Winston-Salem, N.C. – The
Virginia
field hockey team (14-8) held off in-state rival James Madison (18-3) 2-1
Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Third-year Traci Ragukas
scored what proved to be the game-winner with 0:02 left to play in the first
half. First-year Floor Vogels also scored for UVa.
The Cavaliers move on to play host Wake Forest
(20-3) in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Demon Deacons defeated
American 7-1 in the first round.
“It’s always a close game between
the two teams,” Virginia
head coach Michele Madison said. “I am really proud of the team and how they
kept their cool and stuck to the game plan.”
Ragukas’ goal was off a Cavalier
penalty corner opportunity. Kaitlyn Hiltz pushed the ball out to Inge Kaars
Sijpesteijn, who took a shot. After a JMU save, Ragukas gathered the ball at
the far post and put it in to give UVa a 2-1 lead just before halftime.
“We knew our chances would be few
and far between and we would have to capitalize on the ones we got,” Madison said.
With 10 minutes remaining in the
game the Dukes were able to get some pressure and attacked in the circle. A
penalty corner resulted in three JMU shots, but the first two were blocked and
the second one went high.
Another penalty corner came for
James Madison with just three minutes remaining in the game. The Cavalier
defense was able to hold off the Dukes as No. 8’s shot was blocked in the
middle of the circle.
Virginia got on the board first in the ninth
minute, converting on its first penalty corner of the game. Hiltz pushed the
ball to Pien Hulsebosch, who tapped it in front of Vogels for the score. It was
her eighth score on the season.
James Madison tied the game in the
33rd minute. Melissa Stefaniak beat Virginia
goalkeeper Amy Desjadon and passed the ball up to Lindsay Cutchins, who was
waiting in front of the empty net.
“Shelly (Edmonds)
was out, so one of our top defenders was down,” said Madison of the JMU score. “We had to change
the line-up a little and that is how they got their goal. We had a mis-match on
who was supposed to go out and pick up the ball.”
Edmonds was hit in the head with a stick
after a JMU shot and had to leave the game in the first half to get stitches.
She returned to the turf in the second half.
“She is as tough as nails,” Madison said.
For the game, JMU had a 15-10 shot
advantage and took five corners to Virginia’s
three. Desjadon finished with four saves in the cage while Kelsey Cutchins
tallied six stops for the Dukes.
Virginia
and Wake Forest will meet for the second time
this season. Back on Oct. 25, the Demon Deacons beat Virginia
6-2 in Charlottesville.
“They are a great team and we just
have to get a better game plan together,” Madison
said of Wake Forest. “Their (penalty) corners are
out-of-this-world. We can’t give up the corners; that is the No. 1 thing. We
have to be able to score because they can put goals in.”