Wahoo Wire

After a disappointing performance in the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, with a 3-2 loss to Penn State and a scoreless tie against Washington State, the 4-1 win over the Maryland Terrapins was crucial for the UVA women’s soccer team. Not only did the win pick up some much-needed momentum, but the game was also the team’s ACC opener.  The win against No. 6 Maryland was a perfect start.

The game started out slow for both teams, with no penetration into the box. UVA’s Morgan Brian sent a shot flying over the goal from outside and Maryland quickly retaliated by sending a long shot to Sade Ayinde, that was quickly broken up by Virginia’s defense. In the 15^th minute of the game, Virginia’s Erica Hollenburg took the ball down the sideline, passed it off to Molly Menchel who sent it flying into the box. #7 Gloria Douglas was centered in front of the goalie, in perfect position to receive the pass. “I knew I needed to be patient, and make sure I wasn’t offside. I kind of held back my run and my touch got in front of the defender. Then, I just put it away in the right corner,” said Douglas about the game’s exciting opening goal.

UVA’s offense put sustained pressure on the Terrapins defense. They made quick, sharp passes and Maryland failed to capitalize on the few mistakes the team made. The half ended with 6 shots on goal from UVA, to Maryland’s 2.

Four minutes into second half, Morgan Brian sent a ball high over the Terrapins goal and #10 Caroline Miller’s shot was blocked.  Miller fought back for the ball in front of Maryland’s goal, sent in an unassisted shot for her 8^th goal of the season. Maryland was clearly motivated by their two goal deficit, and finally got the ball up to their offense. From right outside the box, 20 yards out, Maryland was awarded a free kick. Virginia set up a defensive wall, but the kick was powerful, and the ball was knocked in off a cavalier’s leg. The score was 2-1.

The Wahoo’s answered the goal just four minutes later, with Miller’s second goal of the night. After heading a shot off the crossbar, she got her own rebound, and put the ball past Maryland’s off-balance goalie.

The Cavaliers closed the game at 4-1 with a goal from first year Kaili Torres. The Lady Cavaliers are now the nation’s leaders with 14 different players scoring a goal this season.  This remarkable statistic can definitely be attributed to Virginia’s team play and skill depth.

Overall, UVA had 18 shots on goal to Maryland’s 6. Both Caroline Miller and Head Coach Steve Swanson were very proud of the team’s effort, especially in the second half. Coach Swanson even said, “Tonight, everyone played a remarkable, stand out game. And that’s going to be the difference for us.”