ACC CHAMPIONS!

Virginia Field Hockey captured its first-ever ACC Championship title on Sunday afternoon as the sixth-seeded and seventh-ranked Cavaliers took down the fifth-seeded, fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 4-2. The Cavaliers have taken seven trips to the ACC Championship Finals, but this is the first time they’ve walked away with the hardware.

Four different Cavaliers scored on the day to make program history: Erin Shanahan, Izzy McDonough, Anzel Viljoen and Lucy Hyams. It’s the first time all season Carolina, who pulled its goalie with 12:42 to play, gave up four goals.

“They were so focused and disciplined,” Head Coach Michelle Madison said after the match. “They were so determined all season.”

“Today, I knew they were going to do it,” she continued. “They were not going to leave here without a victory.”

Virginia reached the finals by defeating third-seeded Boston College, 6-3, the second-highest combined scoring output in ACC Championship history, and seventh-seeded Wake Forest, 3-2 in overtime. Virginia and North Carolina have played in the ACC Finals three previous times, the last coming in 1997. The Tar Heels have won all three previous showings, but not today.

Congratulations to this hard working Virginia Field Hockey team! The Hoos will find out their NCAA fates Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m. The NCAA Tournament starts later this week.