No. 3 Virginia Shuts Out Miami, 4-0
Oct. 22, 2017
OXFORD, Ohio – The No. 3 Virginia field hockey team (14-3, 5-1 ACC) picked up a 4-0 victory at Miami (Ohio) on Sunday (Oct. 22) in Oxford, Ohio.
The Virginia defense logged its seventh shutout of the season. On the offensive side, the Cavaliers outshot the RedHawks, 30-5, including taking all 16 shots in the first half. Four different Cavaliers scored for UVA including junior midfielder Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) who scored her second game-winner of the season.
“We found the attack that we were missing yesterday, so we were able to move the ball better and create more shots in the circle,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “Our defense had another solid game. The back four anchored the team well in distributing the ball and denying Miami opportunities. The Redhawks played a great, impressive defense as well.”
Ell gave Virginia an early lead, scoring 2:53 into the contest after dribbling through the circle and sending an on-target shot into the net. Freshman striker Makayla Gallen (Glen Mills, Pa.) and junior midfielder Nikki Freeman (Downington, Pa.) notched back-to-back goals late in the first half with both scoring after knocking in a ball that had bounced off the goalie’s pads after an initial save.
In the second half, the Miami defense intensified its pressure and kept the Cavaliers off the scoreboard until freshman midfielder Pien Dicke (Den Haag, Netherlands) smashed a backhand shot into the upper corner of the net with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
Redshirt junior Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) got the start in goal and played the first half, but did not face a shot. Freshman Lauren Hausheer (West Windsor, N.J.) played the second half in goal, facing all five Miami shots and three penalty corners, making three saves.
Dicke’s goal was her 21st of the season and Ell scored her 10th while Gallen and Freeman each had their second of the season.
Miami (8-8, 5-0 MAC), the Mid-American Conference regular-season champions, had five different players take shots. Goalkeeper Maddie Passarella made 16 saves.
Virginia concludes the regular-season next Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. at Old Dominion (7-8, 4-2 Big East). The postseason begins a week later with the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, which will be held Nov. 2-5 in Louisville. The Cavaliers are the top seed in the tournament and will begin play with a semifinal match on Friday, Nov. 3.