Field hockey: Virginia wins OT battle at Delaware on penalty stroke

The No. 5 Virginia field hockey team (12-3, 3-2 ACC) earned a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 15 Delaware (11-4, 2-1 CAA) on Sunday (Oct. 18) in Newark, Del.

Playing in chilly conditions that also included periods of rain and sleet, Virginia trailed 2-1 heading into the final two minutes of regulation. Freshman Greta Ell (Plains, Pa.) tied the game with 1:41 remaining, tapping in a pass from sophomore Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill) after a Cavalier penalty corner.

In overtime, junior Riley Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.) was dribbling through the circle with a clear path to the goal when the Delaware goalkeeper knocked her down, giving the Cavaliers a penalty stroke 4:11 into the extra period. Vittese converted the stroke to secure the Virginia victory.

“This was a fantastic, competitive game,” said Virginia head coach Michele Madison. “We had a little bit of everything weather-wise with the rain, snow and sleet. We had a lot of opportunities, but the Delaware defense held strong and kept us from putting it in the goal. Both teams fought hard. It is good to be on the winning end of this one.”

Both offenses jumped out to early starts with senior Taylor Brown (Charlottesville, Va.) converting a pass from junior Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England), scoring the game’s first goal 3:05 into the contest. Delaware tied it up 1:30 later off a penalty corner.

The game transitioned into a defensive and midfield battle with the Blue Hens finally gaining a one-goal advantage by scoring off a penalty corner with 6:39 remaining before Ell’s goal knotted it back up five minutes later, sending the game into overtime.

The Cavaliers outshot the Blue Hens, 16-10. Junior goalkeeper Rebecca Holden (Fishing Creek, N.J.), playing in the second and overtime periods, made four saves, improving to 7-2 on the season with the win. Delaware’s goalie Emmeline Oltmans stopped seven shots.

The Cavaliers play their final regular-season home game on Saturday, Oct. 24 when they host No. 13 Boston College (7-7, 0-5 ACC) at 1 p.m. Virginia closes out the regular season on Friday, Oct. 30 playing at No. 18 James Madison. Virginia will begin the post season by hosting the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship Nov. 5-8 at Turf Field.