UVa advances to ACC final

No. 3 Virginia won its second game in as many days, defeating No. 2 North Carolina 1-0 last night in the second matchup of the ACC field hockey semifinals. The win against the Tar Heels was the Cavaliers’ first since 2006 in their first year under head coach Michele Madison.

The Cavaliers move on to Sunday’s ACC championship game, where they will take on No. 1 Maryland. This will be the first time Virginia has made it to the ACC championship since 2000, when the Cavaliers lost to Maryland 3-0.

“It is exciting to beat a high quality team like UNC and to make the finals of the ACC tournament in front of the home crowd,” said Virginia goalkeeper Kim Kastuk. “It is a big confidence booster for us going into NCAAs — it could not have come at a better time.”

The Cavaliers had played North Carolina earlier in the year, losing 2-1 in overtime when the Tar Heels converted on a penalty corner in the 83rd minute. Friday’s game was just as dramatic, coming down to the last play of the game. The Tar Heels, down 1-0, earned a corner with no time left on the clock.

“We circled up before and I told the team we are about to go to the finals,” Kastuk said. “One last play, go hard as you can and we are in the finals.”

Kastuk delivered on her promise and was able to stop the Tar Heels’ final shot and secure Virginia a spot in the championship game. She finished with nine saves in the game and was key for the UVa defense all night.

The Cavaliers’ familiarity with North Carolina helped them prepare knowing the Tar Heels’ tendencies. From the beginning, Virginia looked to slow the tempo down and play ball-control hockey.

The Tar Heels had other plans in mind as they were able to sporadically break through the Virginia defense. UNC attacked early, earning corners while UVa was struggling to get the ball into the circle for most of the first half. Kastuk was challenged early and often as the Tar Heels earned five corners throughout the first half, but made several athletic saves on Tar Heel corners to prevent UNC from scoring.

Virginia finally earned a corner with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Inga Stockel’s shot was stopped by UNC goalie Jackie Kintzer, but freshman Charlotte van den Broek was on the left post to put away the rebound and give the Cavaliers the lead on her first career goal.

In the second half, the Tar Heels began to assert themselves on offense more. The Heels had several opportunities to tie the game, outshooting the Cavaliers 14-6 and holding an 8-3 advantage on penalty corners for the game, but the UVa defense held strong even as the Tar Heels pulled Kintzer for an extra attacker.

“To be in the championship of a conference like this is a great accomplishment for the team,” Madison said. “They believed they could beat them and they did it.”

The Cavaliers will now take on Maryland, which beat No. 9 Wake Forest 3-2 in Friday’s first semifinal behind goals from Nicole Muracco, Emma Thomas and Ameliet Rischen. The Terrapins beat the Cavaliers 3-1 in the teams’ only meeting this season.