Photo courtesy of Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics Communications
No. 2 UVA Uses Five-Goal Second Half to Defeat Syracuse
The No. 2 UVA women’s soccer team (12-1-1, 5-0-1 ACC) scored five goals over a 12-minute stretch in the second half and dominated Syracuse (4-8-1, 0-6-0 ACC) in a 5-0 victory on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half, Virginia head coach Steve Swanson’s formula for success did not change: just keep shooting and eventually, the ball will go in. The Hoos outshot the Orange 28-2 in the contest and the offensive firepower was too much to contain.
In the first half, Virginia had 12 total shots with seven shots on goal. Close chances came from Diana Ordonez in the 26th minute and Haley Hopkins in the 29th minute, but Syracuse goalie Lysianne Proulx was able to save all seven shots on goal.
The Hoos continued to pummel the goalkeeper in the second half. Finally, in the 54th minute, the flood gates opened. In the next 12 minutes, the Hoos would score all five of their goals.
Haley Hopkins registered the first goal of the game on a header off of a long cross on a free kick from Lia Godfrey. Three minutes later, UVA scored again on a goal by Lizzy Sieracki. Virginia served in a corner kick that rattled around the box before Sieracki booted it in on the goal line for her first goal of the season. Lia Godfrey and Haley Hopkins then connected again on a give-and-go that ended with Godfrey taking a strike from the edge of the box and curved it inside the near post. One minute later, Hopkins was celebrating her second goal of the day with the help of a pass from Alexa Spaanstra.
Finally, Lacey McCormack registered her first goal of the season in the 66th minute to close out the offensive onslaught. Syracuse’s goalie still managed six saves in the second half, but she couldn’t withstand 18 total shots on goal in the game.
On the other end of the field, UVA’s goalie Laurel Ivory had two saves. She spent most of the game watching her team dominate on offense.
With the win, Virginia improves to 12-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the ACC.
UVA has a week off from competition and will face Notre Dame at home next Sunday.
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