No. 3 Virginia field hockey welcomed William & Mary at home Sunday in a non-conference clash after three consecutive ACC games. Fresh off a tough 1-0 victory over No. 9 Duke in Durham, N.C., the undefeated No. 3 Cavaliers (9-0, 3-0 ACC) earned a 4-1 win over the unranked Tribe (0-10, 0-1 CAA) to continue their perfect season.
Although the scoreboard favored Virginia, the team converted just four of 29 total shots on goal, in large part because of graduate goalkeeper Maddie George’s outstanding goalkeeping for the Tribe. George made 12 saves between the sticks for the winless Tribe, who surprisingly held the Cavaliers to just four goals. Coach Ole Keusgen was not happy with the team’s offensive performance.
“Not good enough, plain and simple,” Keusgen said. “We obviously dominated the game, but at the end of the day … we got to look into it and why we’re not able to finish those situations as a team, but also individually.”
Despite a quiet day at the office for Virginia, sophomore forward Mia Abello was a highlight. After missing two games due to a hamstring injury, Abello has returned in full force for the team in the last two contests with two goals, the second of which came in the second quarter Sunday. She also scored the game-winner Friday versus the Blue Devils.
“It was hard not playing for two games,” Abello said. “But getting out there today and Friday was really fun.”
Abello and the Cavaliers began the game in a frenzied fight for possession in the middle of the field, with both teams registering shots in the first few minutes. Despite having outscored its opponents 25-8 entering the match, Virginia struggled to get the ball past George, who is currently ranked second in the country in saves per game.
A handful of early turnovers put pressure on the William & Mary defensive front, but it was not until eight minutes into the game that Virginia was able to break through. Following a green card that sent graduate midfielder Meghen Hengerer to the sideline, senior midfielder Dani Mendez-Trendler attempted a shot from the baseline that George blocked. The ball ricocheted off her pads into the stick of senior forward Taryn Tkachuk, who slapped it into the net to put the Cavaliers up 1-0.
Tkachuk’s goal proved to be a momentum-changer for the Cavaliers. A deflection off a shot by senior midfielder Sloan Davidson in the second quarter allowed Abello to maneuver between Tribe defenders and fire from the top of the circle for her third goal of the season, which gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the process.
Virginia then kept its foot on the gas throughout the first half. Just minutes after Abello scored, junior midfielder Lauren Kenah pickpocketed a defender to dribble down the baseline and lift the ball over George’s head. Freshman forward Amelie Rees then swiped it from the air and into the back of the net, putting the Cavaliers up 3-0 with the first goal of her collegiate career.
As the clock wound down, Tkachuk powered past multiple Tribe defenders to slide a pass across the goal, where graduate Lily Hengerer tapped it in to take a commanding 4-0 lead.
Not one to back down, William & Mary returned with a vengeance in the third quarter, earning its first corner of the game less than five minutes into the period. Senior forward Kellen Richbourg slipped the ball to senior forward Sara Bartzen, whose shot sneaked past senior goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy amidst the chaos in front of the goal.
With a goal on the board and momentum on their side, the Tribe largely commanded possession in the second half, shutting out a Virginia offense that held an 11-0 edge in shots in the second quarter. The only true offensive challenge the Cavaliers posed came in the middle of the fourth quarter, when senior back Jans Croon sent a reverse hit flying into the net off a corner. The shot was deemed dangerous, though, and the goal was overturned.
Virginia’s defense held strong throughout the game, not letting the Tribe closer than three goals at any point. The final scoreline read 4-1, marking the team’s ninth consecutive victory. Not everything went to plan Sunday afternoon, but it is difficult for anyone to be upset with a perfect 9-0 record.
“I think where we are right now, we play very good hockey,” Keusgen said. “So we look into those things we did well, to kind of highlight the good, but then also seeing, ‘Okay, what do we need to do better?’”
Keusgen’s crew is back in action against an ACC foe soon, as the Cavaliers will return to ACC play Friday at No. 12 Boston College in Newton, Mass. The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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