May 21, 2005

With the #6 Virginia Cavaliers facing a 5-2 deficit 8:42 into the NCAA semifinal against #2 Duke, the Hoos turned to their stalwart defense and held one of the nation's top scoring offenses in check over the next 12 minutes while scoring the next three goals to tie the game. A Duke 8-meter shot put them ahead for 68 more seconds, but the Virginia offense scored three goals in the span of 96 seconds to take an 8-6 lead they would not relinquish. Ashleigh Haas and Kim Connors both had four draw controls, two goals and an assist to lead the Cavaliers. Ginger Miles proceeded to make seven saves in the second half to help the Hoos (17-4) advance to the NCAA title game for the third consecutive year. There, Virginia will play top-ranked and undefeated Northwestern (20-0) on Sunday (May 22) at 2:06 pm.

The Blue Devils scored on their first shot of the game just 56 seconds into the contest as Kristen Waagbo fed Rachel Sanford, who drove down the right side of the cage for a goal. Cary Chasney won the draw and the Virginia offense drew a three-seconds violation on the Duke defense, and Nikki Lieb buried the 8-meter shot to tie the game one minute after Sanford's goal. The Blue Devils got a pair of goals from Waagbo and Jester three minutes apart to push the lead to 3-1 at 6:31.

Miles then made one of her three first-half saves and Lieb scooped up the ground ball. Virginia cleared the ball and Appelt rolled the crease for a goal at 7:15 to pull the Hoos to within one at 3-2. A Katie Chrest goal followed by a Stef Sparks goal just 48 seconds apart pushed the margin up to 5-2 at 7:42 and forced the Cavaliers to take a timeout.

Out of the timeout Ashleigh Haas won the draw, one of three she had over the next six consecutive draw controls for the Cavaliers. Haas took it straight to the cage where she scored just 12 seconds after Sparks to pull Virginia to 5-3. Lieb won the draw but Duke's Megan Huether made a save, giving possession to the Blue Devils. At the other end of the field, Kim Connors picked up an overthrown ball and started it going the other way. In the Virginia settled attack, Connors fed a cutting Tyler Leachman, who scored at 12:05 to make the score 5-4 in favor of Duke. Again Lieb won the draw but the Blue Devils came away with the possession a minute later, but in the Virginia defensive zone, Lieb knocked down a pass in the arc and the Hoos brought the ball upfield where Amy Appelt fed a streaking Chasney, who tied the game at 5-5 at 16:45. A Sanford conversion of an 8-meter shot at 20:42 broke a 12-minute scoreless drought for the Blue Devils and gave them back the lead at 6-5.

Again it was Haas winning a crucial draw, and Virginia settled the ball in their offensive zone before Haas dumped the ball into Courtney Young, who scored at 22:00 to tie the game. Connors won the ensuing draw, and she led Leachman with a pass, who in turn hit a streaking Haas, who scored 15 seconds after feeding Young, giving the Cavaliers their first lead of the game at 7-6 at the 22:15 mark.

The Blue Devils won the next draw, but an apparent goal was nullified with a crease violation, giving the ball to Miles in the goal circle. Virginia cleared the ball upfield where Kate Breslin dumped the ball ahead to Connors, who scored at 23:36 to give Virginia an 8-6 lead. Meredith Lazarus won the next draw, and the Cavaliers spread their offense before Leachman was fouled on a drive to the cage. She converted the 8-meter shot and Virginia led 9-6 at 25:11.

In the Cavaliers' 7-1 run over that 16-minute stretch, Virginia won seven draws, including three by Haas and two by Lieb. A Duke goal by Waagbo at 26:45 made the score 9-7, which the teams took into the break.

Duke's Chrest then scored 26 seconds into the second half, and then again off a feed from Sparks four minutes later to tie the game at 9-9 at the 34:31 mark.

An errant Blue Devil pass was picked up by Leachman, giving the Cavaliers possession after Duke won the 20th draw of the game. She dumped the ball into Chasney, who scored her second goal of the game at 38:04 to give Virginia the lead at 10-10. Duke's Waagbo netted her third goal of the game, off a feed from Sanford, at 39:16 to tie the game at 10-10.

The Cavaliers then exploded for four goals in a span of 2:14 to give Virginia a 14-10 lead. It started with one of Miles' seven second-half saves. She cleared the ball up to Connors, who fed Leachman. Leachman gave the ball to Appelt, who again rolled the crease and scored at 40:58 to give the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish. It was also Appelt's 38th career goal in the NCAA tournament, establishing a new career record in tournament play.

Chasney won the ensuing draw and the Cavaliers settled their attack briefly before she fed a cutting Breslin, who dashed across the arc and scored at 42:28 to give Virginia a 12-10 lead. Chasney again won the draw, and she led Leachman, who drove to the cage and scored 15 seconds after Breslin for a 13-10 lead. The next draw sailed back behind the restraining line, but Ashley Dodson corralled the ball and got the ball to Lieb, who fed Breslin, who launched a pass right to the stick of a streaking Connors, who was alone in the fan. Connors took it right to the cage and scored 29 seconds after Leachman, giving the Hoos a 14-10 lead at the 43:12 mark, forcing Duke to take their second timeout.

Again it was a Miles save that started the next scoring play as the Cavaliers took the ball upfield where the Hoos spread their offense. Chasney and Appelt then worked a 2v2 and attacked the cage, with Chasney feeding Appelt for a goal at 46:47, giving the Cavaliers a 15-10 lead. Duke's Leigh Jester then scored a pair of goals 63 seconds apart to pull the Blue Devils within three at the 48:41 mark.

Again, though, it was Haas winning a crucial draw control to give Virginia possession. The Cavaliers worked the ball around and took precious minutes off the clock before Huether made a point blank save giving the Blue Devils possession. They converted as Jess Adam made good on an 8-meter shot at 56:31, pulling the Blue Devils within two at 15-13, forcing the Cavaliers to take their final timeout.

In the huddle, Connors said it: "We are going to win this draw."

That she did, and Virginia possessed the ball in their attacking zone for the next three minutes. Duke gained possession when a Cavalier line attacker slipped on the wet surface, and the Blue Devils started a break downfield with less than a minute on the clock. With one defender to beat for a breakaway goal, the Blue Devils attempted a pass into the arc, but it was Julie Hauser who saved the game with a caused turnover, knocking down the pass where it was picked up by Miles. The Cavaliers held on to the ball and the win, sending the Cavaliers to the final game for the third consecutive year.

Virginia's opponent in the finals is Northwestern, the team the Hoos beat in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2004 en route to the national title. Since that game, the `Cats have not lost-a span of 20 games--and Northwestern is the top-ranked team in the nation. Ironically, the Cavaliers played a top-ranked and undefeated team in the championship game of 2004, and it was the Hoos who handed the #1 team their first defeat of the season.

For Appelt, who was named a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist for the second consecutive year, it was her third consecutive semifinal or final game with at least four points, and she now has 257 career goals and 113 career assists for 370 career points. Leachman now has 63 goals on the season along with 16 assists for 79 points.

Linescore	1	2	F	records
Virginia	9	6	15	(17-4)
Duke		7	6	13	(17-4)
Scoring summary:
0:56	D	Sanford	Waagbo	0-1
1:57	V	Lieb	8m	1-1
3:26	D	Waagbo	Chrest	1-2
6:31	D	Jester	---	1-3
7:15	V	Appelt	---	2-3
7:54	D	Chrest	---	2-4
8:42	D	Sparks	Waagbo	2-5
9:06	V	Haas	---	3-5
12:05	V	Leachman	Connors	4-5
16:45	V	Chasney	Appelt	5-5
20:42	D	Sanford	8m	5-6
22:00	V	Young	Haas	6-6
22:15	V	Haas	Leachman	7-6
23:36	V	Connors	Breslin	8-6
25:11	V	Leachman	8m	9-6
26:45	D	Waagbo	Laschinger	9-7
30:26	D	Chrest	Sanford	9-8
34:31	D	Chrest	---	9-9
38:04	V	Chasney	Leachman	10-9
39:16	D	Waagbo	Sanford	10-10
40:58	V	Appelt	---	11-10
42:28	V	Breslin	Chasney	12-10
42:43	V	Leachman	---	13-10
43:12	V	Connors	Breslin	14-10
46:47	V	Appelt	Chasney	15-10
47:38	D	Jester	8m	15-11
48:41	D	Jester	----	15-12
56:31	D	Adam	8m	15-13
Goals: V: Appelt 3, Leachman 3, Chasney 2, Connors 2, Haas 2, Breslin 1, Young 1, Lieb 1
	D: Waagbo 3, Chrest 3, Jester 3, Sanford 2, Sparks 1, Adam 1
Assists: V: Leachman 2, Chasney 2, Breslin 2, Appelt 1, Connors 1, Haas 1
	D: Waagbo 2, Sanford 2, Chrest 1, Laschinger 1, Sparks 1
Goalies; V: Miles (60 mins, 10 saves, 13 GA)
	D: Huether (60 mins, 7 saves, 15 GA)
Draws: V 16, D 14
Shots: V 23, D 17
Ground balls: V 8, D 10
Turnovers: V 9, D 5
Caused turnovers: V 3, D 4
Fouls: V 10, D 11
8-meter attempts: V 2, D 6
8-meter shots: V 2, D 5
Clearing: V 9-10, D 9-10

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