No. 3 Cavaliers Blank Northwestern 2-0

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia field hockey team (4-0) rebounded from a scoreless first half to blank Northwestern 2-0 Monday at the University Hall Turf Field. Junior Paige Selenski scored both goals in the victory.

The Cavaliers outshot Northwestern 24-10 for the contest and recorded 11 penalty corners to five for the Wildcats, who dropped to 3-3 on the year.

The two teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half, with Virginia outshooting the Wildcats 12-3 in the first stanza. Northwestern’s Amanda Wirth tallied eight saves.

“Northwestern was definitely beating us to the 50/50 balls,” Virginia head coach Michele Madison said. “They put the pressure on us and we were giving them too much space. We tired to step it up in the second half and light the fire from under them.”

Selenski (Shavertown, Pa.) scored both goals exactly a minute apart early in the second half. The eventual game-winner occurred at 42:07 when teammate Elly Buckely (Perth, Australia) blasted a shot from the top of the circle that was deflected in by Selenski.

Then at 43:07, Selenski cradled a pass that was temporarily taken away from a Northwestern defender before Selenski got the ball back and put it past Wirth for a 2-0 lead. In two games this weekend, the third year notched six goals.

“We were able to get our passing game going and built some momentum,” Madison said. Northwestern played well.”

UVa’s Adrienne Ostroff and Kim Kastuk each played a half in the cage; Kastuk finished with three saves.

Virginia hits the road this weekend for two games at Old Dominion. The Cavaliers face No. 14 Ohio State at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norfolk, Va., before concluding the weekend with a noon contest Sunday against No. 8 Syracuse.