No. 6 Virginia Falls to No. 14 Northeastern
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EAST LANSING, Mi. – The No. 6 Virginia field hockey team fell 3-2 to No. 14 Northeastern in a neutral site game held at Michigan State.
Northeastern jumped on the Cavaliers early, scoring off a penalty corner 2:34 into the game and capitalizing on another corner just over eight minutes into the game.
Michelle Vittese (R-Sr., Cherry Hill, N.J.) halved the deficit at the 9:32 mark. Vittese picked up a ball near the corner, dribbling through traffic to the right side of the goal and scoring.
Despite UVa pounding away on the offensive end, the score remained frozen at 2-1 through the end of the first half and well into the second period.Twenty-three minutes into the second half, the Huskies’ Crystal Poland charged down field ahead of the Virginia defense. She fired off a rocket shot into the dead center of the goal to give Northeastern a 3-1 advantage.
Nine minutes later, the Cavaliers’ pressure paid off with Elly Buckley (Jr., Scarborough Perth, Australia) scoring on Virginia’s ninth penalty corner of the game. Immediately after the goal, head coach Michele Madison pulled her goalkeeper, giving the Cavaliers a man-advantage for the final three minutes of the game.Northeastern didn’t let Virginia get a clean look at the goal, holding on for the 3-2 victory.
The Cavaliers outshot the Huskies, 19-7, including taking 14 shots in the first period.
“I am disappointed with the outcome, but this was another quality opponent,” Madison said. “We were able to generate attack. There is no doubt about that. We will have to work on finishing.”
Vittese scored her second goal of the season. Buckley’s goal was her tenth with Chloe Pendlebury (Jr., Perth, Australia) and Paige Selenski (R-Sr., Shavertown, Pa.) credited with assists. Jenny Johnstone (So., Paisley, Scotland) allowed three goals and made two saves. Her record falls to 4-1.
The victory for Northeastern was its third win over a ranked team this season. They improved to 4-0. The Cavaliers fell to 5-2 with both losses coming at the hands of top-15 ranked teams.
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 11 when they travel to Williamsburg, Va. to take on William & Mary. The game will be under the lights at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers return home on Saturday, Sept. 15 when they host Miami (Ohio) at 11 a.m. on National Field Hockey Day.