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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia field hockey team (13-8) earned its third straight bid to the NCAA Tournament and will play James Madison (18-2) in the first round Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C. Game time is currently slated for 2 p.m.
The Cavaliers are making their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament under third-year head coach Michele Madison. Virginia is making its 15th NCAA appearance and 18th overall national championship appearance.
“Congratulations to all the teams who were selected. It is an honor and privilege to play for a national championship,” Madison said.
“This season the NCAA selection show was different because we were confident a bid was earned and deserved,” Madison continued. “The anticipation of ‘where are we going’ and ‘who are we playing’ brings so much excitement. The program keeps improving every year and with the nation’s toughest schedule, this young team has grown. We get knocked down, we get up and brush the dirt from our knees and go again.”
Ranked 12th in the NFHCA poll and eighth in the womensfieldhockey.com poll, the Cavaliers finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and is coming off its second consecutive trip to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Virginia’s schedule is ranked the toughest in the nation according to calculations produced by fieldhockeycorner.com.
James Madison, meanwhile, is fourth in the NFCHA poll and No. 7 in the womensfieldhockey.com poll. The Dukes beat Old Dominion 1-0 last Sunday to claim the Colonial Athletic Association tournament title. In contrast, JMU’s strength of schedule ranked No. 17 and it is tied for second in the nation with 18 wins.
“In the NCAA Tournament, we have to control what we can control,” Madison said. “We have to put all of our eggs in one basket; it doesn’t matter if it’s JMU or somebody else, winner stays. JMU has had a great season led by Melissa Walls, Melissa Stefaniak and Kelsey Cutchins. JMU’s defense, anchored in goal by Cutchins has led the nation statistically in defense. I have no doubt this will be another great matchup. All of our attention is on preparing for our first game.”
Virginia and James Madison met back on Sept. 10 in Harrisonburg, Va., where the Dukes came away with a 1-0 victory in overtime, handing the Cavaliers their first loss of the season.
The two teams have shared eight opponents this season. Both UVa and JMU defeated Ohio, Kent State, Richmond, Louisville, Old Dominion and William & Mary, while both squads fell to Wake Forest and defending national champion North Carolina.
The winner of the Virginia-James Madison game will play the winner of the Wake Forest-American game at 2 p.m. Sunday for a chance to advance to the national semifinals. The University of Louisville will play host to the event at Trager Stadium Nov. 21-23.