EVANSVILLE, Ill. – The Virginia field hockey team (14-4) opened the 2024 NCAA Field Hockey Championship with a 2-1 victory over Michigan (15-5) Friday, Nov. 15, at Lakeside Field in Evansville, in Illinois.

Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the first half and added a second goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 2-0 lead. Michigan scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game to make it 2-1. Michigan had a chance to tie it with a penalty corner with 18 seconds left in the game, but the Cavalier defense held on for the win.

Virginia advances to the NCAA quarterfinals, where it will face regional host, No. 2 Northwestern (20-1), Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m. ET.

Goals (Help)
7:41 p.m. Virginie – Suze Leemans (Jans Croon)
50:11 Virginie – Daniela Mendez-Trender (Caroline Nemec)
58:27 Northwest – Kate McLaughlin (Esmee de Willigen)

HOW THIS HAPPENED

Graduate student Suze Leemans got the Cavaliers on the scoreboard, deflecting a shot from senior Jans Croon on a penalty corner with 10:29 left in the second quarter. Virginia entered the halftime break with a 1-0 lead, outshooting Michigan 7-1.

Junior Daniela Mendez-Trendler doubled the Cavaliers’ advantage, taking a pass from junior Caroline Nemec and firing a backhand shot past the goalie and into the board with 9:42 remaining.

The Wolverines increased the pressure, drawing four penalty corners with time remaining, scoring their third with 1:33 remaining. Michigan’s fourth corner came with 18 seconds left in the game, but the attempt was blocked and the Cavaliers held on for the victory.

REMARKS

• Michigan made nine of its 11 shots in the fourth quarter and made six of its eight corner kicks in the period
• Virginia made seven of eight shots in the first half. UVA’s only shot in the second half was Daniela Mendez-Trendler’s goal
• Northwestern pulled its goalie with 3:18 left
• Nilou Lempers made three saves. Hala Silverstein made four saves for Michigan
• Senior Noa Boterman made a defensive stop in the second quarter
• Daniela Mendez-Trendler scored her seventh goal of the season, her team’s best goal
• Suze Leemans’ goal was her sixth of the season and her first since September 22.
• Northwestern defeated the University of Miami 9-2 in the first game of the day
• It’s Virginia 15^th time spent in NCAA quarterfinals
• Virginia is attempting to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the seventh time in program history.

FROM HEAD COACH OLE KEUSGEN

“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 offensive situations. We prepared very well, in terms of the corners, and that made a big difference. Having that narrow lead after our first few turns meant a lot to us. Defensively, it’s never really a problem. We remained strong. We held on 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 at that and do better moving forward.

ON THE HORIZON

• The winner of the Virginia/Northwest game will advance to the NCAA semifinals on November 22 at Phyllis Ocker Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.