No. 5 Virginia Takes on No. 2 North Carolina

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Oct. 10, 2012// For Immediate Release //Contact: Melissa Dudek

No. 5 Virginia Takes on No. 2 North CarolinaSaturday, Oct. 13 game in Chapel Hill will be broadcast on ESPN3

Date and Time Saturday, Oct. 13, 1 p.m. Location Chapel Hill, N.C. | Francis E Henry Stadium
Media ESPN3 Broadcast (live streaming video) | Live Stats Additional Information 2012 Season Stats | Season Preview | Rule Changes for 2012 | 2012 Record Book (.pdf)
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Oct. 10, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 5 Virginia field hockey team (13-2, 2-0 ACC) will take on No. 2 North Carolina (14-1, 3-0 ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. in Chapel Hill. The game will be streamed online on ESPN3.

The Cavaliers are alone in fifth place in this week’s Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. Last week, the Cavaliers moved into the top-five, but were tied with Maryland. The Terps fell to sixth this week, trailing UVa by 12 points. North Carolina, currently ranked second, has held one of the top-two spots in the poll since the preseason.

The game will be the third top-five opponent of the season for the Cavaliers. Virginia has defeated No. 3 Old Dominion (5-4) and No. 4 Maryland (3-2). North Carolina has not faced a top-five team yet this season. The Tar Heels fell, 1-0, in overtime at Syracuse, their only loss so far this season. At the time, however, Syracuse was ranked No. 7. The Orange have since become the top-ranked team in the nation.

The Cavaliers bring an eight-game win streak to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won their last 12 games. The Cavaliers’ defense has not allowed a goal in the last two games, outscoring opponents 11-0. The Tar Heels also have two shutouts in their last two games with a combined score of 10-0.

UVa is currently ranked second in the nation in goals-per-game, averaging 4.53. The only team better is North Carolina, averaging 5.0 per game. The Tar Heels also lead all teams in scoring margin (4.04) while Virginia ranks fourth with a 2.98 differential.

The Cavaliers are currently ranked in the top-ten in seven statistical categories, including shutouts per game (sixth, 0.33). Virginia has had five shutouts in 15 games this season while North Carolina has logged six shutouts.

Historically, UNC holds the advantage with a 47-16 record against Virginia. North Carolina has won the last four meetings between the two squads, including a 7-2 victory last season. The five-goal game was the exception rather than the norm in recent match-ups with the four previous meetings all being decided by one goal, including two losses in overtime for Virginia in 2010.

Paige Selenksi (R-Sr., Shavertown, Pa.) added three goals to her totals last week. Selenski, with 21 goals and 10 assists (52 points) this season, is nationally ranked second among all players in points per game (3.71), third in goals per game (1.5), and 10th in assists per game (0.71). She leads the ACC in all of those categories. Selenski’s mark of five game-winners this season is tops in the ACC.

Selenski has only had one game this season in which she has not recorded a point (William & Mary, Sept. 11).

Selenski is seven points away from tying the Virginia program record for most points in a career and seven goals shy of tying the record for most goals in a career. Meredith Thorpe (1995-98) currently owns both records with 230 career points and 101 career goals. Selenski comes into the game with 223 career points and 94 career goals.

Elly Buckley (Jr., Scarborough Perth, Australia) added two goals and two assists (six points) to her season totals last week. Buckley is ranked 10th in the nation in points-per-game (2.4), seventh in goals-per-game (1.0). She is third in the ACC in points-per-game and second in goals-per-game.

Michelle Vittese (R-Sr., Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Rachel Sumfest (So., Lewisburg, Pa.) are also ranked in the top-50 in the national rankings. Vittese is 37th on the point list (1.64) and 48th in assists (0.5). She ranks eighth in the ACC in points and fifth in assists. Sumfest is 40th in points per game (1.6) and 37th in goals per game (0.67), ranking ninth in the ACC in both categories.

Goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone (So., Paisley, Scotland) is ranked No. 15 among all goalkeepers with a 1.41 goals-against average, the second-best mark in the ACC.

Freshman Taylor Brown (Charlottesville, Va.) became the third Cavalier this season to score her first career goal when she scored against New Hampshire. Senior Phoebe Willis (Fredericksburg, Va.) and junior Elizabeth Hanks (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored the first goals of their collegiate careers earlier this season. Chloe Pendlebury (Jr., Perth, Australia) logged her first career assist this season as well.

The UNC contest is the only game of the week for the Cavaliers. It is the first time this season that Virginia has only played one game in a week.

The team will have a full week off before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 20 when they host No. 22 Wake Forest at 1 p.m. at Turf Field. It is one of two remaining home games for the 2012 regular season. The Cavaliers’ final game before the ACC tournament will be a home contest on Monday, Oct. 29 against Princeton at 4 p.m. Admission is free for all 2012 regular season home games at Turf Field.

Please note: The home football game on Oct. 20 is scheduled to kickoff at 12:30 p.m. Parking around Turf Field will be impacted by the football game. All parking is first-come, first served so please plan on arriving early.