With a string of two consecutive shutouts under its belt, Virginia entered the first of its final three games of the regular season yesterday against North Carolina. Facing the No. 2 team in the country, however, the Cavaliers could not pull out their fifth-straight win, falling 2-1.
North Carolina scored two goals before halftime to take a tenuous 2-0 lead. In the second half, however, the Virginia offense transformed. After not having a single shot on goal before the break, the Cavalier offense came alive for the final 35 minutes.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, Virginia earned its first penalty corner. The initial shot was taken by Katie Jo Gerfen and after the ball deflected off of diving North Carolina goalie Marie Bounds, Cavalier sophomore Erin Hayes collected the ball and pushed it into the goal for the score. The Tar Heel margin was now only one, giving the Cavaliers and their faithful a reason to hope. Carolina, however, retained possession for much of the remainder of the contest for the win.
Virginia faced a Tar Heel team that was not only faster, but quicker as well. The Cavaliers had difficulty initiating any kind of transition and were unable to hold an offensive possession through the first half.
In transition offense early in the game, Virginia was often forced to clear the ball, returning possession to North Carolina. Even while moving the offense downfield, the Cavaliers struggled as their opponents challenged every ball, whether loose or controlled.
Throughout the afternoon, every Tar Heel pass appeared to have a purpose, whereas much of Virginia's ball movement was inaccurate until the last 10 minutes.
"We went to a different system in the second half," Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. "I think that created a little more on the attacking end, which in turn helped us to shore things up defensively."
While the offense struggled early, the Cavalier defense put forth an impressive effort. Facing a conference opponent who just two weeks ago had been the top-ranked team in the country, Virginia succeeded in keeping itself in the contest. Not only did Cavalier goalkeeper Logan Carr record nine saves, including two stops on penalty shots, the individuals on the Virginia defense stepped up to help her around the cage.
"We did a good job playing team defense today," Wilk said. "Everybody was looking to help out. Against a team like Carolina, you have to play team defense, otherwise they will pick you apart individually."
Overall on the day, Tar Heel senior Kelsey Keeran and junior Naomi Weatherald each scored goals falling within one minute of each other. The Cavaliers could only manage three shots on offense, compared to North Carolina's 17. The only penalty corner that Virginia earned resulted in Hayes' goal, while the Tar Heels earned 13 penalty corners and scored on only one.
"We played really well defensively," Hayes said. "But we have to play a full 70 minutes, not just 68."
The Cavaliers should take encouragement from their performance against North Carolina and use it to their advantage next weekend in their conference bout with top-ranked Wake Forest. As Wilk frequently says, Virginia is a "work in progress," but is also a program that took a significant step in their season Sunday afternoon.
Read More
Wrestling gets blown out 34-9 on long road trip to Stanford
By Ryan Weiner | 11 hours agoSolid performances from its most reliable trio were not enough for Virginia.
Freshman excellence powers No. 5 men’s tennis past Boise State, No. 19 Alabama
By Thomas Baxter | 19 hours agoVirginia, unlike many other regional hosts, held serve as its quartet's top seed.
No. 1 women’s swimming and diving destroys No. 2 Texas
By Xander Tilock | 22 hours agoOnce again, Virginia has proven to be head and shoulders above other top programs.
