Virginia Women’s Soccer Knocks Off Virginia Tech
According to the distributive property of sports scores, Virginia Tech should have had no problem with a struggling Virginia side: Tech crushed (4-1) the same NC State team that handled Virginia pretty easily last week. But if there was any team that I would want to beat in a year filled with heartbreak, it would be Virginia Tech. The women won the first meeting this year between the two schools in the year-long Commonwealth Clash.
This was the Virginia team we have wanted to see for quite a while. The team came out buzzing from the get-go and were on front foot from the opening whistle. Left back Samar Guidry played her finest game of the year, advancing up the wing at will and snuffing several hopeful Tech counters before they could even get started. Chloe Japic on the right did not try to emulate Guidry on the left, but rather she pinched into the midfield as she advanced, giving the women the look of a four-player midfield. Japic was far more effective than she’s been at any time this season. Central midfielder Alexis Theoret got more touches this game than maybe she’s gotten in the past two or three games combined. The entire team was much more aggressive in the high press as midfielders Jill Flammia and Yuna McCormack had their best defensive performances of the season.
The tone was set, though, before the game and in warmups by the amped up Maggie Cagle. It should be noted that Cagle’s mother was a longtime head coach of the Tech women’s soccer team. Maggie clearly broke with her mother’s past to come to Charlottesville, but this game may have been more personal for her than the average player.
The first goal came just ten minutes in and it was more of a fluke than anything. Japic crossed the ball into the penalty spot, looking to connect with Cagle, but the cross was too high and the ball landed right at the feet of Tech keeper, Alia Skinner, who just whiffed on the ball as it scooted into the back of the net. It was the kind of error a middle schooler would make, and unfortunately for Skinner, it is one she will remember for years. But for a Virginia team that has really struggled this season – winless until now in the ACC and sitting tenth in the table even after the win – the goal was a godsend. Soccer is a funny game that way.
The Hokies had just one good chance on goal the rest of the way. Five minutes after Japic's goal, Taylor Bryan received a lovely through ball behind the defensive line but her first touch took her a little wider than she would have wanted and, over-compensating, she blasted the ball high. Tech’s Natalie Mitchell has decent pace and can find space, but she was effectively snuffed out by Talia Staude and Guidry on half a dozen decent-looking counters. After the Taylor shot, Tech was pretty much toothless for the rest of the game.
The second goal, 12 minutes into the second half, was all effort as Meredith McDermott went 50 yards, got inside the 6-yard box and rifled a shot that deflected off Skinner to be nodded into an open goal by Allie Ross.
Virginia was, for the first time since the West Virginia game, winning most of the 50/50 balls. Guidry pounced on a Tech turnover and rocketed a shot that skimmed off the cross bar. Theoret took a free kick that was 6 inches wide of the top corner, and Cagle, twice in a minute, got to the top left of the penalty box and fired off shots.
Second time was the charm as she slotted this lovely goal to make the final score line 3-0.
I was reminded by how similar this goal was, and the shot that preceded it, to this goal, Alexa Spaanstra's first ever NWSL goal:
Can you tell it's been a while since we've had multiple goals to share?
This was the first complete game the women have played all year, even if it was against middling ACC competition. (Tech sits tied for sixth in the standings.) Helen Symbas (left back) and Ella Carter (midfield) got minor minutes but continued to show that they have good touch and vision, the cornerstones for a successful career.
Virginia has three games left against bottom feeders all. They host Miami and Boston College this week before travelling to Syracuse for the season finale. All should be wins, but then, I have thought that about several of the games we’ve dropped. We will see if momentum is a thing, because this was the best possible result and showing for the team to springboard to a successful season’s completion.
Subscribe to the Cavaliers Now Newsletter to receive UVA sports news in your inbox first thing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated
To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:
Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN