Virginia Drops 2-1 Decision at Princeton

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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Virginia field hockey team (6-8) dropped a 2-1 decision at Princeton Friday at Class of ’52 Stadium in Princeton, N.J. Sophomore Elly Buckley scored the lone goal for the Cavaliers.

“It was a hard fought game,” head coach Michele Madison said. “It was end-to-end and when you get your chances, you have them in the back of the goal. But our defense stepped up tonight.”

Virginia outshot Princeton 11-7 for the contest and finished with eight penalty corners while limiting the Tigers to just two.

Buckley put the Cavaliers on the board in the fifth minute with her team-leading 11 goal of the season. She scored on a penalty corner following a pass from senior Rachel Jennings.

Virginia continued its offensive pressure and outshot the Tigers 9-3 in the first stanza, but Princeton (5-5) tied the game with just three minutes to play in the half on an Allison Evans goal. Then, Princeton took the lead for good with just 1:05 to play in the half. Kelsey Byrne hit in a long backhand from near the top of the arc to go up 2-1.

It was a back-and-forth second half with Virginia outshooting Princeton 4-2.

Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone finished with three saves in the cage while Princeton’s Christina Maida tallied three stops.

The Cavaliers have a day off Saturday before closing their three-game road trip vs. fourth-ranked Connecticut at 11 a.m. Sunday in Princeton, N.J.