes (1-3) to zero shots and penalty corner.
[caption id="attachment_44968" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sophomore forward Carissa Vittese increased her season scoring total to five points after preventing the shutout with a 64th minute goal against Old Dominion.
[caption id="attachment_44917" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Junior forward Britt Knouse notched the Cavaliers' lone goal during their 4-1 loss against Old Dominion Sunday.
[caption id="attachment_44706" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sophomore defensive back Chloe Pendlebury, who led the ACC with four defensive saves in 2010, wishes to see a greater level of team-wide focus.
The Virginia field hockey team opened its season at home with a bittersweet opening weekend. Friday evening, the Cavaliers defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 8-1, before falling to Penn State Sunday in a disappointing 3-0 loss. "They know how they can play when we run the system, and what happens if you don't run the system," coach Michele Madison said. The No.
[caption id="attachment_44451" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Senior midfielder Rachel Jennings hopes to build on a successful 2010 season in which she contributed one goal and two assists in a defensive role.
[caption id="attachment_38663" align="alignleft" width="266" caption="Junior midfielder Paige Selenski scored three goals Saturday, becoming the ninth player ever to do so in the tournament semifinals or finals.
[caption id="attachment_38607" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Freshman forward Elly Buckley played a big role in the Cavaliers' opening round games, scoring two goals against both Princeton and Michigan State.
Just a year ago, the immediate celebration that followed Virginia's 3-2 overtime home victory against Michigan State - a victory that clinched the emerging program's first Final Four trip in 11 seasons - lasted more than a half-hour. After a 4-2 victory against No.
[caption id="attachment_38207" align="alignleft" width="235" caption="Virginia coach Michele Madison prepares to face Michigan State, the team she coached between 1993-2005.
[caption id="attachment_38069" align="alignleft" width="226" caption="Junior midfielder Michelle Vittesse made a tactical shift, playing more defense than offense against North Carolina Friday.
[caption id="attachment_37892" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Junior midfielder Paige Selenski finished regular season play leading the Cavaliers in points, shots and goals scored.
[caption id="attachment_37682" align="alignleft" width="273" caption="Junior midfielder Rachel Jennings will face her sister Tara Saturday for the fourth time in her career Saturday.
[caption id="attachment_37558" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Senior back Shelly Edmonds has played in 82 games in her career at Virginia as an integral part of the Cavalier defense, which has succeeded in limiting opponents to one goal per game this season.
The six seniors on the Virginia field hockey team closed their home careers in impressive fashion this past weekend, winning their final ACC home game Saturday against No.
