Cavaliers Down Florida State 1-0 in ACC Opener
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The No. 15 Virginia women’s soccer team opened conference play Thursday night with a 1-0 victory over No. 8 Florida State before 823 fans at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Meghan Lenczyk’s (McLean, Va.) goal with just over 13 minutes to play lifted the Cavaliers to their seventh victory of the season.
“I am so proud of this team and this performance,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “To come back from a disappointing performance last week at West Virginia and put forth this type of a game in this environment against an opponent like this a great testament to our team. Now we have to get greedy and go out and get another one on Sunday.”
In the first half, the Cavaliers had the better of the play, outshooting the Seminoles 12-2 before the break. However, Kate Milstead made six saves for Florida State to keep the game scoreless.
The Cavaliers finally broke the deadlock in the 77th minute of play. Lauren Alwine (Elizabethtown, Pa.) beat a defender with the dribble to the end line and served a ball to the back post where Lenczyk headed in her team-leading seventh goal of the season. That goal was all the Cavaliers needed as the defense posted their fifth shutout of the season to secure the 1-0 victory.
“That was a great ball from Lauren and a great finish from Meghan,” said Swanson. “We knew it was going to take a play like that to score on them. We have so much respect for Florida State and their program. You take any win you can get in this conference, especially on the road in a place like this.”
Overall the Cavaliers outshot the Seminoles 21-9 and had a 7-1 corner kick advantage. Goalkeeper Celeste Miles (Garland, Texas) celebrated her 22nd birthday by making one save to post her fifth shutout of the season. Milstead made nine saves in net for Florida State.
The win improved the Cavaliers’ all-time record to 14-0-3 over the Seminoles. The victory was also Virginia’s sixth consecutive win in ACC openers. By downing the eighth ranked Seminole, it marked the first time since 2006 that Virginia defeated a higher ranked opponent.
The Cavaliers conclude their three-game road trip on Sunday as they visit Miami. Game time in Coral Gables is set for 1 p.m.
VIRGINIA 1, FLORIDA STATE 0
#15 Virginia (7-1-1, 1-0-0) 0 1 – 1
#8 Florida State (6-2-1, 0-1-0) 0 0 – 0
Scoring:
UVa Meghan Lenczyk 7 (Lauren Alwine 6) 77’
Cautions
none
Shots: UVa 21, FSU 9
Corners: UVa 7, FSU 1
Saves: UVa 1 (Miles 1), FSU 9 (Milstead 9)
Fouls: UVa 8, FSU 3
Weather: 82 degrees, clear
Attendance: 823