University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
#19 Massachusetts
Blythe-Wood's OT Blast Lifts Spiders Into Atlantic 10 Finals
11/06/2009 | Field Hockey
Nov. 6, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. - Senior Sara Blythe-Wood scored on a breakaway 11:19 into overtime to give Richmond a 2-1 victory over No. 19 ranked Massachusetts Friday to advance to the Atlantic 10 title game.
Blythe-Wood took a long pass from fellow senior Jess Weidner, split two defenders and then rocketed a shot between the UMass goalkeepers' pads to put Richmond in its seventh Atlantic 10 championship game in the last eight years.
Richmond (12-8) will play in the Atlantic 10 title game on Saturday at 3 p.m. against Temple, 3-0 winners over Saint Joseph's in the other semifinal. Temple handed Richmond its only Atlantic 10 loss, 4-2, last Sunday after the Spiders had already clinched the A-10 regular season title.
The Spiders will be looking for their sixth Atlantic 10 Championship in the last eight years. Richmond has won 60 of the last 66 games against Atlantic 10 teams.
Richmond, the top-seed in this year's Atlantic 10 Tournament, fell behind 1-0 just 7:33 into the semifinal match when Cher King tipped in a shot off of a corner by Kim Young.
The Minutewomen kept the 1-0 lead until the half, but the Spiders clearly seized momentum in the opening minutes of the second half and tied the game just 4:21 into the second period on a corner when junior Dani Pycroft deflected a shot by Blythe-Wood. The goal was Pycroft's 10th of the season and the 18th of her career.
Richmond continued to dominate the second half and had several scoring opportunities. Despite a 12-1 advantage in shots in the second half and 18-4 advantage in regulation, the game would go to overtime.
Blythe-Wood, who had nearly missed two chances to put the Spiders ahead, left no doubt in the game's 81st minute when she ripped a shot from close range past UMass keeper Alesha Widdall.
"Our tactic in the overtime is I just have to get in behind the defenders, get the ball and do the job," Blythe-Wood said. "I got a few chances and lucky enough on that third chance I could put it away. I don't even remember what happened, I just knew I had to slam it home."
"I knew it was going to be a fight to the end this team we've worked all season long for this moment we got the result and I couldn't be more proud of these girls. I just knew they weren't going to give up. We played with strength and certainly had so many opportunities."
Blythe-Wood's goal brought her Atlantic 10-leading goal total to 20, which is fourth on Richmond's single-season goals list. Her 34 career goal ranks seventh on Richmond's career goal list and her assist on Pycroft's goal ties Blythe-Wood for 10th on Richmond's career assist list.
Blythe-Wood moved into third on Richmond's single-season list for points (51) and is sixth on Richmond's all-time career list with 87 points. She is tied for ninth on Richmond's single-season assist list (11).
Richmond goalkeeper Jacki Raithel made three saves in goal for the Spiders.
The victory was Richmond's second over a ranked opponent this season, with both coming against UMass ranked in the NFHCA Top-20. UMass and Richmond have combined to win the last 13 Atlantic 10 Championships.
The Spiders have won eight of the last 10 games entering Saturday's title game.
