The No. 5 UVA field hockey team (1-1) suffered a 3-0 defeat at No. 18 Penn State (2-0) on Sunday (August 28) at Penn State Field Hockey Complex in University Park, Pa.
The Nittany Lions held a 1-0 lead at halftime and then added a pair of second-half goals to down the Cavaliers. Penn State outshot UVA 21-12, including a 14-6 advantage in the first half. Penn State also had 11 penalty corner opportunities, converting on one in the second half. The Cavaliers took two penalty corners.
Senior goalkeeper Rebecca Holden (Fishing Creek, N.J.) logged a career-high 12 saves, including nine in the first half.
“It was a big game today, high-paced with a lot of energy,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “Penn State played a really good game. We definitely have a lot of learning opportunities that we will take away from this and work on before next weekend.”
Penn State scored its first goal 11:11 into the game with Aurelia Meijer knocking in a shot from the top of the circle.
Virginia started strong in the second half, taking three shots in the first three minutes, all saved by Penn State’s Jenny Rizzo.
After going 0-for-8 on first-half penalty corners, the Nittany Lions’ Shay Cannon converted a chance 12 minutes into the second half. Gini Bradley added an insurance goal three minutes later to give PSU a 3-0 lead.
The Cavalier defense kept Penn State off the scoreboard for the final 20 minutes of the game, but the UVA offensive attack could not find the back of the net.
The Cavaliers will be back home next weekend, hosting Rutgers on Friday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m., and Delaware on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m. Admission is free for all of Virginia’s regular-season home field hockey games.
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Chris Graham
