Currently on a hot streak, No. 3 Virginia field hockey took on No. 21 American in a neutral-site contest in College Park, Md. The Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) survived the Eagles (2-4, 0-0 Patriot League) in a 3-2 overtime victory to remain undefeated this season.
Through the first period, play remained fairly even. Virginia put up one shot on goal in the ninth minute, which American saved. It was the Eagles that struck first in the second period when senior forward Rebecca Bonness put up a goal in the 24th minute of the game.
The Cavaliers did not waste any time striking back, with sophomore midfielder Mia Abello scoring off a corner with less than a minute to go in the first half, her first of the season to pull the score to 1-1.
After a scoreless third quarter, sophomore striker Emma Watchilla pulled the Cavaliers ahead for the first time with an unassisted goal 50 minutes into the match. The goal was Watchilla’s third of the season. However, American would not let the game get away from them, putting up a point with only three minutes left to play to even the score 2-2.
Although senior midfielder Noa Boterman had the opportunity to score off a penalty shot with just under a minute left to play in regular time, it was blocked by American graduate goalkeeper Bryn Underwood, sending the game to overtime.
The Cavaliers secured victory six minutes into overtime when junior midfielder Dani Mendez-Trendler netted her first goal of the season, securing the win for Virginia. The win was gritty, with the typically fiery Cavalier offense forced to gut it out against an Eagle defense that proved to be tougher than expected. Although American only logged four shots in the game to Virginia’s 11, Underwood recorded five saves, helping the Eagles always remain within striking distance.
“A gritty win against a very well-coached American team. They made our game slow and sloppy today. Good to see that we get it done even on days when we don’t play our best hockey,” Coach Ole Keusgen said.
Virginia will open conference play against California Friday at Turf Field, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and broadcasted on ACC Network. The Cavaliers will then turn around to face Stanford at home again Sunday, with the match set to begin at 1 p.m. streaming on ACCNX. Both games will be the first against the two ACC newcomers.
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