Virginia Wins in Double Overtime Against Syracuse

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia field hockey team (3-1, 2-0 ACC) closed out its weekend series against Syracuse (0-2, 0-1 ACC) with a 3-2 victory on Sunday (Oct. 4) at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.

Virginia held a 2-0 advantage at halftime, but the Orange scored a pair of second-half goals, tying the game with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Cavaliers appeared to have won the game in the first overtime period, but had a goal overturned on review. Junior back Amber Ezechiels (Niew Vennep, Netherlands) scored the game winner 5:34 into the second overtime period.

Ezechiels had a hand in all three of the Cavaliers’ goals, assisting on the first and scoring the final two.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cavaliers got onto the scoreboard late in the first quarter when sophomore midfielder Adele Iacobucci (Malvern, Pa.) deflected in a shot from Ezechiels after a corner. UVA doubled their advantage on their next corner, with Ezechiels smashing in a shot from the top of the circle after an injection by freshman striker Anneloes Knol (Utrecht, Netherlands) and a stick stop by sophomore midfielder Danielle Husar (Mississauga, Canada).

Virginia took a 2-0 lead and a 10-3 advantage in shots into the halftime break.

In the second half, Syracuse came out firing, taking seven shots in the third quarter with a second-chance opportunity for SJ Quigley finding its way into the net 4:39 into the period. Florine Van Boetzelaer tied the score in the fourth quarter, deflecting in a shot from Quigley.

With 3:30 remaining in the first overtime period, sophomore striker Laura Janssen (Nijmegen, Netherlands) tipped in a second-chance shot after a penalty corner, but the play went to video review and it was ruled that it touched her body and was whistled off.

In the second overtime period, senior striker Makayla Gallen (Glen Mills, Pa.) sent a perfect pass to Ezechiels on the far post. Ezechiels hit it into the upper corner of the net to give the Cavaliers the victory.

FROM HEAD COACH MICHELE MADISON

“I’m so proud of the team’s effort today. Even the whole weekend. Their game just keeps growing. Our passing game was even better today than it was on Friday. We just have to capitalize better. I think we hit three posts today, but we’ve just got to keep shooting and keep attacking and find a way to get the ball to go into the net.

“The first half, we put so much defensive pressure on. We didn’t have that same intensity coming out in the second half. You have to give credit to Syracuse, too. They got the momentum to swing in their direction and capitalized on it.”

NOTES

• This was a non-conference game between the two ACC opponents
• This was the fourth time in the last seven meetings between the two teams that a match has gone into overtime. The last time the two teams met at Turf Field in 2018, Virginia also won that game in double overtime
• Ezechiels’ goals were her first two of the season
• Sophomore Taylor Henriksen (Falls Church, Va.) made six saves. Syd Taylor of Syracuse made four
• Virginia held a 24-17 edge in shots, including outshooting the Orange 6-2 in the overtime periods

UP NEXT

• Virginia will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for its first road games of the season, taking on North Carolina on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 11-12. Both gam