No. 4 Virginia Beats No. 6 Wake Forest 5-3 to be Crowned ACC Regular Season Co-Champions 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team (14-1, 7-1 ACC) beat No. 6 Wake Forest (15-3, 7-1 ACC) 5-3 on Friday (Oct. 31) at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va. to earn the title of ACC Regular Season Co-Champions.

14:48 Virginia — Caroline Nemec (Lauren Sloan)
26:18 Virginia — Mia Abello (unassisted)
31:13 Virginia — Mary Adams (unassisted)
35:28 Wake Forest — Amelia Frey (unassisted)
35:29 Virginia — Suze Leemans (Lauren Kenah)
46:03 Virginia — Bella Moore (Lauren Sloan)

46:47 Wake Forest — Faye Janse (Mia Schoenbeck)

47:37 Wake Forest — Mia Schoenbeck (Mia Montag, Logan Marthinus)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia kept its winning streak alive with a 5-3 victory over No. 6 Wake Forest to earn the title of ACC Regular Season Co-Champions with North Carolina and Wake Forest. This marks the sixth time in program history that Virginia has been named ACC regular season champions or co-champions.A quiet first quarter of play almost came to a close when the Cavaliers earned the second penalty corner of the opening 15 minutes. Senior Caroline Nemec deflected the ball into the back of the net with the assist from freshman Lauren Sloan. The Cavaliers continued to press in the first half, earning a total of three penalty corners. Scoring opportunities did not stop there as junior Mia Abello scored on a penalty stroke to put the Cavaliers up 2-0 before the half.  Graduate student Suze Leemans made a key defensive save on a Wake Forest corner to hold off the Demon Deacan’s attack. A hot start for the Cavaliers in the third quarter led to a goal by freshman Mary Adams in the first two minutes of play. Adams scored her third goal of the season to put Virginia up by three goals. Not long after, Leemans found the back of the net with the assist from senior Lauren Kenah to keep the three-goal lead at the end of the third quarter.The Cavaliers opened the fourth quarter with a goal by freshman Bella Moore to further extend the lead. Moore scored the first goal of her collegiate career with the assisted from fellow freshman in Sloan. Wake Forest had a response of its own with two goals in less than one minute. The press did not stop there as Wake Forest earned six penalty corners in the final three minutes of the game. Unable to convert, the Cavaliers were able to fend of the attack to secure the 5-3 win.

Starting in goal, Virginia’s Nilou Lempers recorded eight saves while Wake Forest’s starting goalkeeper, Ellie Todd, recorded four saves.

“Very happy for the team. They deserve this and to celebrate seniors and with the trophy. It’s fun but we also need to be clear that this is the first goal, the tournament is coming up. But I am super proud of how they played; how aggressive we played and how confident we played. So, I absolutely loved our performance today.”

ON THE HORIZON
The No. 4 Cavaliers will travel to Louisville, Ky. for the 2025 ACC Field Hockey Tournament at Trager Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Friday, Nov. 7. The bracket will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 1 after the final regular season game.