Story Links
Aug. 28, 2004
The Virginia field hockey team opened up its 2004 campaign with an 8-2 defeat of the Bison of Bucknell (0-1) today behind a 4-goal, 2-assist performance from Mia Link. Link’s 10 points is the most for a Cavalier in a single game since Su Cox had five goals against Sweet Briar in 1975–nine years before Link was born. The Cavalier defense allowed only two Bison shots in the first half, and starting keeper Katherine Blair watched one sail wide and made a save on the other one to stake the `Hoos to a 5-0 lead at the break.
The Bison had the first chance on a short corner in the first five minutes, but Virginia responded as Katie Phillips took the ball down the right side of the field and drew a penalty corner, Virginia’s first of the contest. Phillips’ direct shot was saved by Bucknell’s Liz Jordan, but Allison Flynn collected the rebound and pushed it over to Link, who popped it in the cage for Virginia’s first goal at 11:19. Seven minutes later, Megan Ponessa laid the ball up the right side of the field and Link ran onto it and took it into the circle where she drew out the keeper before slipping the shot past her, giving her her second goal of the day at 18:23.
A Sarah Miller interception at the 16 yard line started the next play. Miller brought the ball into the circle and passed it off to Flynn, who shot the ball. Link tipped it into the cage to give her a hat trick, the first of her career. Two minutes later Link intercepted a pass on the right side of the pitch and laid it upfield for Phillips, who took it into the circle and fired a reverse stick shot into the corner for Virginia’s fourth goal of the game at 32:33. Just over a minute later Lindsey Selfridge stole the ball on the left side of the field and took it up to the endline where Link sent the ball across the goal mouth for Flynn to push into the cage. The Cavaliers led at halftime 5-0.
Five minutes into the secod half Phillips pushed the ball forward and Selfridge ran onto the ball on the left side of the field. Selfridge shot the ball into the circle and Link tipped it past the Bucknell keeper into the corner for her fourth goal of the game, and her tenth point of the day. The Bison responded as Kelly O’Brien drew a corner and Callista Costopoulous’ direct shot was saved by Logan Carr, but the rebound popped up and Alex Kyzmir, who had injected the short corner, was there to hit it into the cage for a Bucknell goal at 46:05.
Ten minutes later, Carr cleared a shot coming from her left to the other side of the field and Ponessa took it upfield before crossing the field again to Selfridge. Selfridge laid the ball upfield and Abby Taylor ran onto the ball and took it to the endline before firing a short-angle shot into the cage for her first career goal. Six minutes later Link intercepted a clear from the circle and shot. Her shot was saved by Jordan, but Taylor pounced on the rebound and scored her second goal of the afternoon, giving the Cavaliers an 8-1 lead at the 61:20 mark. Bucknell’s O’Brien answered three minutes later as she stuck back her own rebound, making the final score 8-2.
Virginia returns to action tomorrow, Aug. 29, as they host the Mountaineers of Appalachian State, who defeated UMBC 3-2 in Boone today. Game time is 3:00 pm.
Linescore 1 2 FBucknell 0 2 2Virginia 5 3 8Scoring summary:11:19 VA pc Link (Flynn) 1-018:23 VA fg Link 2-030:14 VA fg Link (Flynn) 3-032:33 VA fg Phillips (Link) 4-033:56 VA fg Flynn (Link) 5-040:33 VA fg Link (Selfridge) 6-046:05 BU pc Kyzmir 6-155:50 VA fg Taylor (Selfridge) 7-161:20 VA fg Taylor 8-164:43 BU fg O'Brien 8-2Keepers: VA: Blair (35 mins, 1 save, 0 GA; Carr (35 mins, 5 saves, 2 GA) BU: Jordan (70 mins, 11 saves, 8 GA)Shots: VA 25, BU 9 Short corners: VA 3, BU 6