Photo courtesy of Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics Communications
No. 16 UVA Field Hockey Shuts Down Drexel 4-1 for Third Straight Win
The No. 16 Virginia field hockey team dispatched Drexel 4-1 on Sunday afternoon for its third victory in a row and tenth win of the season.
The Cavaliers outshot the Dragons 31-5 and shots on goal were 19-4 in favor of UVA.
Senior back Amber Ezechiels got the Hoos on the board first with her team-leading seventh goal of the season a little over three minutes into the match. Rachel Robinson served in the penalty corner and Greer Gill set the ball for Ezechiels, who sent in a scorcher to put UVA up 1-0.
Drexel did well to keep the score at just a one-goal margin for most of the first half, but Virginia managed to score again to double its lead just before halftime. In a scrum in front of the net, freshman Noa Boterman collected the ball, maneuvered through multiple defenders, and chipped it past the Drexel goalkeeper for her fifth goal of the season.
Drexel scored the lone goal of the third quarter on a penalty corner by Puk Thewessen to draw back within one.
The Dragons hung around in the second half, threatening to tie the game. Virginia had 19 shots combined in the third and fourth quarters, but Drexel goalie Megan Hadfield registered 15 saves to keep things close. UVA goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy made three saves in the match.
Finally, with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers picked up an insurance goal. Sophomore midfielder Anneloes Knol took a shot that was blocked by Hadfield, but Knol took another swing off of the rebound and scored her first goal of the season.
Three minutes later, the Hoos scored again as Drexel committed a foul during a penalty corner and Rachel Robinson converted the penalty stroke to put UVA up 4-1.
Check out the full highlights here:
The Cavaliers have outscored their last three opponents by a combined margin of 11-3.
With the win, Virginia improves to 10-6 overall with just one game remaining in the regular season. The Hoos host No. 10 North Carolina in the regular season finale on Friday at 5pm.
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