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No. 10 Virginia Downs Michigan State, 6-1
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Box Score Sept. 10, 2017
NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 10 Virginia field hockey team (5-1, 1-0 ACC) picked up a 6-1 victory over Michigan State (3-4, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sunday (Sept. 10) in a neutral-site contest at Old Dominion’s L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk, Va.
The Cavaliers dominated the game, outshooting the Spartans 50-7 and holding a 16-2 edge in penalty corners.
Freshman midfielder Pien Dicke (Den Haag, Netherlands) had the second hat trick of her career, scoring three goals on 11 shots. Senior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) scored a pair of goals, including converting a penalty stroke.
“The team came fired-up to build the pressure,” said head coach Michele Madison. “Once again, the plan was to stay simple. We prepared for a very aggressive, physical Michigan State team. I thought we stayed very poised playing against that. The front two lines pressuring helped the back line step up and repossess the ball. There was a lot of shot and attack production from everyone. I was very pleased with what I saw out there today.”
Dicke started the scoring early, converting a pass from sophomore striker Erin Shanahan (Pasadena, Md.) 6:32 into the game to give UVA an early lead. Michigan State scored on its first shot of the game, an attempt from Simone Vagnoni that bounced through traffic and past senior goalkeeper Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) into the net midway through the period. Dicke put the Cavaliers back into the lead after striking in a shot from the top of the circle with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Vittese converted a penalty corner as time expired to put the Cavaliers ahead 3-1 at the break.
Dicke scored her third goal 1:32 into the second half, taking a rebound off the goalie pads and smashing it into the net. Vittese converted a penalty stroke midway through the second period to make it a 5-1 game. Sophomore back Anzel Viljoen (Matamata, New Zealand) converted a penalty corner with nine minutes remaining to cap the scoring.
Vittese improved to 16-of-16 in her career on penalty strokes. Vittese has 16 goals this season and seven assists for 39 points.
Michigan State’s Mairi Fletcher made 18 saves in the game.
Madison was the head coach at Michigan State from 1993 through 2005, compiling a 155-116-2 mark while leading the Spartans to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Final Four. The Cavaliers, who play nine of their first 10 games of the season at Turf Field, return home on Friday, Sept. 15, hosting William & Mary at 5 p.m., followed by a Sunday contest against Richmond.