By Rachel Rose Ward
On an unseasonably balmy day at Klockner Stadium, the Virginia women’s soccer team defeated Virginia Tech 4-0 to advance to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. After being eliminated in the round of 16 for the last 5 years, the victory was especially sweet for the Cavaliers.
“We fully expected a tough game and it shows how well our team played that we scored four goals on them,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. “We have been in their position the last few years, losing in this round, and it’s a tough way to end the season. I am just so pleased for our team that we are moving on to next weekend.”
After a competitive first 20 minutes, in which both Virginia and Virginia Tech were unable to convert on several golden scoring opportunities, the floodgates broke open for UVa with 17:52 remaining in the first half. That’s when Virginia sent a cross sailing to the far post from the left sideline where freshman phenom Morgan Brian controlled the ball, determined that she had no angle on the goal, and flicked the ball backwards with the sole of her foot to Lauren Alwine, who composedly passed the ball into the net from 6 yards out.
Two minutes later, Julia Roberts converted a free kick from 25 yards out. The goal was her fourth scored in such fashion this season. Karma served Brian well less than a minute later when, after selflessly assisting on the Cavaliers’ first goal, she scored from 10 yards out off another Molly Menchel cross from the left flank. Brian was again rewarded in the 71st minute when Alwine sent a blistering ball to a nearly-vacant box from the right corner. Erica Hollenberg one-touched the cross back to the oncoming Brian who feigned a shot to escape her defender and scored easily from 10 yards out.
Virginia Tech entered Sunday’s game with soaring confidence after having defeated both the Big East Conference Champion West Virginia and Big 12 Conference Champion Texas A&M in the first and second round. Hokie coach Chugger Adair suggested that his team’s tough prior matchups hampered VT’s play against Virginia.
“It was definitely a difficult game for us today. Virginia’s a great team. We expended a lot of energy against Texas A&M to get that result and we just ran out of energy. We ended up chasing and losing our legs,” Adair said.
As Virginia Tech tired as the game progressed, UVa’s dominance was amplified. Virginia’s fast-paced, passing-oriented play required the Hokies to chase the ball continuously and exacerbated their fatigue. “They come out and try to score against us, and not just play for the tie which helps us to stick to our game plan,” said Hollenberg. Virginia Tech’s gutsy offensive strategy, when unsuccessful, however, makes them more vulnerable to counterattacks, to which they fell victim against the Cavaliers.
Coaches and players on both teams unanimously attested to two key factors which enabled Virginia’s victory: the Cavaliers’ success when scoring first and the near-perfection with which they executed their possession-oriented play. Adair, too, admitted the flustering effect of Virginia’s disproportionate time of possession.
“Once we got that first goal, they kept coming and it gave us a lot of energy,” said Hollenberg. Both Adair and Swanson agreed that a stroke of luck in Virginia Tech’s favor allowing the Hokies to score first would have decisively altered the game. The Cavaliers thankfully have been able to capitalize on the forces of momentum in the postseason to date. “You can never underestimate the first goal. It’s hard to chase the game. If you look at the last two games for VT, they’ve scored early and that’s made the difference for them,” said Swanson.
While Swanson was pleased with the possession and tempo his team demonstrated against the Hokies, he believes there to still be room for improvement.
The NCAA Tournament round of 16 included 8 ACC teams. Virginia will face yet another ACC rival in Florida State in their quarterfinal matchup. Virginia split the regular season with the Seminoles, who eliminated the Cavaliers in the ACC Tournament. Coach Swanson, while characteristically humble and wary of pressuring his team with expectations, is carefully optimistic.
“We’re playing as well if not better than any team I’ve had before at this stage. There’s a lot of confidence. There’s a lot of optimism. … There’s a real fighting quality with this group,” he said. “They’re very competitive. They play really well and move the ball well. They’re not caught up with individual statistics.”
