University of Richmond
#3 Virginia
Field Hockey Gives Undefeated No. 3 Ranked Virginia A Scare
09/30/2009 | Field Hockey
Sept. 30, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond field hockey team gave No. 3 ranked Virginia a scare Wednesday, staying with the undefeated Cavaliers until the final horn sounded in a 4-3 loss at Crenshaw Field.
Junior Dani Pycroft scored two goals and senior Megan Thompson had a goal and assist as the Spiders scored one less goal (3) than Virginia had allowed through its first 10 games (4).
The Cavaliers had been scored on in just three contests entering Wednesday's game and had given up a season-high two goals in an 8-2 rout of Kent State. The Spiders have played the Cavaliers tough recently, scoring three goals in the last three meetings with the Wahoos and handing Virginia a 1-0 in 2005.
Virginia's defense had held nationally ranked opponents Penn State, Providence, Old Dominion, Michigan State and Boston College to a combined total of one goal. Pycroft was able to score more goals in the second half of Wednesday's match than those ranked teams did in five games against the Cavaliers.
Pycroft is tied for second on the team in goals with Katelin Peterson at six apiece. She now has 14 career goals and 37 career points.
Thompson scored her second goal of the season and the 27th of her career, which is ninth on Richmond's career list. She also had her 11th career assist and now has 65 points, which ranks ninth on the all-time list.
Virginia, which is off to its best start (11-0) since 1979, scored just 4:53 into the game, but that would be the Cavaliers only goal of the first half.
Pycroft tied the game at 1-1 just 5:16 into the second half on assists from Peterson and senior Sarah Blythe-Wood.
Virginia quickly answered less than two minutes later on a perfectly executed penalty corner on which Paige Selenski deflected a shot by Inga Stockel into the top of the net for her 11th goal. Less than five minutes later, Selenski and Stockel duplicated the shot and deflection on another penalty corner to give the Cavaliers a 3-1 lead with 23:48 to play.
Richmond answered just 21 seconds later when Pycroft scored off an assist from Thompson to pull the Spiders within one again at 3-2. Michell Vittese scored with 16:57 left to put Virginia back up 4-2, but with 5:47 remaining Thompson deflected the ball into the back of the cage off a pass from Blythe-Wood.
The Spiders had chances to tie the game in the closing minutes, but Virginia was able to keep their undefeated record intact.
Wednesday's game was the first of a six-game homestand which continues Sunday at noon against Georgetown.
