Cavaliers Now

Virginia Field Hockey Beats Michigan 2-1, Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals

Matt Newton

Virginia Athletic

For the second year in a row, the Virginia field hockey team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The Cavaliers (14-4) scored goals in the second and fourth quarters and held on to defeat Michigan (15-5) 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Lakeside Field in Evansville, Illinois. UVA advances to the quarterfinals, where the Hoos will take on the No. 2 overall seed Northwestern (20-1) on Sunday at 2pm ET.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Cavaliers broke through on a penalty corner as Jans Croon took a shot from the top of the circle and Suze Leemans delivered a perfect deflection to redirect the ball into the back of the cage to give Virginia the 1-0 lead.

Virginia outshot Michigan 7-1 in the first half, but the Wolverines became the aggressors after halftime as they hunted an equalizer. UVA goalkeeper Nilou Lempers made a save in the third quarter to preserve Virginia's lead, but the barrage continued in the fourth quarter, as Michigan attempted nine shots in that period alone.

The Wolverines would eventually break through, but not before Virginia doubled its lead on a brilliant backhanded shot from Dani Mendez-Trendler, her team-leading seventh goal of the season, with less than 10 minutes to go.

Michigan finally got on the board on a goal by Kate McLaughlin with about 90 seconds to go. But it was too little, too late, as Virginia went on to secure the 2-1 victory.

Lempers made three saves in the win and Noa Boterman also came up with a clutch goal line stop, slapping a shot out of the air on a Michigan penalty corner that appeared on its way to the back of the cage in the second quarter.

“We played a very good first half. Created a lot of opportunities, circle entries and shots. But in the second half, we didn’t create enough attacking situations," said UVA head coach Ole Keusgen. "We prepared very well, corner wise, and that made a big difference. Having that one-nothing lead after our first corners, that meant a lot to us. Defensively, it's never really a concern. We stood strong. We held strong very well in our defensive 25, but in the end, we didn't have enough possessions. We didn't hold enough possession against and under pressure, so we need to look into that and do better moving forward.”

With the victory, Virginia advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history. UVA will look to return to the Final Four for the second season in a row and seventh time in program history when the Cavaliers battle No. 2 seed Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats defeated Miami (Ohio) 9-2 in the first round on Friday.

Sunday's quarterfinal match will begin at 2pm at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Illinois and will be televised on 2pm ET. The winner of Virginia vs. Northwestern will advance to the NCAA semifinals, which will be played on Friday, November 22nd in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.