The AU field hockey team had 15 minutes of overtime to beat Virginia at Jacobs Athletic Complex Wednesday.
It only needed one.
Sophomore Maggie Hall scored the game winner soon after the opening overtime whistle to give the No. 5 Eagles (14-0, 2-0) a 2-1 victory over the No. 20 Cavaliers in perhaps the team's most exciting game all season.
"I'm very confident in our overtime team," Hall said. "I didn't feel like there was that much pressure. I thought we were going to be able to pull it out."
Hall's first shot was blocked by Cavalier goalie Katherine Blair, but then was knocked in by a defender, prompting the Eagles reserves to rush the field to celebrate.
With overtime field hockey pitting teams in 7-on-7 action as opposed to 11-on-11 in regulation play, AU was able to take advantage of the free space, using its speed to attack the goal and ultimately win the game.
"I think it's huge any time we can get a win against a top 20 program and an (Atlantic Coast Conference) team," AU coach Steve Jennings said, "and when you're not playing your best game but still to be able to come out with this result is really huge for us."
Victory had already seemed assured with six minutes left in regulation. AU scored off of a penalty corner when senior Javiera Villagra deflected it into the corner of the goal. The Eagles nearly scored again shortly after on a shot by junior Camila Infante, which ricocheted off a stick and over Blair's head.
However after some confusion, the shot was judged to have been taken from outside the circle and was disallowed.
Virginia took advantage and swiftly brought the ball down the field and into the Eagles' scoring circle. A scrum ensued in front of the AU goal, with both Eagle defenders and Cavalier attackers struggling to get the ball to go their way. Somehow the ball got loose and trickled across the goal line to tie the game with little more than two minutes left.
"We would have a block tackle, they would gain it back, we'd block again" senior Maureen Daniel said. "One unlucky step here, one unlucky step there, it's in."
AU had two chances in the waning seconds of the game, when Infante danced into the circle and unleashed a rocket, only to have it blocked by the Cavalier goalie. AU got a second high shot off but that was also blocked by Blair.
In contrast to a wild second half, the first half was a defensive battle, with both sides getting sustained attacks but failing to score.
"We had talked a lot about how we were going to set up our 16-yard hits, making sure we didn't make dangerous turnovers in the middle that were going to set up goals," Daniel said.
The Eagles had five first-half penalty corners to Virginia's one. AU's defense, however, was relentless, poking away balls from Virginia attackers and stopping one-on-one attacks with a well-placed jab.
AU junior Goalkeeper Allison Fayfich was stellar as well. Fayfich had three saves including beautiful kick and glove saves to keep the Cavaliers scoreless. "She had a great game," Daniel said. "She's played well all season."
American's best chances in the first half came with balls crossed in front of the Virginia net, but each time there was no one there to finish. AU has scored 60 percent of its goals in the second half.
The Eagles now travel to Holy Cross to take on the Crusaders in Patriot League action Saturday. They return to Washington to take on No. 3 Maryland next Wednesday.
