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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia field hockey team (1-0) opened the 2009 season with a 7-0 victory over Miami (Ohio) Friday at the University Hall Turf Field. Sophomore Floor Vogels tallied two scores while freshman Britt Knouse and sophomore Alex Jahnle recorded their first career goals in the winning effort.

“We are happy to get the first one under our belts,” Virginia head coach Michele Madison said. “The team settled in and created some goal-scoring situations. That was probably the biggest positive. Miami played strong defense and made us fight through with some strong play.”

Senior Traci Ragukas and sophomores Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese also scored for UVa. Five different Cavaliers also recorded assists.

Virginia outshot the RedHawks 18-2 in the game and had an 8-1 advantage on penalty corners.

“Floor had command of the backfield; she was able to direct and keep everybody in tight,” Madison said. “Traci’s leading and attacking was good, Michelle had a strong game, and Haley (Carpenter) kept it simple. Haley is one of those unsung heroes that isn’t flashy but is the glue that holds everything together.”

Virginia scored four in the first half, beginning in the eighth minute when Puffenberger crossed the ball from the left side to Ragukas, who tipped it past MU’s Abbey Huck. Seven minutes later, Britt Knouse tapped the ball into the cage on a penalty corner play, gathering the assist from teammate Inga Stöckel.

The team’s third goal came 19 minutes into the first half when Jahnle, alone on the opposite post, took a nice pass from Selenski to put one in. Vogels then rounded out the first half scoring with an unassisted score after Stöckel’s shot was saved by Huck.

Selenski, who scored 19 goals as a freshman a year ago, tallied the first goal of the second half at 38:54. She dribbled the ball into the middle of the circle and fired it in. Vogels recorded her second goal 10 minutes later on a penalty corner. Charlotte van den Broek injected the ball to Ragukas, then to Vittese, who passed it along to Vogels. Vittese scored the final goal at 65:18.

Goalkeepers Adrienne Ostroff and Kim Kastuk split time in the cage for the Orange and Blue. Kastuk finished with two saves in the second half.

“Our defense was able to keep the ball to the outside and that’s what their goal was,” Madison said. But we have a lot of work to do for Sunday.”

The Cavaliers face No. 11 Penn State at 1 p.m. Sunday at the U-Hall Turf Field.

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