Field Hockey Tops Georgetown, North Carolina
Story Links
October 20, 1998
GAME 13: #6 Virginia 6, Georgetown 1–Cavaliers defeated Georgetown 6-1 and in the process Meridith Thorpe became the ACCs all-time leading career scorer. Her goal with 4:55 gone in the first half of play gave the Cavaliers a 4-0 lead and made her the ACCs all-time leading scorer with 213 career points.
Thorpes first goal came just 1:35 into the first half of play as she received a Michelle Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) pass and slipped it into the Hoya net. Thorpe assisted on the second goal as she hit the ball on a penalty corner to Laura Lindsay (Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield) who tipped it in the net just 3:27 later. Vizzuso converted a penalty stroke at the 10:52 mark after Meredith Elwell (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) was tripped in the circle to give the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead, which the teams took into halftime. Just 4:55 into the second half Thorpe slotted Lorraine Vizzusos (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) pass into the cage and in the process set a new ACC record.
Michelle Vizzuso added a second goal on a breakaway as Lori Mastropietro dribbled upfield and fed Thorpe, who passed the ball back to Mastropietro after the Hoya keeper came out to play her. Mastropietro one-timed the ball to Vizzuso, who placed the ball in the net for the fifth goal with 27:01 to go in the game. The Hoyas got on the board as they converted their only penalty corner of the afternoon.
Lori Fogliano collected a loose ball after what appeared to be a missed play and sent a shot towards the cage that was misdirected by a Virginia player into the cage, breaking up the shutout. Virginia added a final goal as Melissa Hayes (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Visitation) scored with 19:06 remaining to give Virginia a 6-1 lead that would stand up.
Cavalier keeper Becky Worthington (Fairview Village, Pa./Methacton) started the game but did not make a save as the Hoyas had only one shot in the first half of play. She was replaced by Ellen Wiese (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) at the start of the second half.
GAME 14: #6 Virginia 2, #4 North Carolina 1–Meridith Thorpe (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs), the ACCs all-time leading scorer, tallied three points this afternoon as the Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 2-1 at University Hall Turf Field. Thorpe, who is the all-time ACC leader in both goals and points, added to both totals this afternoon as the Cavaliers upset the fourth-ranked Tar Heels.
The Cavaliers got on the board first as Thorpe stuck in Virginias third penalty corner of the afternoon as her shot glanced off the pads of Carolina goalie Nicole Frey. She was assisted on the play by Michelle Vizzuso and Laura Lindsay. With Thorpes 95th career goal, the Cavaliers took a 1-0 lead with 14:20 to play in the first half.
The Tar Heels answered right back as Nancy Pelligreen scored on a penalty corner just 2:35 later off an assist from Jana Toepel. But the Cavaliers got what proved to be the game-winning goal just before halftime as Meredith Elwell intercepted a 16-yard hit and took it down to the circle where she passed to Thorpe. Thorpe led Elwell through the circle with her pass and Elwell redirected the pass into the cage with just 1:47 to play in the first half.
In the second half, the Tar Heels were awarded seven corners but were unable to convert any of them as Cavalier keeper Becky Worthington turned back three of the five Tar Heel shots. With 6:03 to go in the game, the Tar Heels replaced Frey with Abby Martin as an extra field player. As time was running down, Carolina forced a corner and the Heels called a timeout with two seconds to go in the game. But Toepels shot was saved by Worthington, preserving the win for the Cavaliers.
Individual Notes:
Vizzuso is golden: Michelle Vizzuso, already Virginias career leader in assists, is also leading the nation with her 19 this season. She ranks third all-time in the ACC with 54 career assists (Jen Pratt, MD has 63). She is only the fourth personin ACC history to record 40+ goals and assists in a career. She needs just eight goals to become only the second player in ACC history to record 50+ goals and assists in a career and just seven assists to move into second place in the ACC with assists. Her 19 assists for the season is the third-highest total for a season in school history and the second-highest total for a senior. She also ranks 14th all-time nationally with 54 assists and has moved into 11th place all-time in the ACC in scoring with 142 points.
Thorpe nets the ACColades: Meridith Thorpes three-point performance on Sunday and her five-point performance.
On the Horizon
Taking on the Tribe: Virginia returns to in-state action as the Cavaliers host the William and Mary Tribe on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Virginia leads the all-time series 14-11-2, including taking the last two wins in the series. The Cavaliers have been very successful against in-state squads throughout history, holding a149-50-15 (69.6%) overall record vs teams from the Commonwealth.
Lucky 13: The Cavaliers are looking to continue their success against Wake Forest in the game on Saturday. Virginia leads the all-time series 13-1, including a five-game winning streak. Virginia has never lost to Wake Forest at home.
Looking for a score: The Cavaliers are riding a 19-game winning streak in October dating back to 1995 when Virginia beat then-Towson State 4-0 on Oct. 13. It is the longest winning streak in school history for a month. The longest unbeaten streak, though, goes back to 1974-77 when the Cavaliers were unbeaten in 32 consecutive games, starting with a win over VCU 2-0 on October 16, 1974 and lasted through the Roanoke game in 1978, which the Hoos won 3-0. In that 32-game span, the Cavaliers tied 3 games. The second-longest streak, 14, was the final 14 games of that stretch. Virginia has won 153 games all-time in