Virginia (7-3-2, 3-3-0 ACC) saw three strikes hit the back of the net as the clock ticked down late in the second half to break open a game that SMU (5-5-4, 0-4-2 ACC) fought the entire second period to equalize.
Instead of securing two wins during the gym’s opening weekend, they suffered two losses, extending their losing streak to five.
The communications intern thought his football fantasy had ended years ago, but made the most of his opportunity once he was called upon his fourth year.
Down big early on, the Cavaliers were never daunted. The Virginia offense battled back throughout the second half, while the defense held on just enough to secure a victory over the visiting Orange.
The 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.
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.
“We know we can beat any team on any given night,” Dos Santos said.
“I think about it actually a lot,” Gelnovatch said,
After suffering a brutal 38-7 loss to Florida State last week, the Cavaliers will have to rebound to turn their season afloat. A home affair with the Orange serves as their first challenge to do so.
This weekend did not produce the clean sweep the Cavaliers wanted — instead yielding two different outcomes with separate lessons to be learned.
For Virginia field hockey, a player who regularly steps up to take that shot is fourth-year back Mia Abello.
Virginia could not “get-right” between their first two losses, and now they lack much breathing room and time to right the ship.
“It’s balls into our penalty area,” Gelnovatch said. “It’s all it is.”
Across seven sets against California and Stanford, Virginia won just one.
The Cavaliers dictated early play with high pressure, breaking through in the ninth minute as third-year forward Giovana Canali secured her third goal of the season to put Virginia ahead 1-0.
In a complete reverse of last season’s result, the Cavaliers looked unrecognizable against the Seminoles.
The Cavaliers (4-5-1, 2-2 ACC) fought hard, but fell to the Hokies (6-3-1, 3-1-1 ACC) after going down 2-0 in the first half.
While the Cavaliers have weathered the non-conference stretch well, they have yet to find their identity — a big win at Florida State could change that.
If Lambe and company continue to control the middle of the park, and the Cavaliers can finally finish what they start, this season could still take a very different shape.
A week full of tough matches against the best in the country saw two Cavaliers earn their place at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia.
