No. 8 Virginia Opens 2021 Season With Two Home Matches

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 8 Virginia field hockey team (0-0, 0-0 ACC) opens the 2021 season with two home matches. The Cavaliers host No. 16 Penn State on Friday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m., and No. 17 Delaware on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m., at Turf Field. Admission is free.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• The game will stream online on ACCNX, which streams live through the ESPN app and is available through participating TV providers that carry ACCN
• Live stats be available for the game

NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• Virginia returns its entire starting lineup from last season
• Virginia’s veteran lineup includes three fifth-year players in Rachel Robinson, Makayla Gallen and Lauren Hausheer and five fourth-years
• US Women’s National Team player and three-time All-American Rachel Robinson returned as a grad student to anchor the UVA defense. Robinson has been a captain or co-captain of the team since her sophomore season
• Makayla Gallen, a fifth-year grad student, was a forward for the first 3.5 years at UVA. She moved to the back in the spring portion of last year’s schedule and will continue to play as a defender this year. Gallen has appeared in every game for the Cavaliers since the first game of her freshman season
• Lauren Hausheer is in her fifth year at the University and her fourth playing goal (she redshirted her second year 2018-19). Hausheer comes into the season having played 2,257 minutes in goal with a .727 career save percentage and 21 wins to her credit
• Laura Janssen, the Cavaliers’ top offensive threat last season, returns to lead the strikers this year. Janssen, who was named to the All-ACC Second Team and the All-South Region Second Team last season, led the team with 9 goals and 18 points
• Midfielder Adele Iacobucci was second on the team in points (17) and goals (8) last season, tied for ninth in the ACC in points per game and eighth in goals per game. The NFHCA All-South Region First Team honoree was named to the USWNT roster this summer
• Midfielder Annie McDonough closed out the season scoring four goals in the final six games of the year, including the game-tying goal at Louisville, and the game-winners against BC and Syracuse. She has eight career goals and 11 career assists
• Amber Ezechiels, a two-time Second Team All-American, returns for her fourth season as a key member of the UVA defense and corner attack. Ezechiels led the team with nine assists last season while also adding three goals
• Virginia added five first-year position players and two goalkeepers to the roster
• Back Jans Croon has started both preseason scrimmages. Croon lives in Haarlem, The Netherlands until she moved to California at the age of 13 years. Her family has also resided in Chapel Hill
• Defenders Emily Field and Grace Parsons also saw significant playing time during the scrimmages. Parsons scored a goal off a penalty corner in the Liberty scrimmage 

NOTING PENN STATE

• Penn State is ranked No. 16 in the preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll
• The Nittany Lions are coming off a 7-7 season that saw the team finish second in the Big Ten regular-season standings with a 5-2 mark
• Sophomore Sophia Gladieux returns to lead the offense after a breakout freshman campaign that saw her earn first-team All-Big Ten honors and second-team All-America laurels. Gladieux had 26 points off 12 goals and two assists last year
• Goalie Brie Barraco returns for her junior campaign after sporting a 2.08 goals-against average with four shutouts last year
• Penn State has also added the 2020 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Mackenzie Allessie as a transfer from Ohio State. Allessie is a member of the USWNT
• Penn State leads the all-time series 19-8. The Cavaliers won the last meeting, 2-1 on Sept. 1, 2019

NOTING DELAWARE

• Delaware is ranked No. 17 in the preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll
• The Blue Hens were last season’s CAA Tournament champions and earned a spot in the NCAA Championship field
• The Blue Hens are picked to finish second in the CAA this year behind James Madison
• Fifth-year senior Femke Strien was voted 2021 CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Last season Strien earned several honors including NFHCA Division I Second Team All-American
• Julia Duffhuis, the 2020 CAA Rookie of the Year, earned a spot on the 2021 Preseason All-CAA Team
• Delaware won the NCAA Championship in 2016
• Head coach Rolf van de Kerkhoff was Michele Madison’s assistant coach at Michigan State for seven years. He took over the head coaching duties of the Spartans when Madison came to Virginia. He has been at Delaware since December of 2010
• Virginia leads the all-time series 10-8-1
• The last meeting between the two was in a 2019 NCAA Championship first-round game in Charlottesville which the Cavaliers won 4-1

ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia travels to play at William & Mary on Friday, Sept. 3 before returning home to host Towson on Sunday, Sept. 5