It is officially October and the Hoos are starting to look ready for postseason action. The cross country team had the weekend off from competition, but field
hockey, soccer, and volleyball kept Virginia fans well entertained. Let’s take a look at the women’s sports teams in this report.
UVA Field Hockey
The excitement began on Friday afternoon when the No. 7 Cavaliers defeated the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals 2-0 at the Turf Field. Virginia freshman Daniela Mendez-Trendler looked like a senior athlete on the field, scoring both goals in the first 12 minutes of action.
Her first goal of the day came just over 2 minutes into the game off an assist from senior Laura Janssen. Her second goal was the result of a flurry of action. Mendez-Trendler passed the ball to junior Anneloes Knol, whose shot was deflected by the Louisville goalkeeper. Mendez-Trendler regained possession after it bounced off the goalkeeper’s pads and fired it in for goal No. 2. Louisville had multiple opportunities to climb back in to the game including four penalty corners in the final quarter, but none of the attempts converted into a goal. Freshman Jet Trimborn was electric in goal with 4 saves and her second straight shutout.
The Hoos were able to rest Saturday before returning to action to face another ranked opponent on Sunday. They defeated No. 19 William and Mary 3-0, giving Trimborn her third straight shutout against ranked opponents. The Tribe’s defense showed up in full force, keeping the game scoreless into the fourth quarter until Mendez-Trendler decided 2 goals were not enough for one weekend. She broke through the relentless Tribe defense with 8 minutes remaining to put the Hoos up 1-0. Sophomore Taryn Tkachuk used the momentum to score off a penalty less than a minute after Mendez-Trendler’s game-winning goal. With 2 minutes left in the game, junior Meghen Hengerer put the nails in the coffin with her first goal of the season. The Hoos outshot the Tribe 24-0.
The team resumes action on Friday at No. 22 Duke. The Cavaliers will then return to Charlottesville to host Miami on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Turf Field.
UVA Women’s Soccer
The Virginia women’s team continued its dominant fall season defeating Duke on the road 1-0. Junior Lia Godfrey raced down the field with the ball before passing it forward to graduate student Haley Hopkins, who was sprinting down the right side. Hopkins slowed down with the ball and passed it back to Godfrey in the center and she rifled the ball off a one-touch into the back of the net for the goal. The most impressive performance of the game belonged to senior Cayla White, who had 6 saves in goal including multiple diving saves to maintain the narrow lead for the Cavaliers. White nearly matched her career high of 7 saves.
The Hoos return to Klöckner Stadium for two games where they will face No. 7 Florida State on Thursday and Syracuse on Sunday.
Virginia Volleyball
The Hoos have been struggling in recent weeks, dropping their fifth straight match to Duke on Sunday. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 2-set lead after winning consecutive sets 25-14. The Hoos used the break to regroup and won the third set 25-16. The Cavaliers carried the same energy into the fourth set which stayed extremely close until the bitter end. The set went into extra points where the Blue Devils ultimately won 28-26. The Cavalier offense was spearheaded by graduate student Veresia Yon who registered a season-high 7 kills.
The Hoos will look to snap their losing streak with an upset over No. 10 Georgia Tech on Friday. They will stay on the road and end the weekend with a match at Clemson on Sunday.
Virginia Women’s Golf
The No. 5 Virginia women’s golf team is currently competing at the Windy City Collegiate Classic against 10 ranked opponents: No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Duke, No. 7 South Carolina, No. 9 Oregon, No. 11 Arizona, No. 13 Florida, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 25 Michigan State, and No. 28 Michigan. The tournament ends Tuesday.
