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Box Score

Nov. 5, 2015

Final Stats

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia scored less than five minutes into the contest and added four more scores as the fourth-seeded Cavaliers defeated fifth-seeded Duke 5-1 in the first round of the 2015 ACC Field Hockey Championship in Charlottesville, Va.

“The team got down to business and really worked the game plan,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madiosn. “We were able to generate the attack we needed to put a lot of pressure on Duke’s defense”

The win sends Virginia to the semifinals, where it will face top-seeded Syracuse on Friday at 1 p.m.

Freshman Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) opened the scoring 3:30 into the contest on an unassisted strike from the right side of the cage before junior Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England) scored her first of two goals off of a rebound to give Virginia a 2-0 lead at the break.

Virginia’s junior Riley Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.), sophomore Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Hyams each scored unassisted goals in the second half to extend the lead to 5-0 before Duke’s Alexa Mackintire put the Blue Devils on the board with just over three minutes left to play.

Virginia held a 22-15 advantage in shots and had seven penalty corners to Duke’s five. Junior goalkeeper Rebecca Holden (Fishing Creek, N.J.) recorded eight saves in the win for the Cavaliers, while Duke’s Lauren Blazing finished with four stops.

“We finished the regular-season really well and we knew we wanted to win this first ACC Tournament game because winning ACC’s is one of our goals,” Vittese said. “I think it was really important to start with a strong performance like this because now we know what our standard is. We can’t settle for less because it’s `no lose November.’ One loss and you are out. It is really important to play your game and trust everyone with the ball, which we did.”

With the win, the Cavaliers move to 18-32 all-time and 8-5 against the Blue Devils in ACC Tournament play.

All seats for the ACC Tournament at Turf Field will be general admission with adult tickets priced at $5.

Tickets for youth 18-and-younger are $3. Children two-and-younger and students of participating schools are are admitted free. Ticket sales on game day will be CASH ONLY. The ticket office and gates to the field open one hour prior to the start of the first game each day.

Fans can purchase advance tickets online at VirginiaSports.com, in-person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium or over the phone at 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821).

Parking will be free at the nearby John Paul Jones Arena surface lot and, space permitting, at the University Hall and Cage lots adjacent to the field.

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