Coming off an embarrassing 11-0 loss to Old Dominion on Sunday, the No. 18 Virginia women's field hockey team needed an opponent like the Radford Highlanders (3-6) to cure them of their scoring ills. The Cavaliers (6-4) decisively defeated their in-state rivals 5-0 at U-Hall Turf Field last night and improved their all-time series record against the Highlanders to 18-0.
A second-half four-goal scoring barrage, including two goals apiece from freshman midfielder Allie Flynn and junior midfielder Shannon LaVigne powered the victory. Flynn's scores were the first of her college career.
The winning tally, and sole cage-ringer of the first half, came off a slow, off-angle shot by junior Katie Nicholson. The forward's score helped set the Cavaliers back on the right track after their poor performance against ODU.
"We really wanted to take it to them, because of what happened on Sunday and the huge game coming up against Maryland," Nicholson said. "We needed to get used to scoring again."
Virginia, who outshot the Highlanders 16-13, played a more fluid game and executed more opportunities than it was able to do in their recent loss.
"We tried to go back to the basics," Virginia Coach Jessica Wilk said. "We wanted simple execution on attack, completing passes, and we wanted a more consistent 70-minute effort instead of just in spurts."
LaVigne delivered a breakout performance, playing a role in four of the five Virginia goals. In addition to blasting two bullets past the Radford goalkeeper, she delivered two other shots that were deflected in by her teammates, including the first goal by Nicholson. Entering last night's match, LaVigne had yet to garner a point on the season.
Flynn became the fourth freshman this year to score for the Cavaliers after knocking in two goals last night. The underclassmen have been an integral part of Virginia's performance this year, including midfielder Sarah York, who has two goals and a pair of assists on the year. Forward Katie Phillips has started all 10 games and is one of two freshmen with one goal on the year, along with back Sarah Miller.
For the second straight game, senior midfielder Cara Unterkofler, the team's captain, was out of the lineup. She is suffering from a foot injury, and is questionable for the team's next game on Sunday against Maryland.
The Cavalier defense also returned to form after letting up 11 goals in the last game. Junior goalkeeper Emily White, who came into the game ranked fifth in the nation with 79 saves, came up big on several plays to preserve the shutout.
Despite the easy victory last night, the Cavaliers still are feeling the pain of their last defeat, and are determined to silence their critics and prove their worth by bringing down the top team in the nation.
"It is within our reach to beat Maryland," Nicholson said. "We just need to come out with our A-game, and we'll be all right."