University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
No. 4 UNC Opens ACC Slate With Loss To No. 10 Virginia
September 17, 2006 | Field Hockey
Sept. 17, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 10 Virginia scored two first-half goals to beat No. 4 North Carolina 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Francis E. Henry Stadium, dealing the Tar Heels their first Atlantic Coast Conference loss of the season and their second defeat in as many days. Virginia improved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC with the win, while UNC fell to 6-2 (0-1).
The Cavaliers got on the board just 2:34 into the match after drawing a penalty corner. UNC goalkeeper Brianna O'Donnell saved the initial UVa shot, but senior Biffy Cornelison was there to grab the rebound and put it in the goal.
UNC evened the score four minutes later, when senior Karen Mann came up with her her team-high sixth goal of the season. After Virginia keeper Katherine Blair came out of the goal to thwart a UNC attempt, Mann grabbed the ball and shot it into the right side of the cage.
The Cavaliers scored what would prove to be the game-winner with just over five minutes remaining before halftime. Freshman Traci Ragukas got her stick on a ball in front of the cage and sent it past O'Donnell to go up 2-1 for good.
Both teams had opportunities in the second half, with Virginia getting off six shots and UNC seven, but neither team managed another goal.
The win was Virginia's first in Chapel Hill since the 1997 season, when the Cavaliers won 2-0 on Sept. 19. Virginia's last win in the series came during the 2002 season, and UNC had won five in a row since then.
UNC's loss to Virginia followed a 3-1 defeat by No. 3 Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels came into the weekend unbeaten at 6-0.
"We're obviously very disappointed with the weekend," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I give great credit to UVa. I think they had a wonderful gameplan and they outhustled us to balls, especially in the first half. They made things happen. You can't afford to give a good team a goal that early in the game."
Carolina returns to action on Saturday with its first ACC road game of the season, against Duke in Durham, N.C. Game time is 1 p.m. UNC's next home game is Sunday, Sept. 24, when Albany visits Henry Stadium for the teams' first-ever meeting.
No. 10 Virginia 2, No. 4 North Carolina 1
Scoring: VA - Biffy Cornelison, 2:34; UNC - Karen Mann, 6:41; VA - Traci Ragukas, 29:26
Shots: UNC 12, VA 15
Penalty corners: UNC 4, VA 3
Goalkeeper saves: UNC (Brianna O'Donnell) 5, VA (Katherine Blair) 4
Defensive saves: UNC 1 (Melanie Brill)
Records: UNC 6-2, VA 6-1
UNC starters: Illse Davids, Riley Foster, Alli Tanner, Heather Kendell, Hilary Hartman, Jesse Gey, Ashley Judge, Karen Mann, Xan Funk, Danielle Forword, Brianna O'Donnell
UNC substitutes: Kate Scholl, Melanie Brill, Britt van Beek, Liz Morris
