No. 4 Virginia Plays at No. 7 Syracuse on Saturday
| No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers (11-2, 3-1 ACC) at No. 7 Syracuse Orange (10-3, 2-3 ACC) | |
| Date and Time | Saturday, Oct. 14, 1 p.m. |
| Location | Syracuse, N.Y. | J.S. Coyne Stadium |
| Media | ACC Network Extra | Live Stats |
| Additional Information | 2017 Season Stats | 2017 Fact Book (.pdf) |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
Oct. 13, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team (11-2, 3-1 ACC) plays at No. 7 Syracuse (10-3, 2-3 ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at J.S. Coyne Field in Syracuse, N.Y.
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 link on VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers fell one spot to No. 4 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches’ Poll this week while the Orange climbed two spots to No. 7. This will be the fifth 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 and No. 6 North Carolina.
Virginia is in a three-way tie for first place in the ACC along with North Carolina and Louisville. Syracuse is currently in sixth place.
Virginia is coming off an 8-0 victory over Drexel last Sunday, the Cavaliers’ fifth shutout in the last six games. UVA continues to pace the nation in goals (5.38) and penalty corners per game (10.69) while ranking second in points per game (15.00) and scoring margin (+4.15).
Freshman midfielder Pien Dicke (Den Haag, Netherlands) picked up her fifth hat trick of the season in the victory over Drexel. Dicke has tied the Virginia single-season mark for hat tricks in a year, set by Meridith Thrope in 1996, and is already fifth on the UVA career hat tricks list. Dicke is currently third in the nation in both goals (1.38) and points per game (3.08).
Senior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) continues to lead the nation in points (4.31) and goals (1.62) per game. Vittese comes into the weekend with 187 career points, 13 shy of becoming just the eighth player in ACC history to reach the 200-point threshold. The two-time Longstreth/NFHCA National Player of the Year, has 51 career assists, one shy of tying Carrie Goodloe (1998-2001) for second place in the UVA record book. Michelle Vizzuso (1995-98) holds the all-time mark with 60.
The Cavaliers have two other players ranked among the top offensive threat in the conference. Sophomore striker Erin Shanahan (Pasadena, Md.) ranks in the top 10 in the ACC in both assists per game (0.54, fifth) and points per game (1.31, seventh). Junior Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) is sixth in goals per game (0.62) and 10th in points per game (1.23).
The Cavaliers, who played 11 of their first 13 games at Turf Field, play their final regular-season home game of the year on Tuesday, October 17 when they host No. 16 Maryland at 5 p.m. The Virginia seniors will be honored in a short ceremony after the match.
Admission is free for all of Virginia’s regular-season home field hockey games.