Virginia Blanks Columbia, 9-0
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Sept. 1, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 10 Virginia field hockey team (2-1, 0-0 ACC) picked up a 9-0 victory over Columbia (0-1, 0-0 IVY) on Friday (Sept. 1) at University Hall Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers led 4-0 at halftime and added five more goals in the second period. Virginia took 28 shots and had 15 penalty corners while Columbia took four shots and had one corner.
Senior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.), who leads the nation in points per game, scored her second hat trick of the year and also contributed three assists. Sophomore striker Erin Shanahan (Pasadena, Md.) scored two goals and had an assist. Freshman forward Makayla Gallen (Glen Mills, Pa.) scored the first goal of her collegiate career.
“It really was a team effort out there today,” said head coach Michele Madison. “Things are starting to come together. More players are putting their game out on the turf. I thought Tara played well today, just taking control of the field. Pien [Dicke] was creating a lot for us. Dominique [van Slooten] was very strong in the back.”
Vittese started the scoring at the 13:26 mark when she converted a penalty stroke. Three minutes later, Vittese dribbled through traffic in the circle and slid a pass to Gallen in front of the net who knocked the ball in. Junior striker Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) made it 3-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the half when she hit in a loose ball in front of the net. Vittese connected with junior midfielder Izzy McDonough (Kennett Square, Pa.) with five minutes remaining in the half to put UVA up 4-0 at the break.
In the second half, Vittese scored her second goal off a penalty corner 10 minutes into the period. Junior midfielder Nikki Freeman (Downington, Pa.) scored her first goal of the season when she picked up a rebound of the Columbia goalie’s pads and put it into the goal five minutes later. Vittese scored her third goal on a feed from freshman midfielder Pien Dicke (Den Haag, Netherlands) with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Shanahan scored the final two goals for UVA, smacking in a pass from Vittese after a penalty corner and converting on a one-on-one opportunity in the circle after receiving a long pass from downfield from Gallen.
Vittese has 21 points in three games this season, with seven goals and seven assists. She also improved to 14-of-14 in her career on penalty stroke conversions. It was the third hat trick of her career and her second this season.
Redshirt junior Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) played all 70 minutes in goal, making one save. Columbia’s Katie Dempsey made six saves. Lions’ defender Maeve Doherty made a defensive save.
The Cavaliers finish off the weekend by hosting Monmouth (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. Columbia will be taking on William & Mary in a neutral site game at Turf Field at 11 a.m., prior to the UVA/Monmouth contest. Fans are invited to come early and check out that game as well. Admission is free for all of Virginia’s regular-season home field hockey games.