Sept. 15, 2006

Final Stats

The Virginia field hockey team held VCU without a short corner in the contest, but the Cavaliers still had to rally to defeat the Rams 3-1 tonight in Charlottesville. VCU got on the board first with a goal in the 23rd minute, a lead the Rams (1-5) took into halftime. Virginia (5-1) scored the final three goals of the game, with center midfielder Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn tying the game in the 41st minute and then assisting on the third. The Cavalier defense held the Rams to just two shots in the game.

The Hoos attacked early, drawing a short corner in the fifth minute of the game. During the corner, right forward Traci Ragukas' shot was cleared off the endline by VCU's Alyssa Collis, keeping the score knotted at 0-0. Minutes later a VCU shot from Rebecca Sullivan was saved by starting keeper Amy Desjadon as the teams traded possessions.

The Rams got on the scoreboard as a through ball from Angelina Banaag found a seam and Jenna Harris ran onto it and chipped the ball into the cage in the 23rd minute, giving VCU a 1-0 lead. A yellow card to Fenna Breitbarth sent her off the pitch for the final five minutes of the period, but the Cavalier defense was able to keep the Rams at bay, sending the teams to halftime with VCU up 1-0.

Virginia again attacked early in the second half as Ragukas drew two short corners in the first five minutes. Fenna Breitbarth attacked the circle and drew Virginia's third short in the 40th minute. On the play, Kaars Sijpesteijn converted a pass from Biffy Cornelison, trapped by Abby Taylor, tying the game.

The Cavaliers stayed on the offensive, and Lindsay O'Bannon intercepted a pass inside the 25 and took it into the circle where her shot was again cleared off the line by Collis, keeping the score tied at 1-1.

Virginia continued to penetrate the circle and draw short corners, but it was not until the Cavaliers' 12th corner of the half that the Hoos were able to convert. Kaars Sijpesteijn's direct shot was saved by VCU keeper Laura Baker, but Mia Link pulled the ball out and lifted it over the logged Baker, putting the Cavaliers ahead 2-1 in the 48th minute.

The Cavaliers added an insurance goal in the waning minutes as Link took possession at midfield and led Kaars Sijpesteijn with a pass. Kaars Sijpesteijn laid the ball up to Ragukas in the circle, who sent the ball to the roof of the cage in the 68th minute for a 3-1 lead.

Virginia returns to action on Sunday as they travel to UNC to face the No. 4 Tar Heels. Game time in Chapel Hill on the 17th is 1:00.

Linescore	1	2	F	records
VCU		1	0	1	(1-5)
Virginia	0	3	3	(5-1)
Scoring summary:
22:23	VCU	Harris, fg (Banaag)
40:55	UVA	Kaars Sijpesteijn, pc (Cornelison, Taylor)
57:29	UVA	Link, pc
67:26	UVA	Ragukas, fg (Kaars Sijpesteijn)
Keepers: UVA: Desjadon (35 mins, 1 save, 1GA); Blair (35 mins, 0 saves, 0 GA)
	VCU: Baker (70 mins, 10 saves, 3 GA)
Shots: UVA 23, VCU 2
Short corners: UVA 17, VCU 0
Def. saves: UVA 0, VCU 2 (Collis 2)
Incidents: GC: O'Bannon, VA, 47th; YC: Breitbarth, VA, 32nd