After a disappointing end to the regular season -- two losses at the hands of Wake Forest and Duke -- Virginia bounced back and upset Boston College 2-1 in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. The Eagles, who were ranked fourth in the ACC Tournament, defeated the Cavaliers earlier in the season 1-0 and entered last Thursday night's game as a favorite.
Virginia, ranked fifth in the ACC, fell 5-2 in the next round to top ranked Maryland.
Despite their loss in the semifinals, the ACC Tournament gave the Cavaliers a chance to demonstrate their growth over the course of the season. The win over B.C. not only showed that they could compete in the ACC, it also demonstrated their ability to learn from the mistakes they made in their first loss to the Eagles.
"I think that the second time [playing B.C.] we really showed how much we've grown and progressed over the season," senior back/middle Biffy Cornelison said. "We made adjustments that we weren't able to do in the first game. This game was so important to us, we just really wanted it and we stuck to the game plan."
Sophomore back Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn, who was named to the all ACC team along with Mia Link last Wednesday, scored both goals for the Cavaliers. The first goal came on a penalty stoke while the second came off a short corner. Virginia coach Michele Madison attributed the win to the ability of the Cavaliers to counter B.C.'s physical style of play.
"The second time we were more prepared for their physicality and the chaos they created with the aerial ball," Madison said. "We kept our composure."
Virginia then went on to play the Terrapins, who received a bye in the first round, in the semifinals. Despite only trailing 1-0 to the No. 1 team at halftime, a five-minute lapse in the second half left the Cavaliers trailing by four goals with just 13 minutes left to play.
"They scored three goals in five or six minutes," Madison said. "We just had a let-down. It's tough to win when you let up for five minutes against the number-one team."
The Cavaliers, however, regained focus and applied pressure on the Terrapin defense for the rest of the game. They were finally able to break through the Maryland defense when Link was fouled inside the circle with time running out. She went on to score on a short corner. Freshman middle/forward Fenna Breithbarth scored the first goal of the game for Virginia 10 minutes into the second half.
"With a team like that you can't have a lapse," Cornelison said. "It was disappointing that [the lapse] cost us a shot at winning the game, but the other 65 minutes we played really great hockey. We learned from that."
The Cavaliers now wait for Tuesday night when the seeds of the NCAA Tournament will be announced. Whether they make the 16-team tournament is yet to be decided, however they have put themselves in a good position with the win over B.C.
"We feel like we have a good chance with wins over B.C., UNC and Indiana," Madison said. "Our regional standing is good, too. I think we have a solid shot at getting in."
Virginia, however, must wait to see how other teams fare. If a team that was expected to get an automatic bid gets upset in the conference tournament, it will most likely take Virginia's at-large bid, thus knocking the Cavaliers out of the field of 16.
"I'm crossing my fingers, but I'm feeling good about it," Cornelison said.
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