Virginia Field Hockey Takes Down No. 5 Penn State 2-1 in Season Opener

The sixth-ranked Cavaliers opened the 2023 season with a big-time victory over the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions on Friday in Charlottesville

The No. 6 Virginia field hockey team made a statement to start the 2023 season, coming from behind to take down No. 5 Penn State 2-1 on Friday evening in Charlottesville. 

Although the Cavaliers got off to a strong start, outshooting the Nittany Lions 3-0 in the first quarter, Penn State struck first late in the second quarter as freshman Natalie Freeman worked the ball inside from the left side and fired off a shot that UVA goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy managed to initially block. The rebound landed behind Kennedy just in front of the goal line and Freeman was there to sweep the ball into the back of the cage to give the Nittany Lions the 1-0 advantage going into halftime. 

The Cavaliers came storming out of the gates to start the second half and their efforts were rewarded quickly as they broke through for their first goal of the season less than 90 seconds into the third quarter. Penn State committed a turnover deep in its own zone and freshman Minnie Pollock quickly moved the ball forward on the right side before sending the ball in towards the front of the cage. Graduate striker Laura Janssen, who led the Cavaliers in scoring a season ago, picked up right where she left off, positioning herself perfectly to deflect the ball past Penn State goalie Brie Barraco. 

“I think we had a little first game jitters but once we found our way out of that, we were able to connect some good passes," said Virginia head coach Michele Madison after the game.

The Nittany Lions had several chances to retake the lead in the third quarter, taking eight shots, five of which went on cage. But Kennedy stood tall and made five big saves to keep things tied up at one goal apiece headed to the fourth and final period. 

A little over three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers found the game-winner as Janssen paid Pollock back for her earlier assist on Janssen's game-tying goal. The ball came to Janssen on the left side of the cage with a little bit of room to operate. Janssen sent an accurate cross to the front and Pollock deflected it perfectly past Barraco and into the back of the cage to put Virginia in front 2-1. 

The UVA defense did the rest, holding the Nittany Lions to just one shot in the final period as the Cavaliers held on for the big-time victory. Tyler Kennedy finished with six saves and Virginia also had two team saves. 

Check out the 🎥 highlights from the 2-1 win against Penn State #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Q0QN6nA5hj

— Virginia Field Hockey (@UVAFieldHockey) August 26, 2023

"We started really strong in the first half, and we were able to sustain the tempo of the game, which is really important moving forward, especially for Tuesday," Madison said.

Virginia opened the 2023 season with a big early resume-building win over a top-five team in Penn State, who went 17-4 last season and advanced to the NCAA semifinals. UVA will look to continue the strong start against No. 14 Liberty on Tuesday at 5pm in Charlottesville. 

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