Having just finished the regular season with a win against Louisville, the fifth-seeded Cavaliers came into the ACC Championships confident in their ability but weary of their competition since they travelled to Chapel Hill to take on fourth-seeded North Carolina.
The ACC championship dream ended suddenly for Virginia (13-4-2), as they fell Sunday to North Carolina (12-3-3), 3-0, in a quarterfinal match.
It was a disappointing result for the Cavaliers, who appeared to be jelling at the right time and looked poised for a run at the championship. However, playing UNC on the road was a massive challenge for Virginia, especially in a quarterfinal matchup.
The Tar Heels started the game off well — putting continuous pressure on the Virginia back line — but the Cavaliers withstood the test with a few great defensive plays and senior goalkeeper Morgan Stearns’ signature play kept the Cavaliers in the game.
The period just before halftime proved to be the difference in the game since UNC converted two turnovers into goals in the 39th and 45th minutes of the game.
This sent Virginia into the locker room down 2-0 in an extremely uncomfortable position.
At the start of the second half Virginia tried its best to mount a rally, but a breakthrough never came, and North Carolina found the dagger off a corner kick in the 65th minute to put Virginia down 3-0.
The final 35 minutes proved to be as frustrating as the rest of the game for Virginia because they couldn’t get any momentum going in Chapel Hill, and the margin remained at three when the referee blew the final whistle.
The game was a disappointing defeat for Virginia, but hopefully the team can use this as motivation going forward in the NCAA Tournament in November.
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