Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
Freshmen Lead No. 5 UVA Women's Soccer to 5-0 Win Over Oregon State
The Cavaliers scored three goals in the opening half against the Beavers. All three came off the foot of true freshmen.
Behind several strong performances from the team's talented first-year class, including a brace from Maya Carter, the No. 5 Virginia women's soccer team remained undefeated with a 4-0 victory over Oregon State on Thursday night at Klockner Stadium.
The Beavers understood that their only hope to hang with the Cavaliers was to lock down on the defensive end, keep the match scoreless for as long as possible, and hope for an opportunity to score at some point. The Beavers placed five players on the defensive line and kept a very small gap between the back line and the midfield, daring the Cavaliers to beat them over the top. Oregon State's strategy proved very effective early on, as the match remained scoreless for the game's first 24 minutes.
In the 25th minute, UVA found an opening and pounced on it. Samar Guidry sent a beautiful long cross from the left wing that curved towards the far post. Emma Dawson put a nice touch on the ball to pass it inside to freshman Maggie Cagle, who fired a left-footed shot into the back left corner of the cage for her first-career goal.
One minute later, the Cavaliers nearly scored again as Lia Godfrey got her foot on a rebound that struck the crossbar and bounced away.
The score remained 1-0 until five minutes remained in the half. Maya Carter took a shot from well outside the box. Carter's left-footed strike had some velocity to it, but it appeared that Oregon State goalkeeper Hailey Coll had it handled as she positioned herself in front of the shot. However, Coll stepped back across the goal line as the ball reached her and she briefly lost control of the ball as well. The shot wasn't initially called a goal on the field, but the official called for a replay review and determined that the ball crossed the goal line.
In the waning seconds of the first half, Maya Carter found the back of the net again. Chloe Japic sent a cross over the top of the Oregon State defense into the box and Carter headed it into the back right corner of the goal to give her a first-half brace.
Virginia dominated possession from start to finish, outshooting Oregon State 12-1 in the first half and 25-2 for the match. Oregon State goalies Hailey Coll and Mya Sanchez combined to make six saves, but the Cavaliers simply had too many good scoring chances. On the other end, UVA goalkeeper Michaela Moran saved the only shot she faced as Virginia extended its streak to six-consecutive shutouts.
Early in the second half, the Cavaliers built their lead to 4-0 as a Lia Godfrey cross from the right wing somehow found its way inside the far post. It wasn't intended to be a shot, but nonetheless, Godfrey scored her third goal of the season.
In the 77th minute, Sarah Brunner made a run up the right wing and sent a great interior pass to Emma Dawson, who hammered the ball into the back of the net to put the finishing touches on the 5-0 victory.
Virginia (7-0) concludes a five-match homestand and the non-conference portion of the schedule on Sunday at 2pm against VCU at Klockner Stadium.
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