Virginia Plays Duke To 1-1 Draw To Open ACC Play
DURHAM, N.C. – The Virginia women’s soccer team (1-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) opened ACC play on the road Thursday night (Sept. 17), playing Duke (1-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) to a 1-1 draw at Koskinen Stadium.
For the second straight match, freshman Lia Godfrey (Fleming Island, Fla.) got in the scoring column as she buried an unassisted goal in the 53rd minute to put the Cavaliers on top. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Duke would find the equalizer 10 minutes later off a free kick that Caitlin Cosme put in the net.
Virginia had chances to regain the lead as two potential goals, one in the 59th minute and one in the 87th minute, were reviewed by officials and ruled to not have crossed the goal line. The Cavaliers finished the game with a 16-to-3 edge in shots and an 8-to-3 edge in shots on goal, but the defense of both teams prevailed through the second half and two overtime periods.
“First of all, we would really like to thank Duke and their entire staff for giving us a first-class pitch to play on despite the weather,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “With all we are fighting against to just play games, it was great that the weather could not shut us down. We are very grateful to all the people at Duke.
“Obviously, with the way the game went we are disappointed with the draw. We had our foot on the gas in the second half and both overtimes , but just did not have enough quality in and around the goal to put our chances away. Having said that, we created some really good chances and played some good soccer tonight. We just need more games to learn and grow, and I am confident with the work ethic of this team we will do just that.”
After a scoreless first half, Godfrey got the Cavaliers on the board with her goal in the 53rd minute. The freshman took the ball at midfield and dribbled down the center of the pitch, navigating a retreating defensive back line. She pulled up 21 yards out and fired her shot, sending it in to the left of the keeper for the 1-0 Virginia lead.
The Cavaliers almost extended the lead to two goals in the 59th minute when Diana Ordoñez (Prosper, Texas) took a shot from just outside the six. It was deflected by the Duke keeper and stopped near the line by a Blue Devil defender before Duke’s keeper collected the ball. A review by the officials ruled no goal.
Duke tied things up in the 63rd minute with a goal off a free kick. Marykate McGuire served the ball into the box where it was flicked by a Tess Boade header to Cosme behind the Virginia defense. Cosme’s shot went in low and to the left of a diving Laurel Ivory (Sunrise, Fla.) to tie the match.
A Cam Lexow (Abington, Pa.) header in the 87th minute almost put the Cavaliers on top as it was low and past the keeper before being cleared by a Duke defender near the line. For the second time on the night an official’s review ruled no goal for the Cavaliers.
With the score sitting at 1-1 at the end of regulation, the match went into extra periods.
In the 96th minute, the Cavaliers got another opportunity as Godfrey found Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) near the top of the box. Spaanstra took the shot, but it was deflected by a Duke defender to the keeper and out as the score remained tied.
The Cavaliers would get several chances as time wound down in the first overtime period, but none found the back of the net as the game went into a second overtime period. Again, neither team could score as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Virginia will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 20) when the Cavaliers continue ACC play on the road at Clemson. The 3 p.m. contest will be broadcast on the ACC Network.