No. 12 Virginia Edged in Overtime by No. 1 North Carolina
Virginia trailed 2-0 at halftime but tied the game with five minutes left in regulation before falling 3-2 in overtime
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 12 Virginia field hockey team (6-11, 1-4 ACC) suffered a 3-2 overtime loss against No. 1 North Carolina (14-1, 4-0 ACC) on Friday (April 9) at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia battled back from a 2-0 halftime deficit with a goal from sophomore striker Laura Janssen (Nijmegen, Netherlands) tying the game with 4:45 remaining in regulation. The Tar Heels’ Erin Matson scored the game-winner 58 seconds into overtime.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first period, the top-ranked Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead by scoring on a penalty corner six minutes into the second quarter. Matson gave UNC a 2-0 lead by scoring a goal with 11 seconds left in the first half.
UVA began its comeback in the third quarter with sophomore midfielder Adele Iacobucci (Malvern, Pa.) deflecting in a shot by junior back Amber Ezechiels (Niew-Vennep, Netherlands) off a penalty corner. Janssen’s equalizer in the fourth quarter was also a deflection after a penalty corner, this time with sophomore back Cato Geusgens (Wassenaar, Netherlands) providing the initial shot.
North Carolina had possession to start the overtime period. Matson converted a pass from Paityn Wirth into a game-winning shot sailing cleanly into the back of the net 58 seconds into the extra period.
NOTES
- Laura Janssen’s goal was her team-leading ninth of the season
- Adele Iacobucci’s goal was her eighth of the season
- Junior goalkeeper Lauren Hausheer (West Windsor, N.J.) made eight saves
- UNC’s Amanda Hendry made five saves
- Virginia held a 16-14 edge in shots and 7-3 in penalty corners
- This was North Carolina’s second-straight overtime game
- Erin Matson also scored UNC’s first goal, giving her a hat trick for the game. She now has 21 goals this season
FROM HEAD COACH MICHELE MADISON
“I’m very proud of the team’s effort today. Their mindset to compete was what you need to have to beat the number one team. They came out to win the game. We showed a lot of dominance in field position. They won the first half, we won the second half. They got the first ball in overtime and were efficient and put it in.”
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia plays its final game of the 2020-21 season next Friday, April 16 at Syracuse