Virginia Field Hockey Nets 500th Win
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Sept. 23, 2012
ALLSTON, Mass. – The No. 7 Virginia field hockey team earned its third shutout of the season with a 2-0 blanking of No. 12 Boston University.
Boston U. dominated the first half, keeping the ball in its offensive zone most of the period, rattling off eight first-half shots. The Cavaliers used the most of the opportunities they created, scoring two goals off their first three shots.Rachel Sumfest (So., Lewisburg, Pa.) scored the first goal of the game, knocking a pass from Hadley Bell (Jr., Shaker Heights, Ohio) into the upper right corner of the goal. Paige Selenski (R-Sr., Shavertown, Pa.) created her own opportunity, picking up a pass from Bell the dribbling through the circle and firing off an on-target shot to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead with ten minutes left in the first half.
In the second half, the Cavaliers dominated offensive possessions, taking six shots, while the Virginia defense did not allow a single shot by the Terriers.
“That’s pretty amazing,” Virginia head coach Michele Madison said of holding BU to zero second half shots. “Our team really played well together and ran the game plan to a tee. We were able to deny that opportunity to the circle.”
The victory was the Cavaliers second road win over a ranked opponent on the current road trip. Virginia earned a 3-1 victory Friday night at No. 22 Boston College.
“It was a good trip to Boston to get wins on two quality teams,” Madison said. “At this point of the season, is a huge momentum boost”.
The win was also the 500th win for the program. Since 1973, the Cavalier field hockey teams have amassed a record of 500-266-21 under their eight head coaches.
Selenski scored her 15th goal of the season. Sumfest’s goal was her eighth of the season. Bell, who scored two goals against Boston College, had an assist.
Jenny Johnstone (So., Paisley, Scotland) played the entire game in goal to earn her first shutout of the season. She made three first-half saves.
“We didn’t have a standout an individual standout in the game,” Madison said. “The whole team was a standout. We cleared the bench and everyone had to give us minutes and quality time. The only way we can play in this league is with a whole team effort.”
The Cavaliers improve to 9-2 (1-0 ACC) while the Terriers fell to 6-3.
Virginia will return to ACC action next week, hosting No. 4 Maryland at Turf Field in Charlottesville on Friday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Admission is free for all regular-season home games played at Turf Field.