Virginia Suffers 1-0 Loss at No. 6 Penn State in Season Opener
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 11 Cavalier women’s soccer team fell to No. 6 Penn State 1-0 in the season opener for both teams at Jeffrey Field. Danielle Toney’s goal in the seventh minute was the only tally of the game, as Virginia’s streak of nine consecutive season-opening victories was snapped.
“We are very disappointed with the loss because I thought for the majority of the game, I thought we played well,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “We were pleased with our effort and our energy. Maybe a little bit of inexperience showed at times and maybe that cost us. But overall, this kind of game tells us a lot.”
Toney got ball on a clearance of a corner kick and made a 70-yard run to the top of the box to fire a far post shot for the opening goal of the game. The Cavaliers had chances to draw even in the first half, outshooting the Nittany Lions 10-7 overall, but Penn State took the 1-0 advantage into the break.
Virginia dominated the possession and play for most of the second half, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Overall, the Cavaliers outshot the Nittany Lions 17-9 and had a 7-3 corner kick advantage. Chantel Jones (Midlothian, Va.) made five saves for the Cavaliers, while Alyssa Neaher made four saves for the Nittany Lions.
“We had our chances,” said Swanson. “We had some decent looks and created some good things, but we were a little bit impatient in the attacking third. Against a quality keeper like that, you maybe need to look at some other options. That is something that hopefully we will learn from.”
Virginia returns home for their home opener on August 28 when it hosts Liberty. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is 7 p.m.
PENN STATE 1, VIRGINIA 0
#11 Virginia 0 0 0
#6 Penn State 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
PSU. Danielle Toney 1 (unassisted) 7’
Shots: UVa 17, PSU 9
Corners: UVa 7, PSU 3
Saves: UVa 5 (Jones 5), PSU 4 (Naeher 4)
Fouls: UVa 5, PSU 7
Weather: 79 degrees, humid
Attendance: 3098
Game Notes: Five Cavaliers made their collegiate debut, including Julia Roberts and Morgan Stith, who started … Kika Toulouse made the first start of her career … Cavaliers suffered their first loss in a season opener since 1999 and their first ever loss in August (17-1-0)