No. 5 Virginia Draws With VCU To Close Non-Conference Slate
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 5 Virginia women’s soccer team (7-0-1) closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule at Klöckner Stadium on Sunday (Sept. 11), playing VCU (2-1-5) to a 0-0 draw.
It was the first draw for the Cavaliers this season under the new rules in NCAA soccer eliminating overtime and the chance for a golden goal in the regular season.
GOALS
None
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers and Rams battled for 90 minutes with Virginia out-shooting VCU 24-to-7, though the home team only had six on frame to five for the Rams.
One of Virginia’s best chances came in the second half with a counter sparked by an clearance from Lia Godfrey. Godfrey sent the ball down the middle of the field to Haley Hopkins who flicked it on with a header to Alexa Spaanstra making a run down the left side. Spaanstra then sent the ball back through to Hopkins running with her down the middle of the field for a one-on-one chance as Hopkins got in behind the defender. The VCU keeper came off her line and made the save, sliding to block the shot and turning away the opportunity for Virginia.
NOTES ON THE GAME
• Virginia is 5-0-2 all-time against VCU and the draw snapped a stretch of four straight wins for UVA in the series.
• Cayla White posted her fourth solo shutout of the season as she made five saves on the afternoon.
• It is the seventh straight shutout for the Hoos as UVA has gone 648:08 minutes without allowing a goal.
• The 648:08 minute scoreless streak is the fifth-longest by Virginia in program history.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON
“VCU played very hard and were really organized. I give them a lot of credit. We knew they would be a quality team and they were. I thought we did enough to get a result. It was a little bit unfortunate we didn’t have enough quality in the final third to put one in the back of the net. We have to be sharper in some different areas and there are things we can take away from this game. These things happen, but we’re obviously disappointed in the result.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will jump into ACC play on Saturday (Sept. 17) when the Cavaliers travel to face No. 2 North Carolina in a 6 p.m. contest at Dorrance Field.