No. 4 Virginia Shuts Out No. 11 Maryland 2-0 on Tuesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team (13-1, 6-1 ACC) shut out No. 11 Maryland (9-7, 5-3 BIG TEN) 2-0 at home on Tuesday (Oct. 28) at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.

50:19 Virginia — Riley Savage (Suze Leemans)
51:51 Virginia — Caroline Nemec (Catalina Quinteros)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia continued its winning ways with another 2-0 victory at home against No. 11 Maryland. Both teams came out strong from the first whistle as Virginia registered three shots and earned two penalty corners though were unable to convert. The Cavalier defense held Maryland to one shot in the first 15 minutes of play. Both teams proved solid on defense as Virginia recorded two shots while Maryland got off just one more before the half.

Action began in the second half as both teams recorded four shots each in the third quarter. Recently named ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season earlier in the day, junior Nilou Lempers continued to impress in the goal making key saves for the Cavaliers. Wasting no time in the final quarter of play, graduate student Suze Leemans sent the ball into the circle in the direction of freshman Riley Savage who tipped the ball past the goalkeeper. Savage scored her third goal of the season to give the Cavaliers the lead. Less than two minutes later, senior Caroline Nemec netted one of her own with an assist from sophomore Catalina Quinteros. Maryland earned three penalty corners in the fourth quarter but were unable to convert.

Starting in goal, Virginia’s Nilou Lempers recorded six saves while Maryland’s starting goalkeeper, Alyssa Klebasko, recorded seven saves. Lempers recorded her eighth shutout of the season and sixth against a ranked team.

“It was a classic matchup against Maryland, very dynamic, very good hockey and hockey at a very high level. There were plenty of shots on both sides and fortunately we got the first goal which opened the gates for us. We should have buried a few more goals earlier in the game and come post season, we need to learn to convert in those key moments. Of course, Nilou in the back made a few outstanding saves that were unbelievable. In the end, we just need to keep doing what we do.”

ON THE HORIZON
The No. 4 Cavaliers close out the regular season against No. 6 Wake Forest on Friday (Oct. 31) at 5 p.m. at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va. Admission is free for all regular season contests at Turf Field. The team will honor the senior class at the conclusion of the game.