North Carolina slips past UVa

There are no two ways about it: The first 69 minutes of the Virginia field hockey team’s game against North Carolina on Saturday afternoon was downright boring. Both teams struggled to get any kind of scoring chances and seemed to play tentative.
But the last 14-plus minutes of the contest more than made up for anything the game may have previously lacked in aesthetic value.
In a back-and-forth tilt in which each team had a number of chances to win, No. 2 UNC held off Virginia at the University Hall Turf Field to remain undefeated. The Tar Heels, thanks to a goal by Danielle Forword with 2:27 left into overtime, escaped Charlottesville with a 2-1 victory over the third-ranked Cavaliers.
“Our kids stayed in it — I give them a lot of credit,” said Virginia coach Michele Madison. “North Carolina is a very good team.
“We hope to see them again in ACC’s…we know where we had our opportunities. Now we can look at tape and see what we can exploit and what we’ll need to do to win next time.”
Until the final minute of regulation, Virginia, trailing by a goal, seemed headed for defeat. But then UVa (14-2, 1-2) midfielder Inga Stockel wound up for a shot from just outside the circle. The ball whizzed through a crowd of players and somehow managed to find the back of the net.
Virginia wasn’t immediately credited with the score because referees weren’t sure if the ball had been tipped, as rules would require. However, after a lengthy conference, it was determined that the ball had in fact been touched by UVa sophomore Paige Selenski.
“[Stockel] just hit it into the circle and I was able to get my stick on it,” Selenski explained. “It went through two of their defenders and I was right there to get a stick on it.
“I think the ref had had a bad angle. He thought it hit my foot, but my stick was in front of my foot.”
Selenski said Virginia’s perseverance paid off.
“I just felt like a goal was coming,” she said, “because I felt just so much energy on the team.
“We felt like we could score and tie it up.”
In the overtime, with the game being played 7-on-7, the action really picked up. Each squad had a number of scoring opportunities as possession yo-yoed from one end of the field to the other.
On two occasions, it seemed as if UNC had won the game after balls found their way into the goal. However, the first goal was ruled a dangerous shot, while the second was nullified because it came from beyond the circle.
Four minutes into the extra session, Stockel had a point-blank chance from just in front of the net but was turned away by UNC goalie Jackie Kintzer.
The Tar Heels (14-0,
4-0) notched the game-winner with under three minutes left. The score came off a penalty corner. Forword took a pass directly from Elizabeth Drazdowski and beat Virginia goalie Kim Kastuk.
“It always to hurts to lose — especially a close game like that — but overall I’m very proud of the team and I think we’re proud of ourselves,” said Kastuk, who had five saves. “We showed a lot of heart.
“We never quit. How we scored in those final seconds was a testament to our character.”
Selenski said the solid performance was yet another affirmation that the team will be ready come postseason.
“Right now we know we can match up with any of the top teams in the country,” she said. “We feel like we’ll be ready for anything when it comes to [the ACC and NCAA tournaments].”