No. 8 field hockey received a second chance at the postseason when the NCAA Field Hockey Committee gifted Virginia (13-4, 6-2 ACC) with an at-large bid, sending the Cavaliers to Evanston, Ill., where they faced off against No. 6 Michigan Friday. Despite a strong second-half effort from the Wolverines (15-5, 5-3 Big Ten), Virginia prevailed, nabbing a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over the Big Ten champions.
“I think we were all on the same page, had the same mentality — ‘Just go for it and take the risk’ — and that really paid off today,” junior midfielder Daniela Mendez-Trendler said after the win.
Just before tipoff, it was revealed that sophomore goalkeeper Nilou Lempers would be starting for Virginia in just her sixth appearance this season. Given that the Cavaliers allow goals on nearly 20 percent of defensive penalty corners before Friday’s game, the sudden change in lineup reflected what would hopefully be a shift in their subpar defensive performance this season.
The game began with a frenzied series of turnovers in the midfield. Off the bat, Michigan employed a high offensive press that kept Virginia from making any real advances up the field.
That changed when junior midfielder Caroline Nemec caught the rebound from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Hala Silverstein. She fired off a shot at point-blank range that Silverstein just barely saved. Mendez-Trendler was there to tip the ball toward goal, but Silverstein eventually succeeded in drawing a foul, giving possession back to the Wolverines.
The Cavaliers weaponized this momentum to cherry pick several Michigan passes in the midfield, but they were unable to find legitimate looks on goal. However, their style of play was markedly different from past games, where they allowed opponents to dictate the run of play. In the waning minutes of the first quarter, Virginia looked less like an ACC team and more like a Big Ten program, utilizing the physicality of the matchup to keep most of the gameplay in their opposing third.
The second quarter started with a bang. Senior striker Taryn Tkachuk somehow managed to find a sliver of space in the top left of the circle, where she slammed a shot in Silverstein’s direction. Silverstein blocked the shot, but the play gave the Cavaliers a renewed sense of vigor. Mendez-Trendler and graduate midfielder Suze Leemans both registered shots in the following minutes, but Michigan’s defense held strong.
Virginia continued to dominate the run of play, pestering the Wolverine back line until redshirt junior back Claire Taylor finally gave up a corner. The first shot by senior back Jans Croon went off a Michigan foot, but the Cavaliers would not be deterred. They went right back to Croon, whose hard sweep found Leemans’s stick at the right post to send the ball sailing into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. The goal came after 10 scoreless games for Leemans, who started the season with goals in four straight games.
In the ensuing chaos, sophomore striker Juliette Manzur managed to earn a corner for the Wolverines. The initial shot from graduate midfielder Erin Reilly — who already has seven goals on the season — appeared to be heading into the goal, but in an incredible display of agility, senior midfielder Noa Boterman slapped the ball away mid-air, preventing Michigan from equalizing before the end of the half.
An early offensive flurry from Michigan in the third quarter proved fruitless as Croon and junior back Madison Orsi continued to control play from the back third with iron gloves. Despite her best attempts, junior Abby Tamer — arguably the Wolverines’ most talented player — struggled to make any offensive dent in the determined Cavalier defense.
That did not mean Virginia was generating the same level of offensive production as it had in the previous half. It was clear the Cavaliers had settled back into a more defensive mindset from the man-to-man defense they were playing. Everywhere the Wolverines went, orange jerseys swarmed the ball. Any attempt to penetrate the circle was immediately dismantled and sent on its way.
Michigan finally had a chance when sophomore striker Emma Watchilla conceded a corner with under two minutes to go in the third. Fortunately, Virginia’s defensive penalty corner unit had done its homework. Lempers cleared the shot from Reilly with ease, hitting another Wolverine foot in the process to give the Cavaliers back the ball.
As the fourth quarter began, Michigan continued to fight its way into Virginia’s defensive circle. Freshman back Ava Bernardy managed to tag an orange foot, giving the Wolverines their third corner of the contest. The first corner was blocked off the shin guard of Croon, returning the ball to Michigan. This time, senior back Emily Field was there to block the trick pass and reinstate Cavalier control in their back third.
No matter how hard the Wolverines tried, they could not match Virginia’s fervor. Taylor was sent off the field with a green card, giving Rees the perfect opportunity to dribble into the opponent’s half. Boterman sent a short aerial over the heads of the defense to Field, whose pass to Nemec bounced onto the stick of Mendez-Trendler. Not one to waste a look on goal, Mendez-Trendler whipped her stick around, sending the ball off of Silverstein into the backboards to take a 2-0 lead.
Graduate striker Kate McLaughlin soon responded with a goal to halve Michigan’s deficit, but Virginia’s defense stiffened and did not allow another goal. With the clock ticking on their chance to make a comeback, the Wolverines scrambled to retaliate. However, their efforts only ended in heartbreak, with McLaughlin — who is tied with Tamer for team leader in goals — was handed a yellow card. To add insult to injury, Lempers handled yet another corner from Michigan with ease.
Michigan Coach Marcia Pankratz finally pulled Silverstein from goal with about three minutes left in the quarter. The card on McLaughlin meant the Wolverines would only be up a player for a minute or so, making the final minutes of the game do-or-die for both teams.
Michigan’s last chance to tie the game fell short when Fields blocked Clarke’s shot, sending it wide. While the Cavaliers outlasted the Wolverines, the real challenge awaits Sunday against Northwestern, the No. 2 seed for the tournament. The contest will be broadcasted at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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