Junior midfielder Tara Vittese had yet another impressive performance as No. 9 Virginia won its third straight game. The victory over Richmond marks the Cavaliers’ (11-5, 3-2 ACC) seventh win in its last eight games. Vittese had two goals and two assists and was involved in every one of Virginia’s goals in its 4-1 win over the Spiders (6-8, 4-2 A-10).
The first goal of the evening was a penalty stroke goal by Vittese 11:07 into the first half — her third penalty stroke of the year. Just five minutes later, Richmond responded with a strong shot from the top of the circle, tying the game.
The Cavaliers headed into halftime with a lead. Senior striker Riley Tata tapped in a shot by Vittese off a penalty corner. The goal was scored with a little over 11 minutes left in the first half.
The same duo found the back of the net again to start the second half. Tata scored off a pass from Vittese with 33:43 left in the game. With Virginia up 3-1 and just over 15 minutes left in the game, the Spiders decided to pull their goalie. Vittese was able to score on the empty net with about two minutes left in the game.
On Friday, the Cavaliers play No. 7 Louisville in Charlottesville. The game is set to start at 5:30 p.m. at Turf Field.