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Spaanstra Shines on Senior Day, Leads Virginia to 4-0 Win Over NC State

Alexa Spaanstra recorded two goals and an assist to lead the Cavaliers to a senior-day victory over the Wolfpack
Matt Newton|
Spaanstra Shines on Senior Day, Leads Virginia to 4-0 Win Over NC State
Spaanstra Shines on Senior Day, Leads Virginia to 4-0 Win Over NC State

Alexa Spaanstra played the final home regular season match of her long and decorated career at UVA on Sunday. She saved one of the best performances of her collegiate career for what could be her last match at Klockner Stadium. 

Spaanstra recorded two goals and an assist to lead the No. 8 Virginia women's soccer team to a convincing 4-0 victory over NC State. 

The Cavaliers came into this match having struggled over the last few weeks, winning only one of their last four matches. But you wouldn't have guessed that given the way the Wahoos played against the Wolfpack on Sunday. 

It took only two minutes and 40 seconds for Virginia to draw first blood, as Alexa Spaanstra made a great move from the left wing to free herself up for a right-footed shot that she placed perfectly inside the far post to give the Cavaliers the early lead. 

Less than 10 minutes later, UVA struck again as two other players celebrating their final regular season matches at Klockner connected for a goal. Freshman Maggie Cagle got the play started by dropping a pass down the right wing for graduate defender Sarah Clark, who sent in a beautiful cross all the way to the far post where fellow graduate student Haley Hopkins headed it in for her 11th goal of the season and 53rd goal of her six-year collegiate career. 

Virginia had another chance to add to its lead late in the first half, but Jill Flammia's shot sailed just above the crossbar as UVA took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break. The Cavaliers outshot the Wolfpack 9-2 in the first half and 23-9 for the match. 

The Spaanstra Show continued right away after halftime. Just 45 seconds into the second period, Maggie Cagle used a brilliant move to escape a double-team while tight-roping the right boundary. She freed herself for a wide open run into the box and then delivered an accurate pass to a cutting Alexa Spaanstra, who put the ball into the back of the cage off the crossbar for her second goal of the match, fifth goal of the season, and 34th goal of her UVA career. 

Virginia added a fourth goal in the 57th minute and this time, Spaanstra delivered the assist. Working from the left side of the box, Spaanstra used a series of back-and-forth dribble moves to put her defender in a blender before sliding a pass to Lia Godfrey, who ripped a shot into the back right corner of the goal to make it 4-0. 

Making just her seventh-career start in cage, fifth-year goalkeeper Michaela Moran saved each of the three shots she faced in the match to lead the Cavaliers to their 10th shutout victory of the season. 

After getting outscored by a combined 6-5 margin over a rough three-match stretch in which UVA went 0-1-2, the Cavaliers have not surrendered a goal in their last two matches - a 1-0 win over Wake Forest and Sunday's 4-0 victory over NC State. 

UVA ends its regular season home slate with a 9-1-2 record in matches played at Klockner Stadium. 

Virginia (12-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC) will conclude the regular season at Miami on Thursday at 6pm. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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