Cavaliers Stand Strong, Upset Penn State 12-8

Story Links

March 11, 2006

Box score
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Virginia’s Ginger Miles made 15 saves to help lead the Cavaliers to a 12-8 upset of Penn State tonight in State College, Pa. At the other end of the field, Virginia’s Tyler Leachman scored five goals and added two assists to lead Virginia offensively, while Nikki Lieb added a hat trick. Whitaker Hagerman had four draw controls to lead Virginia, including three in the second half as the Cavaliers held the Nittany Lions at bay.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 1-0 lead as Jen Holden scooped up a dropped PSU pass in the defensive third and started a transition that saw the Cavaliers settle the ball before Leachman took from the top at 1:59. The Nittany Lions won the ensuing draw but Miles made a save on the possession and at the other end of the field Megan O’Malley fed a cutting Lieb who scored at 5:05 to give the Hoos a 2-0 lead. Penn State’s Lori Havrilla then scored two of her game-high six goals 65 seconds apart to tie the game at 2-2 at 9:14.

Hagerman won the draw and Virginia got the ball behind quickly to Leachman, who fed Blair Weymouth on the crease, who quicksticked the ball into the cage for a 3-2 lead 43 seconds after PSU had tied the game. Kim Connors won the next draw and Virginia settled the ball briefly before Weymouth dumped the ball into Leachman in the 8, who scored 37 seconds after Weymouth to give the Hoos a two-goal lead again at 4-2. A Miles save led to the next score as she cleared the ball to Connors, who led Leachman to the restraining line. Leachman took the ball in from there to score at 14:26, giving UVa a 5-2 lead. Havrilla then scored two goals in 43 seconds and Mariel Bryan scored two minutes after that to tie the game at 5-5 with 9:59 to play in the half.

Again Virginia rallied behind a Miles save. The Hoos cleared the ball and Lieb took from the top to put the Cavaliers ahead 6-5. Lieb won the draw but the Nittany Lions gained possession and attempted a clear, but Hagerman caused a turnover and Claire Bordley scooped up the loose ball to give the Cavaliers possession at the restraining line. Virginia took the ball right back to the offensive end where they settled the ball, holding for the last shot. Leachman was fouled on a drive to the cage and she converted the 8-meter shot for a 7-5 lead at the break.

Penn State won the opening draw of the second half but a Miles save and Jessy Morgan ground ball gave Virginia possession, and at the other end of the field Weymouth took the ball to the cage, scoring at 32:16. A ground ball by Bordley after Penn State dropped a pass again gave Virginia possession, and she ran the ball upfield before passing it off to Hagerman at the restraining line. Hagerman took the ball in for a goal at 41:36, giving the Cavaliers a four-goal lead. Penn State answered again behind Havrilla, who scored twice in 66 seconds to cut the deficit back to two at 9-7.

Julie Hauser drew a charge on the next Penn State attack in the 8, and Virginia cleared the ball to the other end where Leachman wheeled in the arc and scored her fifth goal of the game to put UVa up 10-7. Another Miles save gave Virginia possession, and at the other end of the field Lieb dumped the ball into Connors, who scored at 51:24 to push the margin back to four at 11-7. Penn State’s Jessi Lieb converted an 8-meter shot at 56:54 to try to rally the Nittany Lions, but Hagerman won her fourth draw control to give Virginia possession. With the Cavaliers spreading their offense, Nikki Lieb found a seam and scored off a dump in from Leachman, giving the Cavaliers a 12-8 lead they would take to the end of the game.

With her five goals, Leachman now has 155 career goals and has moved into a tie for the No. 4 spot all-time at Virginia with Cary Chasney. She has also moved into the No. 6 spot in scoring with 196 points, passing Caitlin Banks. Weymouth now stands at No. 10 all-time for scoring as a first-year, tying her with three other players, including Leachman. She has also moved into a tie for No. 9 in assists as a first-year with nine. Miles’ 15 saves give her 241 for her career, making her No. 9 all-time at UVa, passing Heather Castle.

Virginia returns to action on Sunday as the Hoos host ACC rival Boston College. Game time against the Eagles is 1:00.

Linescore	1	2	F	recordsVirginia		7	5	12	(5-1)Penn State	5	3	8	(3-1)

Scoring summary:1:59 V Leachman — 1-05:05 V N Lieb O’Malley 2-08:09 P L Havrilla — 2-19:14 P L Havrilla — 2-29:57 V Weymouth Leachman 3-210:34 V Leachman Weymouth 4-214:26 V Leachman — 5-216:57 P L Havrilla — 5-317:40 P L Havrilla — 5-420:01 P Bryan — 5-523:23 V N Lieb — 6-529:45 V Leachman 8m 7-532:16 V Weymouth — 8-541:36 V Hagerman — 9-542:04 P L Havrilla — 9-643:10 P L Havrilla — 9-746:49 V Leachman — 10-751:24 V Connors N Lieb 11-756:56 P J Lieb 8m 11-859:08 V N Lieb Leachman 12-8

Scoring: V: Leachman 5-2-7; N Lieb 3-1-4; Weymouth 2-1-3; Hagerman 1-0-1; Connors 1-0-1; O’Malley 0-1-1

P: Havrilla 6-0-6; M. Bryan 1-0-1; J Lieb 1-0-1

Goalies: V: Miles (60 mins, 15 saves, 8 GA): P: Jurkowsky (60 mins, 9 saves, 12 GA)

Draws: V 11, P 11Shots: V 23 P 33Ground balls: V 20 P 20Turnovers: V 13, P 11Caused turnovers: V 5, P 5Fouls: V 15, P 138-meter attempts: V 2, P 88-meter shots: V 2, P 5Clearing: V 13-15, P 13-17