Thrilling Comeback Lifts No. 9 UVA Field Hockey Over No. 13 Saint Joseph's

The Cavaliers scored three goals in the final 20 minutes to erase a two-goal deficit and defeat the Hawks

Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics

UVA was seeking some redemption after suffering a frustrating 2-1 loss on the road at No. 21 Boston College on Friday. Through the first 40 minutes of their next match, however, the Cavaliers were not faring much better, as they trailed No. 13 Saint Joseph's 2-0. 

The Hoos never quit and this time, they managed to stage the comeback. 

Dani Mendez-Trendler, Laura Janssen, and Adele Iacobucci each scored goals in the final 20 minutes of the match and No. 9 Virginia field hockey rallied for a 3-2 victory over No. 13 St. Joe's on Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville. 

The first two and a half quarters of Sunday's match were all Hawks. Celeste Smith got St. Joe's on the board just nine minutes into the contest, collecting a rebound off of a penalty corner and scoring. St. Joe's attempted four shots in the first half as compared to only two shots for Virginia, neither of which were on cage. The Hawks took their 1-0 lead into the halftime break. 

Less than five minutes into the third quarter, St. Joe's scored again on a penalty corner with Freke van Tilburg redirecting Hailey Bitters shot into the cage to double the Hawk's lead. 

Facing a 2-0 deficit with time running out, Virginia refused to accept defeat. 

With less than four minutes left in the third quarter, UVA finally broke through. Virginia's initial shot on a penalty corner was unsuccessful, but freshman midfielder Daniela-Mendez Trendler took advantage of a second-chance opportunity and scored to get the Cavaliers on the board at last. 

Three minutes later, Virginia pulled even. Laura Janssen deflected Taryn Tkachuk's shot into the cage to tie the match at 2-2 with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. 

With momentum on their side, it didn't take the Cavaliers long to seize the lead as well. Three minutes into the fourth period, Jans Croon took a shot off of a penalty corner and senior midfielder Adele Iacobucci got a stick on the ball to deflect it in to give UVA a 3-2 advantage. 

The UVA defense was the unsung hero of the comeback, as St. Joe's did not even attempt a single shot in the fourth quarter and had only one shot after halftime. The Cavaliers were able to maintain their 3-2 lead for the remaining ten minutes to seal the win over a ranked opponent. 

Virginia improves to 4-3 on the season with the win. UVA will look to capture its first ACC win on the season when the Cavaliers host No. 10 Syracuse on Friday in Charlottesville. 

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