Field hockey gets a heartbreak on Halloween against Richmond

Marcus Leary, Contributing Writer

VCU lost to the University of Richmond 2-1 on Friday in a double overtime matchup.

In a game with heavy playoff implications, the Rams and Spiders will share the regular season championship. VCU will be the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Richmond, which starts on Thursday, Nov. 6.

VCU head coach Stacey Bean said the regular season championship means something to her and she is happy with the growth she has seen this season, but they are not finished.

“We’re in a position to win a championship. That’s the bottom line,” Bean said. “It doesn’t matter what seed you’re in, you have to find a way to win two games.”

VCU will play the No. 3 seed St. Joseph’s University in the A-10 semi-final, a team it beat 1-0 in October.

“Every year, you always have to play somebody twice,” Bean said. 

The Rams dominated the time of possession through the first seven minutes of the first quarter. 

However, the Spiders struck first when third-year forward Clara Larripa netted the first goal of the game eight minutes in. Richmond turned defense into offense when it pressured hard on a VCU clearance and stole the ball deep in Ram territory. 

The rest of the first quarter was highlighted by multiple Spider penalty corner shots, but the Rams’ defense held strong with the quarter ending 1-0.

The second quarter saw both defenses tighten up. Neither offense was able to make things happen with three of the four goal scoring opportunities coming from penalty corner attempts, according to statbroadcast.

VCU redshirt second-year goalkeeper Emma Clements prevented Richmond from going up 2-0 late in the half when she saved the only shot on goal of the quarter.

Richmond led VCU in every major statistical category other than saves through the first half. The Spiders tallied one more goal, three more corners and three more shots, according to statbroadcast.

The beginning of the third quarter followed a similar trend to the second, with both teams going tit-for-tat up and down the field. 

The back half of the third belonged to VCU. Although it did not put any shots in the cage, it posted three shots on goal and two penalty corners. 

The highlight of the fourth quarter came less than five minutes in when VCU fourth-year Morena Macera scored the 1-1 equalizer, breaking the two quarter scoring drought.

Both teams had opportunities to put the game away but defenses continued to be stout, and regulation ended with the Rams and Spiders knotted up at one.

VCU came out of the gates hot in the first overtime period applying defensive pressure which led to a quick steal after Richmond started the period with the ball.

The Rams tried to turn their defensive pressure into offense taking multiple shots on goal early in the first overtime. However, Richmond third-year goalkeeper Amanda Cimillo put up four saves across both overtime periods.

Cimillo was a difference maker in the Spiders win tallying a total of nine saves, a majority of which came in the fourth quarter or overtime.

The black and gold continued on track with their offensive pressure in the second overtime putting up three penalty corners. 

The game-winning goal was scored by Richmond third-year forward Valen Luna Paratore, when she broke the VCU lines and Larripa found her on a fast break.

VCU third-year Josefina Ventimiglia said she believes the Rams can learn something from its loss.

“They were in our circle five or four times and they scored twice,” Ventimiglia said. “We were in their circle the whole time. We didn’t finish the play.”