Three notable victories over the weekend proved a microcosm of the upset-filled 2018 season. The growth of the game and dispersion of talent across the nation has produced thrilling games and surprising results all season long.
In the center of such results are Virginia Tech, Oregon and Brown. Each team made history in their own right by taking down nationally-ranked programs who have achieved NCAA Tournament success. All three squads used veteran leadership and belief that the upset was made to be. Additionally, each team had built toward triumph by experiencing close losses in the past.
The Hokies had never defeated Syracuse in the 17-year history of the series. It took 11 tries, but Virginia Tech (11-4, 4-1 ACC) finally solved the Orange after faltering by a goal in the 2017 regular season. The tide has shifted for Virginia Tech, whose current seniors witnessed the 2014 senior class graduate without notching a single ACC victory.
“A generation had passed with nothing happening,” second-year coach John Sung said. “[The current players] want to win. That’s one thing when I took over the program I didn’t realize was how resilient they were.”
A year ago, Virginia Tech went 1-5 in games decided by fewer than four goals as the team’s momentum sputtered late in the second half and eventually its season end soon followed. In 2018, the team has corrected itself and is now 5-2 in that same category, which includes two overtime wins.
Saturday’s victory was brought to fruition by the fearless play and mental determination of goalie Meagh Graham, who suffered an injury and talked her way back into the game.
“She was on the sidelines and said to me, ‘We’re not losing this game,’” Sung noted when his team was down four goals. “She said, ‘I’m not going to let us lose.’ We put her in, and she made a big save at the end of [regulation] to send it into overtime.”
PHOTO BY JOHN STROHSACKER
Senior midfielder JoJo Hesketh led the Ducks with five goals in their 18-11 upset of USC.
Another second-year coach has grappled with a similar situation as Sung encountered at Virginia Tech.
While not facing the daunting task of playing in a league full of blue-chip programs destined to contend for national titles, Katrina Dowd and her Oregon Ducks were searching for a win over a ranked foe for the first time since 2008.
Entering Saturday’s senior day festivities against USC, Oregon’s seven wins had come over unranked opponents, while its five losses all were suffered by ranked teams, including a 9-8 overtime heartbreaker against the Trojans on March 18.
A few weeks later, Oregon cruised to an 18-11 victory by scorching USC with a 10-goal run in the first half. The difference for the Ducks in April as opposed to March? That’s easy for Dowd.
“Draw controls,” Dowd said firmly, as Oregon nabbed 12 of 14 draws in the opening half.
That first win set the Ducks to play a spoiler role and contend for a Pac-12 title.
“It’s the beauty of being the underdog and building a program,” said Dowd, a former Northwestern All-American, winning three NCAA titles as a player. “For our program, it’s right on time. It’s great for our players, who have bought in and embraced the coaching staff change and were hungry to taste what [the coaches did] as players.”
The center of that player push is senior midfielder JoJo Hesketh who poured in a career-high five goals against USC, two days after scoring a career-high four tallies against Arizona State.
“Our heart and soul is our entire senior class,” said Dowd. “JoJo is an unbelievable leader. The team loves her energy and responds to her so well. We rode her level of focus and determination.”
PHOTO VIA BROWN ATHLETICS
Junior Caroline Zaffino scored the game-winning goal with 2:18 left in regulation to lift Brown past Cornell 14-13 for the first time since 1999.
The third program looking to rise into prominence once again is Brown. In the case of the Bears, the lone connection from the last team that beat Cornell in 1999 to the one that was victorious on Saturday was its coach, Keely McDonald. Now in her 14th year as head coach, she played on that 1999 team.
“I didn’t even know that [it had been that long],” McDonald said about Brown breaking the 19-year winless drought against Cornell. “We’ve had lots of close games with them. I just didn’t think about it. History didn’t play a part. We were so focused against their offense against our defense, our defense against their offense and playing the draw.”
Brown’s breakthrough was weeks in the making as the team had dropped a pair of two-goal losses to Yale and Princeton en route to falling 0-3 in the Ivy League. Now buoyed by its win over the Big Red, the Bears eye the home stretch and the program’s first conference tournament berth.
“I think there are great players here [in the Ivy League],” McDonald said. “For us, it’s about staying really positive, which is easier said than done, but staying positive around each other and [continuing to] keep growing.”
Ahead of Brown (8-4, 1-3 Ivy League) in the standings are two of the final three foes on its schedule (Dartmouth, Columbia). Saturday’s away game against 0-4 Harvard is a must-win for the Bears to keep their Ivy League tournament hopes alive. Holding serve on the road against Columbia on April 21 would set up a senior day showdown with Dartmouth on April 28, possibly for the final tournament berth.
For Virginia Tech, Oregon and Brown, breaking through for historic wins sets their teams up for exciting conclusions to the regular season that they all hope stretch into May Madness. In a season full of surprises, these are the types of teams poised to provide a few more.