No. 3 Virginia Hosts No. 6 North Carolina on Friday

Oct. 5, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 3 Virginia field hockey team (10-1, 3-0 ACC) returns to Atlantic Coast Conference action this weekend when it hosts No. 6 North Carolina (10-2, 2-1 ACC) on Friday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. at University Hall Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.

The match will stream live online as an ACC Network Extra contest on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Live stats will be available through a GameTracker link on VirginiaSports.com. Admission is free for all of Virginia’s regular-season home field hockey games.

Parking note: Due to the University’s Bicentennial Launch Celebration taking place on Friday night on The Lawn, you can expect heavier-than-usual traffic around Grounds and near University Hall. The Cage Lot, UHall lots, McCue Lot and Emmet/Ivy garage will all have free parking available for Friday’s game. Parking will not available for field hockey guests at the John Paul Jones Arena lot and parking garage on Friday. Parking Map for Oct. 6

The ACC-leading Cavaliers have won a conference-best nine games in a row and has shut out each of its last four opponents, including a 2-0 victory at No. 13 Wake Forest last Friday. The last time a team scored on the Cavaliers was a goal by Estelle Hughes 13:26 into the game against William & Mary on Sept. 15, giving the Cavaliers’ defense a span of 336:34 without allowing a goal. The Cavaliers’ goalkeepers and defense are second in the nation in save percentage, stopping 83.1 percent of shots on goal.

The four-straight shutouts are the most by a UVA team since the 1997 squad shut out its first seven opponents. The nine-game winning streak is Virginia’s longest since the 2009 squad won 11 in a row. Both the 1997 and 2009 teams were NCAA semifinalists.

North Carolina is currently tied for second place in the ACC and has won its last seven games. The UNC defense has only allowed 13 goals this season.

The Cavaliers remained at No. 3 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches’ Poll for the second straight week while North Carolina dipped from No. 5 to No. 6. This will be the fourth time this season the Cavaliers have played in a top-10 showdown, picking up victories over then-No. 1 Duke and No. 8 Boston College but falling to No. 7 Penn State.

The Cavaliers continue to lead the nation in nearly every offensive category including points per game (15.64), goals per game (5.64), penalty corners per game (11.0) and scoring margin (+4.55) and are second in assists per game (4.36). The Cavaliers also have the top two goal scorers in the nation in senior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and freshman midfielder Pien Dicke (Den Haag, Netherlands).

Vittese has led the nation in scoring since the first game of the season, averaging 1.91 goals per game and 4.91 points per contest. She ranks fourth in assists at 1.09 per game and continues to lead the ACC in that category. Vittese comes into the game with a career-best 21 goals this season with 12 assists for 51 points. Vittese has 185 points in her career and 49 assists, ranking third in the Virginia record book in both categories. Vittese is one goal shy of moving into a tie for fifth place with Jackie Campbell (1979-82) in program history for career goals at 69.

Dicke is second in the nation in goals per game (1.36) and third in points (3.09 per game).

Ashley Hoffman leads the Tar Heels with eight goals, including three game winners. Midfielder Gab Major has a team-high 22 points. Goalkeeper Amanda Hendry has a 1.02 goals-against average and a .730 save percentage.

The Cavaliers, who play 11 of their first 13 games at Turf Field, close out the weekend homestand by hosting Drexel (5-7) on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.