University of Delaware Athletics
No. 12 Delaware Meets No. 4 Virginia in NCAA Tournament Saturday
11/13/2015 12:16:00 PM | Field Hockey
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – With the first team goal notched off the list after claiming their third straight CAA title, the No. 12 Blue Hens look to continue their journey in the NCAA Tournament Saturday by facing No. 4 Virginia at 11:30 a.m. in first round action at University Hall Turf Field.
Delaware (16-5) clinched the CAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after defeating James Madison, 2-1, in an overtime thriller in the league's title game last Sunday.
No. 6 Duke and No. 13 Stanford meet at 2 p.m. with the winners of Saturday's games advancing to the second round game, which will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. at Virginia's University Hall Turf Field.
ADMISSION/PARKING
All seats at Turf Field for the games will be general admission with adult tickets priced at $5 and Student/Youth tickets priced at $3. Tickets can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com or by calling the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-542-8821. Day-of-game sales at Turf Field will be CASH ONLY. There will also be a $5 parking fee for those parking in the Cage Lot. Free parking will be available in the UHall, John Paul Jones Arena and McCue lots.
BROADCAST
Video for this weekend's NCAA Tournament games at Virginia will be broadcast online for free via Cavaliers Live.
LIVE STATS
· Saturday vs. No. 4 Virginia
ONLINE
Follow Delaware field hockey online at facebook.com/DelawareFieldHockey and on Twitter at @DelawareFH.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Lisa Giezeman scored the game-winning goal with 8:59 left in overtime as second-seeded Delaware captured its third straight CAA Field Hockey Championship, defeating top seed and tournament host James Madison, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at the JMU Field Hockey Complex. Giezeman, a member of the All-CAA Rookie Team, also added an assist in the win, while Esmée Peet accounted for the other UD score. Peet, a three-time All-CAA First Team member, was tabbed Tournament Most Outstanding Performer. Allie Mikelson and Maura Zarkoski were also named to the CAA All-Tournament Team alongside Giezeman. It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half, despite UD outshooting the hosts, 8-1. Peet put the Blue Hens on the board with just over five minutes left before halftime to take the 1-0 lead into the break. The No. 16 Dukes (15-6) battled continuously throughout and tied the contest in the 47th minute after sophomore Hannah Hall poked in a rebound shot. The drama grew as time winded down in regulation and eventually continued into overtime before Giezeman notched the 11th goal of her rookie campaign. Goalie Emmeline Oltmans finished the game with three saves in the victory.
· After clinching its third straight CAA Championship, Delaware enters NCAA Tournament play ranked No. 12 in the final Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season.
· UD has been ranked in the NFHCA Top 20 in each week since September 8 and are No. 14 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI.
· The Hens have reached the 16-win mark for the fifth time in program history and second time in three years.
· Delaware has won five of its last six games and outscored its opponents, 26-9, during that span. For the season, the Hens have outscored its opponents, 82-43.
· The Blue Hens are currently ranked fourth nationally with 3.9 goals per game and eighth with a scoring margin of 1.83. They are also fourth in points per game (10.81), fifth in assists per game (3.0) and ninth with 10.0 defensive saves.
· Junior All-American Esmée Peet will celebrate her 21st birthday on Saturday.
· Peet is 11th in program history with 92 points (38g, 16a). Her 38 goals are good for 10th all-time while her 16 assists place her in a tie for 16th in the record books alongside Amanda Warrington (2003-07).
· Michaela Patzner is third all-time for Delaware with 120 points (46g, 28a). Sharon Wilkie (1979-82) is second all-time with 123 points (59g, 5a). Patzner's 46 goals move her into a tie for fourth in program history with Carol Miller (1978-81).
· Allie Mikelson holds the school record with 16 career defensive saves.
SERIES INFORMATION
· The Blue Hens are 6-8-1 all-time against Virginia since the series inception in 1976.
· Delaware is winless in the past six contests versus the Cavaliers, including a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss on Oct. 18.
· Prior to the October matchup, the last meeting between the two teams came in 1993, with UVA pulling out the 4-2 victory.
· The Blue Hens are 2-5 against UVA on the road.
· UD's last win in Charlottesville came with a 2-1 decision on Oct. 6, 1985.
· A member of the NFHCA Hall of Fame, Michele Madison (Rutgers '84), is in her 10th season with the Cavaliers. During her tenure, she has led UVA to eight NCAA Tournament berths and an overall record to 141-72.
· Van de Kerkhof spent seven years as an assistant coach to Madison at Michigan State from 1999 to 2005. He succeeded Madison as the Spartans head coach after Madison left to take the Virginia job.
ABOUT NO. 4 VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers earned an at-large bid and the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing the year with a 14-5 record. This season marks the 20th trip to the NCAA Tournament for Virginia, who is seeking its fifth trip to the semifinals and first since 2010. Senior Taylor Brown was one of two Cavs to earn ACC All-Tournament Team honors after a weekend of solid play, including setting up Virginia's first goal in the semifinal overtime loss to Syracuse. Junior goalie Rebecca Holden was also named to the ACC All-Tournament Team after logging 15 saves in the two games. Holden is averaging 6.5 saves in her last four games. All-ACC First Team member junior Lucy Hyams scored a pair of goals in the ACC Tournament win over Duke and is second on the team with 29 points. Fellow First Team honoree sophomore Tara Vittese leads the team with 37 points and 14 goals.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
