The No. 7 UVA field hockey team (1-1, 0-0 ACC) fell 1-0 at No. 6 Penn State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sunday (Aug. 26) in University Park, Pa.
The Nittany Lions netted a goal four minutes into the contest for the only scoring of the game. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) made nine saves for the Cavaliers.
“It was a great game to play, taking on a quality opponent like Penn State this early in the season,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “We saw a lot of good things and we saw other things that we can work on in practice.”
Senior Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) took the first shot of the game for either team, a strike in the circle blocked away by a defender. A minute later, Penn State’s Gini Bramley converted the Nittany Lions’ first shot of the game to put her squad up 1-0. The Nittany Lions outshot the Cavaliers 10-3 in the first half, but only converted their first attempt.
The second half was more balanced with Penn State holding a 7-6 edge in shots. UVA had three penalty corners in the second half, but could not convert. Madison called timeout with 3:39 remaining in order to pull the goalie. Virginia played the remainder of the game with a man-up advantage and attacked the Penn State goal, but could not strike one into the net.
Ell led the attack with three shots while junior Anzel Viljoen (Matamata, New Zealand) and sophomore Makayla Gallen (Glen Mills, Pa.) each had two.
The Cavaliers play their home opener next Sunday, Sept. 2, hosting Longwood at Turf Field at 1 p.m.
Admission is free for all of Virginia’s regular-season home field hockey games.
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Chris Graham
