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CHARLOTTESVILLE The No. 9 Virginia women’s soccer team captured the 2008 Virginia Nike Soccer Classic title with a 2-1 victory over Dartmouth Sunday at Klckner Stadium. Meghan Lenczyk’s (McLean, Va.) goal with just over three minutes to play gave the Cavaliers the victory, their sixth of the season (6-0-1).

“We are happy with the result and are happy to win our own tournament,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “I didn’t think we were as sharp as we normally are and that showed. But we were able to pull out a win in the last five minutes and that is a good sign. We can be as good as we want to be, but we also realize where we are as a team right now. We just need to keep working on improving.”

The Cavaliers took a quick 1-0 in the 12th minute as they scored on their first scoring chance of the game. Sarah Senty (Arlington, Va.) blasted a shot that Dartmouth keeper made a diving save on, but the rebound fell right to Kelly Quinn (Dublin, Ohio), who blasted in her fourth goal of the season. The lead lasted just 10 minutes, as Myra Sack intercepted a clearance attempt in the box and put a shot just inside the far post to tie the game.

In the second half, the Cavaliers had all of the possession and chances, but the Dartmouth defense held firm for over 40 minutes. In the 87th minute, Lauren Alwine (Elizabethtown, Pa.) sent a ball to Lenczyk, who dribbled past a defender in the box and slid a shot past the charging goalkeeper for the game-winner.

“We have to be more consistent from Friday to Sunday on these weekends,” said Swanson. “It is exciting to do some of these good things early in the season, but we have be able to do it every game. Give Dartmouth credit, they were very organized and played very well. We learned some things about our team that are things we can work on this week as we prepare for West Virginia.”

Overall the Cavaliers outshot the Big Green 17-5 and had a 5-0 corner kick advantage. Celeste Miles made two saves for Virginia, while Laurel Peak made six saves for Dartmouth (1-2-0).

Alwine, who had a goal and an assist in Friday’s 2-1 win over William & Mary was named the tournament’s MVP. Lenczyk, Miles, and Nikki Krzysik (Clifton, N.J.) join Alwine on the All-Tournament team.

The championship was the 12th title for the Cavaliers in the 21-year history of the tournament. William & Mary, a 1-0 winner over Maryland on Sunday was the runner-up. The Terrapins were third and Dartmouth was fourth.

The Cavaliers will conclude the non-conference portion of their 2008 schedule next Sunday as they visit regional rival West Virginia. Game time at Dick Dlesk Stadium in Morgantown is slated for 2 p.m.

VIRGINIA 2, DARTMOUTH 1

Dartmouth (1-2-0) 1 0 – 1
#9 Virginia (6-0-1) 1 1 – 2

Scoring:
UVa Kelly Quinn 4 (Sarah Senty 3) 12’
Dart Myra Sack 1 (unassisted) 22’
UVa Meghan Lenczyk 6 (Lauren Alwine 5) 87’

Cautions:
Dart: Peyton Tata (YC-83’)

Shots: UVa 17, Dart 5
Corners: UVa 5, Dart 0
Saves: UVa 2 (Miles 2), Dart 6 (Peak 6)
Fouls: UVa 5, Dart 12

Weather: 91 degrees, clear
Attendance: 742

2008 Virginia Nike Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team

MVP – Lauren Alwine (Virginia)

Nikki Krzysik (Virginia)
Meghan Lenczyk (Virginia)
Celeste Miles (Virginia)
Dani Collins (W&M)
Kellie Jenkins (W&M)
Abby Lauer (W&M)
Mary Casey (Maryland)
Becky Kaplan (Maryland)
Danielle Schulmann (Maryland)
Emily Forline (Dartmouth)
Myra Sack (Dartmouth)

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