CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Virginia field hockey team (9-6) opened the 2026 ACC Championship with a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over Wake Forest (13-6) on Tuesday (Nov. 3) at Karen Shelton Stadium to advance to the Semifinals.
Goals (Assist)
62:44 Virginia – Emma Watchilla (Marisa Fahning)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The tightly contested defensive battle started early with the only pair of shots in the opening stanza belonging to the Cavaliers. Despite Virginia tallying two corners in the second frame, UVA and Wake Forest headed into the break deadlocked in a scoreless tie.
In the second half, the Demon Deacons controlled play in the third quarter with a trio of penalty corners and a trio of shots. Nilou Lempers made a crucial save for UVA in each of the third and fourth quarters that kept the quarterfinal contest scoreless. In the latter stages of regulation, Bella Moore was given a five-minute green card that Virginia successfully fended off to force overtime.
Overtime ended when Emma Watchilla won a one-on-one battle with a Wake defender and then rocketed a shot through the Demon Decon goalkeeper for her first goal of the season.
Starting in goal, Lempers made a pair of saves for her third shutout of the season while Wake Forest’s Ruby Butterfield recorded three saves in the loss.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
FROM HEAD COACH OLE KEUSGEN
“Super proud of our performance today. We knew going into the game it was win-or-go-home for the postseason, but playing one of the top teams in the country and holding one of the best offensive teams in the country to zero goals was phenomenal. We just had a great mentality today. A very positive attitude. It was just a very mature performance from a very young team and I am super proud of them. As cool as the win is today, it means nothing. The next task is tomorrow.”
ON THE HORIZON
The 7-seeded Cavaliers will take on 6-seeded Boston College Eagles in the semifinals on Wednesday (Nov. 4) at Karen Shelton Stadium. The contest is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ACC Network.