Late penalty stroke sinks Virginia at Louisville

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia field hockey team (4-9, 0-2 ACC) suffered a 2-1 loss at Louisville (10-3, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday (March 13) at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

After a scoreless first quarter in which Virginia took the only two shots of the period, Louisville broke the tie by converting a penalty corner 1:13 in the second quarter.

The Cardinals’ one-goal advantage stood until junior midfielder Annie McDonough (Kennett Square, Pa.) dribbled around defenders in the circle, attacking the goal from the left side and hitting paydirt with 5:43 left in the game.

Louisville was awarded a penalty stroke with two minutes left in regulation. Mercedes Pastor converted the opportunity, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Virginia pulled its goalie to have an extra attacker in the final 1:55. The extra pressure paid off with UVA being awarded a penalty corner with a minute left in the game, but a shot by McDonough was saved and Louisville held on for the victory.

“Our team is mad about the result,” UVA coach Michele Madison said. “They played the kind of game you need to play to win in the ACC, but we didn’t pull it off. We played a solid defensive game and created what should have been enough offensive opportunities, but in the end, it’s about execution. I am very proud of their effort, in the game today and in the preparation this week leading up to it. Our practices gave us confidence and momentum and led to a very team-oriented performance today.”