The seventh-ranked Virginia field hockey team (13-4, 3-3 ACC) closed out regular season play with a win at in-state rival James Madison. Despite outshooting the Cavaliers 19-13, the No. 17 Dukes (12-5, 5-0 CAA) were unable to find the back of the net.
The teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first half, with James Madison seeming to control play — they allowed Virginia to take just four shots in the frame. Halftime adjustments proved critical for Virginia, though, as sophomore midfielder Tara Vittese broke the tie at the 1:11 mark of the second half off of a penalty corner.
Vittese scored again just eight minutes later off a rebound from senior striker Taylor Brown. The tally gave the Cherry Hill, N.J. native a team leading 13 goals and 35 points on the year.
Unable to generate much offense, the Dukes pulled their goalie with just over three minutes to play. The move proved to be fruitless, however, as the stingy Virginia defense buckled down and prevented any hopes of a comeback.
The Cavaliers finished the regular season with an impressive non-conference record of 10-1. Its late season loss to Boston College pushed Virginia to the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament, which begins Thursday.
Virginia is slated to kick off the tournament against fifth-seeded Duke Thursday at 11 a.m. Virginia hosts the tournament and all games will be played at University Hall Turf Field.
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