No. 2 Virginia Falls At No. 18 Notre Dame
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 2 Virginia women’s soccer team (8-1-1, 1-1-0 ACC) wasn’t able to find the equalizer on Thursday night (Sept. 22) as the Cavaliers dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 18 Notre Dame (8-1-0, 1-1-0 ACC) at Alumni Stadium
GOALS
76’ – UND: Maddie Mercado (unassisted)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After an evenly-matched first half that saw both sides record four shots, it was a flurry of chances from the Irish in the second half that led to the breakthrough. In the 76th minute Notre Dame struck with a goal from Maddie Mercado as a corner was knocked down in the box and Mercado cleaned it up at point-blank range.
Virginia got three more chances down the stretch with a pair of shots from Haley Hopkins and one from Lia Godfrey, but one was blocked and a one-on-one chance for Hopkins in the 78th minute was saved to keep the Irish on top.
The Irish outshot the Hoos 15-to-9 on the evening.
NOTES ON THE GAME
• Virginia now leads the all-time series with Notre Dame 7-2-1 and it’s the first loss to the Irish since 2015.
• Cayla White posted seven saves on the night setting a new career high for the Virginia keeper.
• White now holds a 12-1-1 mark in her career with the Cavaliers.
• The Cavaliers were held without a goal for only the first time this season.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON
“No question the better team won tonight. We had trouble solving their pressure and just could not get much going on the attacking side. There are a lot of takeaways from this game, though, and hopefully if we can learn the lessons, we will improve in the areas we need to moving forward.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will play its ACC home opener on Sunday (Sept. 25) when the Cavaliers host Louisville in a 2 p.m. contest at Klöckner Stadium.