Spiders emerge victorious in double overtime clash

The University of Richmond field hockey team came out on top in a 2-1 double-overtime struggle against Davidson College on Friday, Oct. 10, in Davidson, N.C.

UR was itching to boost its 2-1 conference record, the wake of a historic loss against Saint Louis University on Oct. 3 still lingering like an unwelcome ghost sitting on the Spiders’ shoulders.

Play kicked off, and both teams were immediately locked down in evenly matched warfare. As the Spiders and Wildcats dug in and settled, neither squad could knock the other down. Davidson finally took the first stab at a goal, only for the attempt to be saved by junior goalkeeper Amanda Cimillo.

The Spiders generated a penalty corner in the 13th minute of the first quarter but found the Wildcats’ defense air-tight. Davidson answered just seconds later with a penalty corner of its own, this time making it count and finding the back of the cage.

With less than two minutes remaining, the Spiders tried and failed to gain any leverage.

However, it didn’t take long for the opportunity to arise in the second quarter. In the 18th minute of play, junior forward Clara Larripa scored a goal during a penalty corner, evening the score at 1-1.

That play marked the end of scoring for the next 56 minutes of the contest. The Wildcats tried with all their might to regain the lead leading up to the half but fell short each time. Tallying four penalty corners in a row did little to aid them, as each attempt fell flat.

The buzzer sounded, the score still tied at the break.

A yellow card on a Davidson player less than three minutes into the third quarter marked what would be a tense second half. Richmond spent the early minutes picking up two blocked shots from penalty corners before the Wildcats drew up their own failed corner attempt.

Continuing to grapple, neither team secured any points on the board going into the fourth quarter. An early shot and save later, the Spiders found themselves empty-handed — well, almost.

Junior forward Valen Luna Paratore and senior defender picked up green cards within seconds of each other, the game drudging along.

TradingSwitching blocked shots as the time shed from the clock did little to ease the increasingly anxious audience. The Spiders were going into overtime, a feat they are often victorious in.

The first 10 minutes of overtime were frustrating, neither team quite able to take advantage of repeated corner opportunities. Cimillo certainly felt the heat, making two saves in the exchange.

Spilling into double overtime, both sides were exhausted and pushed to their limits. The Spiders were anything but ready to give in. Firing off two quick shots set the tone for the rest of the contest.

In the 74th minute of play, first-year forward Reese Miller tipped in a goal for UR, earning herself a dramatic first collegiate goal that marked a hard-fought Spider victory.

While Davidson tallied more penalty corners and shots than Richmond, the Spiders persevered and beamed in the glory of lifting their 7-5 record up a notch.

Marking a vital game on the conference schedule, UR needed to pull off a win to keep itself in the top half of the Atlantic 10 leaderboard. The worry now will be the arguably tougher A-10 games left on the docket.

With more than half of the season over, only two conference opponents remain: the 2024 National Championship runner-up Saint Joseph’s University and the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams, a team that upset Saint Joe’s 1-0 on Oct. 10.

Richmond will have a short break from conference play, staying in N.C. to face Queens University of Charlotte on Bessant Field Sunday, Oct. 12, at 2:00 p.m.

Then, the battle for a chance at the A-10 Championships will continue.

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu