Cavaliers Rally To Take 3-2 Victory At No. 2 North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 7 Virginia women’s soccer team (8-0-1, 1-0-0 ACC) opened ACC play with a furious rally, scoring three second-half goals to take down No. 2 North Carolina (7-2-0, 0-1-0 ACC) by a score of 3-2 at Dorrance Field on Saturday (Sept. 17).
Lia Godfrey hit the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute off a pass from Maggie Cagle to cap a rally that saw the Cavaliers score three goals in 18 minutes to roar back from a 2-0 deficit at the half. Rebecca Jarrett sparked the rally with a goal in the 54th minute before Alexa Spaanstra hit the equalizer in the 61st minute.
GOALS
14’ – UNC: Emily Murphy (Avery Patterson)
25’ – UNC: Ally Sentnor (Avery Patterson, Sam Meza)
54’ – UVA: Rebecca Jarrett (unassisted)
61’ – UVA: Alexa Spaanstra (Lacey McCormack)
72’ – UVA: Lia Godfrey (Maggie Cagle)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing by two at the half and held without a shot through the first 45 minutes, the Cavaliers came out in the second half looking to chip away and get back into the match. That moment presented itself in the 54th minute when Rebecca Jarrett scored the first of what would be three goals in less than 20 minutes for the visiting team.
The Jarrett goal that sparked the rally came after she cut in along the top of the box from the right side, creating her own opportunity as she dribbled past a pair of defenders and turned for the left-footed shot near the circle. The forward slotted it in back past the near post on the ground.
The Hoos tied it up in the 61st minute when Godfrey’s service off a corner was headed back toward the top of the box by a UNC player. The ball didn’t clear the box and Lacey McCormack headed it back toward goal where Alexa Spaanstra finished it with a header of her own flicked in for the equalizer.
Virginia moved in front in the 72nd minute when Maggie Cagle received the ball out wide on the left side and dribbled in toward the box before laying it off to Lia Godfrey near the circle. Godfrey took the strike and slipped it in past the near post for what proved to be the deciding goal.
NOTES ON THE GAME
• It’s Virginia’s win over UNC since the 2014 season and the fifth in program history over the Tar Heels.
• Each win by the Cavaliers in the series has come in Chapel Hill or in a neutral-site match.
• Virginia’s three goals is the most scored by the Cavaliers against UNC in the history of the series.
• It’s the first time a team has scored three goals on UNC in Chapel Hill since 2010 vs. Boston College (9/23/10)
• It’s only the second time a team has rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat UNC and it’s the first time a team has done it in regulation. Texas A&M rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 victory in overtime (9/11/11) in Durham.
• The opening UNC goal snapped a shutout streak of 662:04 minutes for the Hoos – fourth longest in UVA history
• Maggie Cagle’s assist was her fifth on a game-winning goal this season. She has six total assists this year.
• Lia Godfrey’s goal was the third game-winning goal of her career and first game winner this season.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON
“Obviously I’m really proud of the team, not just that we got the result, but more because we dug down deep to fight our way back in it and we played the kind of soccer we needed to in order to create the chances we needed to score. Anyone that follows the game knows how difficult it is to win at North Carolina let alone being down by two goals at halftime. They put such pressure on you for 90 minutes; it was good to see us execute the way we did in the second half.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will continue to play on the road next week, continuing ACC action at No. 6 Notre Dame in a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday (Sept. 22).