RICHMOND, Va. – Late in the fourth quarter, freshman forward Kaitlyn Olton scored her first career goal, but the Long Island University field hockey team came up short against Virginia Commonwealth University, 3-1, on a rainy Friday afternoon.
 
Olton led the offense with four shots, and two of them were on target. Junior forward Sammy Bell had two shots on the day with one of them on goal, and freshman forward Felicia King finished the day with one shot.
 
Junior goalkeeper Rachel Vellis had seven saves in net. The Sharks' defense held the Rams scoreless during the first and third quarters. The defense only faced eight penalty corners on the day.
 
The Sharks and Rams held each other scoreless through the first quarter. Despite the Rams threatening a few times, Vellis stopped all three shots she faced.
 
The Rams broke open the scoreless tie early in the second quarter, and would extend their lead to two about five minutes later. LIU had three shots, but were unable to get one past the Rams' goalkeeper.  
 
Coming out of halftime, the Sharks played tight defense and once again held the Rams scoreless during the third period. VCU came out strong in the fourth, taking eight shots, but were only able to score once more.  
 
The Sharks continued to fight throughout the whole game, and were finally able to break through in the fourth quarter when Olton found the back of the net in the 55th minute.
 
LIU wraps up its Virginia road trip on Sunday, September 8 when the Sharks head to Williamsburg, Va. to take on No. 25 William & Mary. Game time against the Tribe is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.