All-Tournament Team | Tournament MVP | ACC Rookie of the Year
Tournament Game Recaps
Day One: Virginia 3, Duke 1
Day Two: Maryland 4, Virginia 1 | Wake Forest 3, Duke 2 OT)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of Maryland claimed its fourth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 win over Wake Forest at Francis E. Henry Stadium. Senior Dina Rizzo scored the game-winner with 4:11 left to play, on an assist from senior Caroline Walter.
"When teams play at such a high level, you need a little good fortune and that's what we got in the final minutes with that third goal," Maryland coach Missy Meharg. "We didn't have our 'A' game today, but we had our 'A' heart."
The Terrapins (17-3) were the tournament's top seed and currently are tied for the No. 1 spot on the national poll. Wake Forest (16-4) was the No. 2 seed in the tournament and is ranked third in the nation. The Demon Deacons brought an 11-game winning streak, the longest in the country and the best in school history, into the match.
Maryland scored first, on a penalty corner just over 10 minutes into the action, when freshman Sara Silvetti fed a pass to senior Carissa Messimer, a teammate from Crestwood High School in Mountaintop, Pa.
Late in the first half, Wake Forest scored twice in a span of just more than three minutes. With 8:52 to play before halftime, senior Jennie Shelton scored on a rebound following a penalty corner attempt by the Deacons. With 5:24 remaining in the half, junior Heather Aughinbaugh put in a ball after Maryland goalkeeper Ashley Hohnstine made a save on the initial penalty corner shot.
With 26:44 to play in the second half, Maryland tied the game at 2-2 when Messimer scored her second goal of the afternoon, on an assist from senior Autumn Welsh, who was named the tournament's MVP for the second year in a row. Rizzo's late goal, her 13th of the season, proved to be the game-winner for Maryland.
"It was a fantastic match," Wake Forest coach Jennifer Averill said. "Both teams played really hard. I thought we stuck to our gameplan and put Maryland under a tremendous amount of pressure."
Maryland had just five shots for the game, a season low, to 12 by Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons also led on corners, 9-4.
Maryland 3, Wake Forest 2
Scoring: UM - Carissa Messimer (Sara Silvetti), 1st, 24:49, WFU - Jennie Shelton, 1st, 8:52, WFU - Heather Aughinbaugh, 1st, 5:24, UM - Carissa Messimer (Autumn Welsh), 2nd, 26:44, UM - Dina Rizzo (Caroline Walter), 2nd, 4:11
Goalkeeper saves: UM 3 (Ashley Hohnstine), WFU 2 (Katie Ridd)
Penalty corners: UM 4, WFU 9
2001 ACC Field Hockey All-Tournament Team:
Chrissy Ashley (Duke)
Susan Hayes (UNC)
Carrie Lingo (UNC)
Carrie Goodloe (Virginia)
Mason White (Virginia)
Heather Aughinbaugh (Wake Forest)
Jemima Cameron (Wake Forest)
Lucy Shaw (Wake Forest)
Carissa Messimer (Maryland)
Caroline Walter (Maryland)
2001 ACC Field Hockey Tournament MVP:
Autumn Welsh (Maryland)
2001 ACC Field Hockey Rookie of the Year:
Colleen Barbieri (Maryland)
