Virginia’s Season Ends in NCAA Semifinals

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Virginia field hockey team (14-7) suffered a 2-0 loss against top-seeded North Carolina (17-3) in the semifinals of the 2023 NCAA Field Hockey Championship on Friday (Nov. 17) at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

North Carolina scored goals in the first and second quarters to take a 2-0 lead into halftime and held on for that same margin of victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cavaliers went on the attack early, with two penalty corners and three shots in the first three minutes of the game, but it was the Tar Heels that struck first, with Ryleigh Heck scoring on UNC’s first shot of the game to take a 1-0 lead 6:49 into the game.

The Tar Heels added a second goal, scoring on a penalty corner with 8:44 remaining in the first half.

The Cavaliers had a pair of penalty corners in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but both attempts were blocked.

UVA pulled its goalkeeper with 5:46 remaining. The Tar Heels had a penalty corner with three minutes remaining in the game with the Cavalier defense blocking the attempt.

FROM ACTING HEAD COACH OLE KEUSGEN

“Heart. Grit. That’s what I saw today. It’s something we have been very proud of and that we have done so well in the last weeks. So I feel nothing but pride for the team. The way we performed against a very good team was amazing. Obviously, it was a very low-scoring game with six and eight shots. It all comes down to very little details. It comes down to corners, which we have done so well in the past weeks, but we didn’t convert any today. That was the big difference for us today.”

“Our group is amazing. What we have done in the last weeks, the momentum that we carried, that just speaks for itself. I think I personally would run through a wall for this team, and I think everyone else can say that for each other. That starts from the bottom and goes all the way up. We create that feeling that we’re here for each other and that carries momentum. Obviously, we started a winning streak that made a lot of stuff easier. But what it says about those young women is that they are incredibly resilient and strong. We’re just very proud of that part.”

NOTES

• North Carolina held an 8-6 edge in shots
• Corners were five apiece
• Tyler Kennedy made four saves for UVA; Maddie Khan had two saves for UNC
• Virginia’s previous trips to the NCAA Semifinals were in 1997, 1998, 2009, 2010, and 2019
• Grad student midfielder Adele Iacobucci ends her career having appeared in a program-record 104 games with 19 goals and eight assists for 46 points
• Grad student striker Laura Janssen ends her career with 39 goals and 10 assists for 88 points