DURHAM, N.C. – It was a defensive battle in the regular-season finale on Thursday (Nov. 5) as No. 14 Virginia (9-3-4, 5-3-2 ACC) played No. 15 Duke (9-2-5, 4-2-4 ACC) to a scoreless draw at Koskinen Stadium.
With the draw, the Cavaliers finish fifth in the ACC standings with 17 points and will travel to face fourth-seeded Florida State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship on Sunday (Nov. 8). Game time has yet to be determined.
GOALS
None
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers came out on the front foot, but as Duke settled into the game it was Virginia goalkeeper Victoria Safradin standing tall in net that kept the teams in a scoreless deadlock at the break. Safradin posted four saves in the first half off seven Duke shots.
Both defenses dug deep in the second half, with Safradin posting three more saves and Duke keeper Molly Vapensky making three saves as the teams ended the game in a draw.
NOTES ON THE GAME
- Victoria Safradin finished one save shy of tying a career high with seven saves on the night.
- The Cavaliers took nine shots on the night, all from different players.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON
“It was a hard-fought game for sure. I’m proud of the team for the way we defended, but we need to do more from an attacking standpoint. We did not solve their pressure as much as we needed to and it made us play deep for long stretches of the match. Duke is a good team, though, and they made it very difficult for us. There are some good takeaways from the game, especially in our defending.”