Wake Forest University
Maryland
Field Hockey Falls in ACC Tournament Final
11/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 4, 2001
Chapel Hill, N.C. - The third-ranked Wake Forest field hockey team's 11-game win streak came to an end today as the Demon Deacons lost to the Maryland Terrapins, 3-2 in the finals of the ACC Field Hockey Championships. With the loss, the Deacons fall to 14-4, while the Terps improve to 17-3.
Maryland got on the board first, with 24:48 remaining in the first half when Carissa Messimer scored off a penalty corner from Sara Silvetti. The Deacons answered with 8:53 remaining when senior forward Jennie Shelton collected a rebound and flipped it into the goal to knot the score at, 1-1. Just over three minutes later, junior Heather Aughinbaugh found a rebound off a penalty corner and deposited the ball in the net to put the Deacons ahead, 2-1. Both defenses held strong for the remainder of the half and the Deacons went into halftime leading 2-1.
With 26:44 remaining in the second half, the Terps evened the score when Messimer tipped a shot from Autumn Welsh into the roof of the net to tie the score at 2-2. For more than 20 minutes, the teams went back and forth, with neither squad gaining an edge, but with 4:11 remaining in regulation, Maryland's Caroline Walter sent the ball in towards the net from outside the circle and Dina Rizzo found the back of the net. The referees discussed the ruling on the field, as it appeared that Rizzo may not have touched the ball, but after deliberating, the call stood and the Terps were on top, 3-2. That is how the score remained and the Terrapins had their fourth straight ACC Championship.
Despite the loss, Wake Forest head coach Jennifer Averill was proud of her team's performance. "It was a tremendous match and both teams fought hard," Averill said. "We played a great game of hockey, but there are no guarantees. The score doesn't reflect it, but we won a battle today."
Aughinbaugh, ACC Co-Player of the Year Jemima Cameron and sophomore Lucy Shaw were named to the All-ACC Tournament team.
The NCAA Championships Committee will release the bids and seedings for the NCAA Tournamenton Tuesday at 8 p.m. on a live web broadcast. To access the broadcast, fans can go to www.ncaachampionships.com. The tournament will begin on Saturday, November 10.
