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No. 8 Virginia Faces No. 9 Penn State
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| No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Penn State |
Date and Time Sunday, Aug. 26, 12 p.m. Location University Park, Pa. | Penn State Field Hockey Complex
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Aug. 25, 2012
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 8 Virginia field hockey team (1-0) takes on their first top-10 ranked opponent of the season, facing No. 9 Penn State (1-0) on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 12 p.m. in University Park, Pa.
Virginia entered the 2012 season as a top-10 team, garnering three first-place votes and 539 total points, putting them in eighth place in the 2012 Penn Monto/ NFHCA Division I preseason coaches poll. The Nittany Lions earned 501 points, ranking them right behind the Cavaliers in ninth place.
Virginia comes into the game after pulling out a 4-3 overtime victory at Temple. Elly Buckley (Jr., Scarborough Perth, Australia) and Rachel Sumfest (So., Lewisburg, Pa.) accounted for all of the scoring. Sumfest set up Buckley on the first two goals of the game, including a penalty corner. The third goal, which at the time gave the Wahoos a 3-1 lead, had Sumfest scoring with an assist to Buckley. Sumfest created her own opportunity in overtime, taking on the Temple goalkeeper one-on-one and popping in the game winner.
The Cavaliers were without the services of two of their All-Americans with Paige Selenski (R-Sr., Shavertown, Pa.) and Michelle Vittese (R-Sr., Cherry Hill, N.J.) in the Temple contest. The two players had to sit out the game because of an NCAA rule regarding international play. Both will be available for the Penn State contest.
Selenski enters the season with 171 career points. She need two points to tie for second on the Cavalier career point list (173, Cindy Carzo, 1976-79) and 59 points to tie Meredith Thorpe (1995-98) as the all-time points leader at 230. Selenski is also in third place on the career goals list with 73, needing 11 to move into a tie for second (84, Cindy Carzo, 1976-79).
With her two goals and five points in Friday’s opener, Buckley put her name in the Virginia record book, entering the top-ten in both career points (10th, 97 points) and is now tied for 10th in career goals with 38 careers goals, matching Lorraine Vizzuso (1997-2000).
The Penn State Field Hockey Complex is very familiar territory for Virginia assistant coach Annie Zinkavich. Zinkavich spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach for the Nittany Lions. She also spent four seasons playing goal at Penn State (2000-03), where she was a three-time NFHCA All-Midwest regional selection and helped the Nittany Lions to the national title game in 2002.
Penn State kicked off the 2012 season in dynamic fashion, topping No. 3 Old Dominion 5-2 on Friday evening. Despite a mid-game surge from the Lady Monarchs (0-1), the Nittany Lions (1-0) scored three back-to-back goals in the second period to secure their home-opener win.
The Penn State contest wraps up the season-opening road trip for the Cavaliers. Virginia returns home to Charlottesville and will host Richmond on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. for their home opener. Admission is free for all 2012 Virginia field hockey regular season home games at Turf Field.