Virginia Upsets #4 Maryland in Second Round of NCAA Field Hockey

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November 15, 1998

College Park, MD–Lorraine Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) scored a pair of goals today, including the game-winner, to help the Virginia Cavaliers advance to the NCAA Semifinals for the second consecutive year with a 5-1 upset of Maryland. With the win, the Cavaliers improve to 18-4 on the season and avenge a 1-0 overtime loss to the Terrapins in the ACC finals last weekend. Virginia scored five unanswered goals to hand Maryland their first loss at home this season. It was also the third meeting between the schools this season, with Virginia winning the rubber match today.

Maryland’s Carla Tagliente started the scoring just 3:46 into the game as she snuck a shot past goalie Becky Worthington (Fairview Village, Pa./Methacton). But the Cavalier defense stiffened after that, allowing the Terrapins only three more shots and no goals the rest of the afternoon. The Cavalier offense exploded as Virginia rattled off five unsanswered goals for the win. Laura Lindsay (Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield) started the scoring with a tip in of a Michelle Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) pass with 20:14 remaining in the half on a penalty corner play. Just 1:46 later, the Cavaliers scored on a breakaway as Lori Mastropietro (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock) dribbled up the left flank and passed to Meridith Thorpe (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs), who was running with her on the side. Thorpe passed it back to Mastropietro, who pushed it over to Lorraine Vizzuso, who swept the ball into the cage for the eventual game-winner.

Vizzuso scored her second goal in the opening minutes of the second half on a similar play. She and Meredith Elwell (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) worked together on a breakaway and Elwell slotted the ball into the center where Vizzuso swept it into the cage to give the Hoos a two-goal lead with 7:08 gone in the half. Melissa Hayes (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Visitation) scored Virginia’s fouth goal seven minutes later as she shot a ball into the top shelf of the cage from just inside the circle. Elwell closed out the scoring as she pushed a Thorpe pass into the cage four minutes later to give the Cavaliers a 5-1 lead.

The Cavalier defense allowed the Terrapins only four shots the entire game, with two in each half. The Cavaliers, who are ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense, had stellar play from Worthington who held two saves to preserve the win.

Michelle Vizzuso’s assist gives her 60 for her career, making her the first player in ACC history to record 50 goals and 60 assists in a career. She ranks 11th all time in NCAA Division I history with 60 assists. Virginia will face top-ranked Old Dominion on Friday, Nov. 20 in Philadelphia in the first semifinal. Princeton and Connecticut will face off in the second semifinal. Virginia lost to Old Dominion 3-2 in last year’s semifinal round.

FINAL         1  2  F (records)Virginia      2  3  5 (18-4)#4 Maryland   1  0  1 (16-4)

Scoring summary: M: Tagliente/31:14(1); V: Lindsay(M. Vizzuso)/20:14(1);
V: L. Vizzuso(Mastropietro)/18:00(1); V: L. Vizzuso(Elwell)/27:52(2);
V:Hayes/20:48(2); V: Elwell(Thorpe)/16:36
Goals: V: L. Vizzuso 2, Hayes, Elwell, Lindsay M: Tagliente
Assists: V: M. Vizzuso, Thorpe, Elwell, Mastropietro M: none
Shots: V: 12, M: 4 Corners: V: 5, M: 7
Saves: V: 2 (Worthington 2), M: 4 (Platt 4)