Cavaliers’ season ends with heartbreaking loss to Iowa in shootout in NCAA Tournament

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia field hockey team had its season come to an end with a shootout loss against Iowa in the Round of 16 of the 2022 NCAA Field Hockey Championship on Friday Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill.

Iowa (12-7) scored in the final seconds of the first half to take a 1-0 lead. Laura Janssen scored the game-tying goal on the opening possession of the fourth quarter.

After two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, the Cavaliers (13-8) and Hawkeyes went to a shootout. The score was tied 3-3 after the five players shootout and went to sudden victory. After both teams missed their first extra shot, Virginia missed on their seventh attempt while Iowa converted theirs to end the game.

Iowa advances to Sunday’s quarterfinals. Host Northwestern also advanced by winning a shootout in the first match of the day against Miami University.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Iowa scored its goal with 34 seconds remaining in the first half when a shot by Esme Gibson deflected off a Virginia defender’s stick into the goal. Each team only had a single shot in the first half.

Virginia tied the game by scoring off the opening possession of the fourth quarter. At the whistle, UVA lifted the ball over the Iowa defense, with Taryn Tkachuk racing down the sidelines to receive the pass. She sent a rocket pass to Janssen in the circle, who fired off a shot that deflected off an Iowa stick into the net to tie the game.

Iowa had a good scoring opportunity in the final minutes of regulation when the Cavaliers had two players on the sidelines with green cards. The Hawkeyes also had a penalty corner in the final minute and a half, but the attempt was blocked, sending the game into overtime.

Iowa had two penalty corners and four shots in the second overtime but could not score.

Lieve Schalk scored the deciding goal in the stroke-off.

NOTES

• Iowa had a 7-5 edge in shots, but five of those shots came in overtime
• Both goalkeepers made two saves
• Janssen’s goal was her team-leading 12th of the season. She finishes her career with 34 goals and five assists for 73 points
• Janssen, Adele Iacobucci and Noa Boterman converted their initial stroke opportunities
• This was the 26th trip to NCAA Championship for the Cavaliers and their 14th in head coach Michele Madison’s 17 seasons at Virginia. It is their seventh trip to the Championship in the last eight seasons

FROM HEAD COACH MICHELE MADISON
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team, not just today but the entire season. They’ve supported themselves and supported me, showed up every day like they showed up today. It’s really tough to take when you don’t do anything wrong, except you just don’t win the game. And that’s what’s the hardest to take. I think for everybody.”

“Thank you to Northwestern for being such great hosts. And congratulations to Iowa.”

On what she will take away from this season
“There are too many things even think about but just the joy in the team and the wonder of it all. How hard they worked, how hard they believed every game. And they made things happen. I think they’ll take that with them for the rest of their life.”