Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
UVA Field Hockey Has Six-Game Winning Streak Snapped in Loss to Wake Forest
Throughout their six-match winning streak, the Cavaliers had knocked off five ranked opponents, including three teams ranked in the top 15. Looking to keep that momentum going against another top 15 opponent, that streak finally came to an end. The No. 6 Virginia field hockey team yielded a goal with just over five minutes remaining and suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 12 Wake Forest on Friday evening at the UVA Turf Field in Charlottesville.
Friday's match marked the first time all season that Virginia had been shut out. Both teams attempted nine shots, but had only five combined shots on goal. The defensive units for both teams ruled the day, as offensive chances were few and rarely had legitimate scoring potential.
After a scoreless first half that saw Virginia outshoot Wake Forest 6-2, but fail to place a single shot on goal, the Demon Deacons seized momentum in the third quarter. Wake outshot UVA 6-1 in the third period, putting consistent offensive pressure on the Virginia defense that eventually produced a golden opportunity.
Late in the third quarter, Wake's Hannah Maxwell took a shot from point-blank range that was blocked illegally by the body of UVA senior back Cato Geusgens, resulting in a penalty stroke for the Deacs. Sky Caron took the penalty stroke, but UVA goalkeeper Jet Trimborn made a superb save, sliding to her right and getting a pad on the ball to block it.
Thanks to Trimborn's heroics, the Cavaliers avoided disaster, but only temporarily. With just a little over five minutes remaining, Wake took advantage of a penalty corner and Abby Carpenter put a shot past Trimborn for the first and only goal of the match. UVA pulled Trimborn and Wake was also whistled for a yellow card, giving the Cavaliers a two-player advantage for the final couple of minutes of the match. But, Virginia was still unable to break through and suffered its first shutout loss since falling to North Carolina 1-0 in the final of the 2021 ACC Championship.
Now 9-4 and 3-2 in ACC play, Virginia will look to bounce back in an in-state, non-conference matchup at No. 16 Liberty on Tuesday at 4pm in Lynchburg.
To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:
Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN