Hoos Look to Take Final Step in Cary

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — In his 27 seasons as head women’s soccer coach at the University of Virginia, Steve Swanson has had numerous teams with exceptional firepower.

In 2014, for example, the Cavaliers averaged 3.4 goals per game, and they averaged 3.2 the next season. His latest group isn’t an offensive juggernaut—UVA is averaging a modest 2.1 goals per game—but it’s posted four consecutive shutouts and will play for the ACC title Sunday in Cary, N.C.

“I think our team's got a lot of grit,” Swanson said Friday after fifth-seeded Virginia’s 1-0 win over top-seeded Notre Dame in the first ACC semifinal.

Now comes a rematch with second-seeded North Carolina, which defeated Virginia 3-1 at Klöckner Stadium on Sept. 25. UNC edged sixth-seeded Duke 1-0 in the second semifinal Friday.

At noon, in a game to air on ESPNU, UVA (11-3-4) meets Carolina (16-2) at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Wahoos are looking to secure their first ACC championship since 2012.

“We are a very hungry team,” goalkeeper Victoria Safradin said, “and we really want to win this tournament.”

In the teams’ regular-season meeting, the Tar Heels scored all of their goals in a three-minute stretch early in the first half. Since then, however, the Hoos have lost only once: on Oct. 8 to Notre Dame.

One More to Go !

— Addison Halpern (@AddisonHalpern) November 12, 2026

“I’m so excited to play on Sunday and really just proud of this group,” said second-year midifielder Addison Halpern, whose first-half goal Friday proved to be the game-winner.

If it’s taken a while for the Cavaliers to gel, that’s partly because two of their top players were out of the country for about a month early in the season. Forward Gio Canali played for Brazil at FIFA’s U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland and missed five UVA games. Defender Pearl Cecil, who represented the United States at that tournament, also missed five of the Cavaliers’ games.

Not having Canali and Cecil “was a challenge,” Swanson said Friday, “but I think the good thing is we got [other] players some opportunities and some minutes to play and to get our shape, our system down, principles down.

“And so I think when [Canali and Cecil] came back, there was another readjustment, for sure. Unfortunately, we played some very tough teams in that stretch, but from my perspective, I think every single game, we've gotten better. Every single day, we've gotten a little bit better. If you kind of plot our improvement line over the course of the last four months. I think you'd see a real pattern of our defending is getting better, our attack is getting better, we understand each other as we go, and that's a sign of a really good team.”

Halpern, who leads the Cavaliers with 29 points (12 goals and five assists), was named to the All-ACC first team this month. Cecil and Safradin were second-team selections, and midfielder Ella Carter made the third team.

Safradin and Halpern joined Swanson at the postgame press conference Friday. They’re among the best in the country at their positions, Swanson said, but “we also have some players that fit in really well and understand their role, and I think that's been the mark of our success. Sure, we've had other teams in different eras [that scored more], but this team, I think, has a discipline about them, has an understanding of one another, a love for one another, and really competes when it matters. And I think we've shown that throughout the season.”

This will be the Cavaliers’ first appearance in the ACC title game since 2021, when they lost 1-0 to Florida State.

Virginia pummeled FSU 3-0 in this year’s quarterfinals and then avenged its regular-season loss to Notre Dame.

Safradin, the last line of a defense that has posted 10 shutouts this season, said she and her teammates have a shared purpose, “and that's the beauty of playing on a team. We all have to fight for each other. So I think there's a lot of grit on the field right now, and it's obviously showing since we're in the finals now, but definitely there’s a lot of great mentality from the backline and the whole team.”

The 64-team field for the NCAA tournament will be announced Monday, and Virginia is expected to play at least one game at Klöckner Stadium. The tournament concludes next month at the College Cup in Cary.

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