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Cavaliers Defeat Richmond 4-3
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Aug. 30, 2007
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia field hockey team notched a pair of goals 42 seconds apart in the first half against Richmond, including one by Traci Ragukas, to take a 2-0 lead, and went on to defeat the visiting Spiders 4-3 tonight at University Hall Turf Field. Ragukas scored Virginia’s first and fourth goals and has now scored in both games in 2007. The No. 8 Cavaliers (1-1) held Richmond (1-2) to one shot and no short corners in the first half of play while taking seven shots and five corners.
The Cavaliers drew three short corners in the first six minutes of the contest, but the Spiders were able to counterattack briefly with a circle penetration. Lauren Elstein broke up the play in the circle and Abby Taylor sent the ball the length of the pitch. On the ensuing 16-yard hit, Ragukas intercepted the pass, took it into the circle, and scored at 7:39 for a 1-0 lead. Richmond took the center pass and worked the ball back, but a misplay gave the Cavaliers a free hit just outside the D. Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn sent a pass into the circle where Kaitlyn Hiltz tipped it into the cage just 42 seconds after Ragukas’ goal, putting UVa up 2-0 at 8:21. The goal was Hiltz’ first career collegiate goal.
Richmond cut the deficit in half five minutes later as Sarah Blythe-Wood converted a 2v1 breakaway from midfield, sneaking a ball into the boards at 13:12 to make the score 2-1. The teams entered halftime with UVa holding the 2-1 lead.
Two minutes into the second half Kaars Sijpesteijn sent a ball up to the upper right corner where Kelsey Vonier collected it and passed the ball into the middle of the circle, where Taylor Swezey collected it and put it in the boards at 37:48 for a 3-1 Virginia lead. Richmond answered ten minutes later when they drew their first short corner of the contest. The insert by Tara Kelly was stopped by Jess Weidner, and Blythe-Wood scored on the direct shot for her second goal of the game, pulling the Spiders within one at 49:28.
The Cavaliers pushed the margin back to two as Kaars Sijpesteijn took a free hit at the 25, passing the ball up to Fenna Breitbarth in the upper left corner. Breitbarth attacked the circle, and Ragukas was able to grab the loose ball and smack it into the cage at 54:04 for her second goal of the night, putting UVa up 4-2. With time winding down, and Richmond pressing, the Spiders got the ball at the top of the circle where Tara Kelly shot, collected her own rebound, and scored at 67:54 to pull within one. The Cavalier defense held the rest of the way for the victory.
Ragukas’ two goals mark her second career multi-goal game (Radford, 2006).
With the win, Virginia improves to 1-1 and will travel to Norfolk to face Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 2. Game time against the Lady Monarchs is 1:00 at Foreman Field.
Linescore 1 2 F (records)Richmond 1 2 3 (1-2)Virginia 2 2 4 (1-1)
Scoring Summary7:39 fg UVA Ragukas (—)8:21 fg UVA Hiltz (Kaars Sijpesteijn)13:12 fg UR Blythe-Wood (—)37:48 fg UVA Swezey (Vonier)49:28 pc UR Blythe-Wood (Weidner, Kelly)54:04 fg UVA Ragukas (—)67:54 fg UR Kelly (—)
Keepers: VA: Devon Burnley (35 mins, 0 saves, 1 GA); Amy Desjadon (35 min, 1 save, 2 GA) UR: Becca Weaver (70 mins, 8 saves, 4 GA)
Shots: VA 12, UR 6Short corners: VA 7, UR 2