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Field Hockey Weekly Release
Story Links
September 12, 1998
Individual Notes:
Goalden Girl!: Meridith Thorpe’s goal with 5:56 elapsed into the second period against Northwestern gave her 85 career goals, a new Cavalier career record. She already holds the record for points with 189, which she broke last year. Her 189 points rank her third all-time in the ACC, just 23 points out of first place. Her 85 goals is also seecond in the conference, behind Duke’s Melissa Panasci’s 90. A three-time first-team All-American, Thorpe has led the Cavaliers in scoring each of her first three seasons.
Shell Shall Help!: Michelle Vizzuso’s assist to Melissa Hayes with 8:04 remaining in the game against Northwestern gave her 39 career assists, which established a new career record at Virginia for assists. In 1997, Shell set a new seasonal record for assists with 21, and in both 1996 and 1997 Shell recorded double digit totals in both goals and assists, the first Cavalier in school history to do so. With one goal and four assists this season, she is off to a similar start.
Cavaliers up to the (ACC-Big 10) Challenge: The Cavaliers’ two-game sweep of the Big-10 was a critical stretch for the Cavaliers,as they posted wins against #13 Ohio State and Northwestern.
On the Horizon:
Handling the Huskies: The Cavaliers face #6 Northeastern on Thursday night at 7:00. Virginia is 2-0 all-time against Northeastern. The last time the Hoos faced the two directions was in 1996, when UVa beat NE 3-2 and NW 4-2.
Meeting the Minutewomen: Virginia holds a record of 1-4-1 against Massachusetts all-time, but the two have never met in Charlottesville. Head Coach Patty Shea took her squad to Charlottesville last year for the NCAA Tournament, but they were knocked out by Penn State in the first round. Cavalier soph Laura Lindsay hails from Deerfield, Massachusetts, about 20 minutes away from UMass.
Sizing up State: Virginia is 2-0 all-time against Appalachian State with a combined score of 20-0.
GAME SUMMARIES
GAME-1: #1 Virginia 3, #13 Ohio State 1 – Senior All-American Meridith Thorpe (St.Louis, Mo./John Burroughs) made her homecoming a triumph as she scored the game-winning goal as top-ranked Virginia defeated #13 Ohio State in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge in St. Louis, Mo. Thorpe’s goal, 10 minutes and 39 seconds into the second half, gave UVa a 2-0 lead and also tied her with former Cavalier great Cindy Carzo with 84 career goals. Virginia started the scoring early as Thorpe connected from fellow senior All-American Michelle Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) just 12:10 into the contest. The Virginia defense, which led the nation in scoring defense in 1997, allowed only one shot for Ohio State in the first half. Virginia was unable to capitalize the rest of the half and the first half ended with Virginia holding a 1-0 lead. Thorpe’s record-tying goal was also assisted by Vizzuso and gave the Cavaliers the 2-0 lead. Vizzuso scored Virginia’s final goal with 11:53 remaining in the game as she blasted a shot from just inside the circle. Her two assists on the day gives her 37 for her career and place her second all-time at Virginia, just one shy of the record. Ohio State got on the board as they lifted the rebound of a penalty corner into the net with 6:18 to go in the game. Kusar’s goal was Ohio State’s second shot of the half.
GAME-2: #1 Virginia 3, Northwestern 1 – The top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers battled back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the Wildcats 3-1 today in the second day of the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. In the process, Meredith Thorpe made her hometown proud as she set a new UVa career record for goals with her only goal of the afternoon. Her goal 5:56 into the second half tied the score at 1-1 and gave her 85 career goals, breaking the record she held with Cindy Carzo. Nineteen minutes later, with 8:04 remaining in the game, fellow senior Michelle Vizzuzo assisted Melissa Hayes (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Visitation), which gave Vizzuzo 39 assists in her career, also a new school record. She had tied the record earlier in the game as she assisted on Thorpe’s goal. Northwestern got on the board first with a goal at 13:52 remaining in the first half for a 1-0 lead that they took into halftime. In the second half, the vaunted Cavalier defense came alive. Thorpe scored on the penalty corner to start the second half and set the record. Six minutes later, Cavalier goalkeeper Becky Worthington (Fairview Village, Pa./Methacton) came out and made a key save and then knocked the ball to the sideline where it was corralled by senior All-American Lori Mastropietro (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock) who sent the ball forward down the line to Meredith Elwell (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown). Elwell collected the ball sent into the circle where it was tipped into the cage by Lorraine Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex). Vizzuso’s goal gave the Cavaliers the 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. With just over eight minutes to go, Michelle Vizzuso dribbled down the center of the field, who passed the ball to Elwell, who tipped it to Hayes for the final goal. Hayes’ goal, which gave MIchelle Vizzuso her 39th career assist, gave the Cavaliers the final score of 3-1. The Virginia defense, which allowed seven shots and three corners in the first half, clamped down and did not allow either a shot or a corner in the second half.