The No. 6 UVA field hockey team opens the 2014 season on Friday, Aug. 29 when it travels to Williamsburg, Virginia, to take on William & Mary at 4:30 p.m. at the newly-renovated Busch Field.
Last season, despite being outshot 18-5, the unranked Tribe upset then-ranked No. 5 Virginia, 2-1, in Charlottesville. Virginia leads the all-time series, 26-15-2.
William & Mary made the Colonial Athletic Association tournament for the second-straight year in 2013. Head Coach Tess Ellis, the 2013 CAA co-Coach of the Year, returns six starters from last year’s team.
Virginia returns three of its top four goal-scorers from last season, including sophomore forwards Caleigh Foust (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) and Riley Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.) and midfielder Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England), who was named the 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year after scoring five goals with 11 assists in her rookie campaign. 2012 All-ACC goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone (Paisley, Scotland) returns for her fourth season as the starting goalkeeper.
The Cavaliers also boast one of the top incoming freshman classes in the nation that includes U.S. Junior National Team veteran midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.). Vittese was voted to the 2014 Preseason All-ACC team, the first Virginia freshman to ever earn the honor.
The Cavaliers, who were ranked as high as No. 4 last season, finished the 2013 season with a 15-6 record after suffering a 3-2 overtime loss to UMass in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia will remain on the road, heading to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face No. 8 Penn State, the first of three-straight ranked opponents, on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. The Cavaliers will play their third-straight road contest on Thursday, Sept. 4 when they face No. 20 Iowa in Iowa City, before returning to Charlottesville for their Sunday, Sept. 7 home opener against No. 7 Princeton at 11:30 a.m. The Princeton game is one of four contests during the regular season that will be streamed online as part of the Cavaliers Live subscription package through VirginiaSports.com.
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Chris Graham
