No. 4 Virginia Takes 2-1 Win At No. 12 Duke
DURHAM, N.C. –The Cavaliers recorded the first ACC win of the season on Sunday afternoon as No. 4 Virginia (8-1-0, 1-1-0 ACC) picked up a 2-1 victory over No. 12 Duke (8-2-1, 2-1-0 ACC) at Koskinen Stadium.
Freshman Rebecca Jarrett (Washington Township, N.J.) hit what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 77th minute of play. Jarrett’s goal, combined with an own goal by Duke in the first half, lifted the Cavaliers to the ACC road win.
Duke got on the board in the final minute of play when Kayla McCoy hit a goal on the only shot of the second half for the Blue Devils. It was a reversal from the first half which saw Duke notch four shots, while Virginia did not get a shot.
“Obviously, this was an important game and a huge result for us, especially after the disappointing loss in overtime on Thursday,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “We really had to overcome a poor start and a very tough pressing defense from Duke, but I thought we picked up as the game went on. I’m very proud of the team, though, particularly the players who came off the bench. They really made a difference for us.”
Laurel Ivory (Surfside, Fla.) improved to 7-1-0 on the season and came up with several big saves in the first half of play to help Virginia to the win.
Duke got its first chance of the half in the 11th minute following a foul 22 yards out near the center of the box. The Blue Devils’ Karlie Paschall lined up the free kick and put the shot on frame, but it was scooped up by Ivory.
Ivory came up with her second big save of the match at the 20-minute mark when she stopped a one-on-one chance by the Blue Devils following a turnover and a counter by Duke.
Virginia got on the board in the 26th minute with an own goal from Duke. The Cavaliers’ Taryn Torres sent a cross into the box toward a Cavalier and a Blue Devil near the far right post. The Duke defender sought to clear the ball, but knocked it back toward the goal and in past the keeper near the left post for the 1-0 Virginia lead.
The Cavaliers added to the lead in the 77th minute when Jarrett notched her goal on a strike from 10 yards out in the center of the box. After turning down a chance from seven yards out with three defenders collapsing in on her, Jarrett sent the ball out to reset the offense and the Cavaliers worked it back into the box. Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) sent the pass in to Jarrett who took the one-touch shot at the top of the six-yard box for the 2-0 lead.
Duke avoided the shutout with the goal from McCoy in the 90th minute. McCoy’s goal came off an assist from Paschall as the Blue Devils scrambled in the waning minutes of play and trailing by two goals.
Of Note:
• Freshman Rebecca Jarrett scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season
• The four goals from Jarrett leads the team this season
• With the win, Virginia improved to 22-15-7 all-time against the Blue Devils
• Virginia ended the match with six shots, five of them on goal and all in the second half
• The win is the second over a top-15 team on the road for Virginia this season