Field Hockey: UVA gets past Saint Joseph’s, 2-1, moves on to NCAA quarterfinals

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia field hockey team opened the 2023 NCAA Field Hockey Championship with a 2-1 victory against Saint Joseph’s on Friday at Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md.

Virginia (13-6) advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals to take on 4-seed Maryland (18-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in College Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Sophomore midfielder Daniela Mendez-Trendler got the Cavaliers on the scoreboard in the first quarter, scoring off a penalty corner with  3:07 remaining in the period. Junior back Jans Croon added a second goal off a penalty corner with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter to build up a 2-0 lead.

Croon’s goal became crucial when Saint Joseph’s scored on a second-chance shot after a penalty corner 1:43 later, making it a 2-1 game going into the fourth quarter.

The Hawks (16-5) outshot the Cavaliers 3-0 in the final frame but could not break through, even after pulling their goalkeeper for the final 5:36 of the contest.

FROM ACTING HEAD COACH OLE KEUSGEN

“It has been a while since we have advanced to the second round, so it feels great!”

“In the first half, our attack connection was working really well. We were able to build up the play, connect, and find the free side, which we didn’t do very well in the second half. We scored two goals on penalty corners. That is something that we worked on and it looked good.”

“The second half, Saint Joseph’s got through a little too easy. Although they played very well, it was a bit too easy to get in our circle. We battled. We didn’t really allow a lot of shots besides the penalty corners, which we have to work on. But yeah, how the team defended, the discipline and the passion in those tackles, I’m very proud of that. It was very good to see.”

“The recovery begins right now. We have to take care of our physical recovery, maybe some ice baths, maybe some snacks right away, and then get the tiredness and exhaustion out of our legs tomorrow, so we’re ready to go on Sunday again.”

NOTES

• Saint Joseph’s held an 11-8 edge in shots and 6-5 advantage in penalty corners
• Croon has scored three goals in the last two games
• Mendez-Trendler’s goal was her eighth of the year
• Emily Field assisted on both goals. She has six assists in the last four games
• Tyler Kennedy made four saves. Janelle Ward had two saves for SJU
• Virginia is ranked No. 5 in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll. Saint Joseph’s is No. 13
• No. 4 Maryland defeated No. 17 Old Dominion 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals in the early game of the College Park Regional
• Virginia last advanced to the quarterfinals in 2019
• This is the 11th time in program history UVA has made the quarterfinals
• Virginia is looking to advance to the NCAA Semifinals for the sixth time in program history
• Virginia fell 2-1 against Maryland on Sept. 18 in a regular-season meeting between the two teams