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Women’s soccer falls to Duke, 1-0

Cavaliers edged out in last game of regular season

<p>Junior midfielder Montana Sutton and the Cavaliers struggled against a Duke squad who has gone undefeated in the ACC this season.</p>

Junior midfielder Montana Sutton and the Cavaliers struggled against a Duke squad who has gone undefeated in the ACC this season.

In its last game of the regular season, No. 10 Virginia fell to No. 2 Duke with a score of 1-0. This marks the third game in a row that the matchup between the two teams has been decided by one goal. 

The loss for the Cavaliers (10-4-4, 5-2-3 ACC) came on their senior night, where seniors Olivia Hazelrigg, Veronica Latsko, Annaugh Madsen and Megan Reid were honored in their last conference match at Klöckner Stadium. 

“We have some very good leaders in that group and they have a lot of heart,” Virginia Coach Steve Swanson said. “They are not just great players — they are good people as well. You can build a team around them. They are quality student-athletes, and they represent Virginia well. We’re proud of them — we’re just sorry we couldn’t get the win for them.” 

Latsko has been crucial for Virginia throughout her career and has particularly set the tone for the team this year, as she leads the team in points with six goals and three assists. 

“I just look to the past players — they’ve paved the way for me so easily, and it’s not like I am not the only leader on the team,” Latsko said. “We like to say we’re a team of leaders.”

Tonight, however, Latsko and the rest of the Cavalier offense could not find a way to get one past the Blue Devils (17-1-0, 10-0-0 ACC).

Duke finished the ACC season undefeated and only dropped one game in their entire season. 

“To go undefeated in this league is impressive,” Swanson said. “Hats off to them, they were the better team tonight. We weren’t precise or crisp in the first half at all, and I have to take responsibility for that. They are a good team and have a lot of weapons, but we didn’t play well in the first half, and it’s hard to play a team like that for only 45 minutes. With that said, we had our chances and we didn’t put them on frame.” 

In the scoreless first half, the Blue Devils had the offensive advantage, outshooting Virginia, 5-1. Although the Cavaliers were only able to get one shot off, it was a solid opportunity. Virginia freshman forward Taryn Torres took a shot that just missed finding the back of the net as it hit the post. 

Although the Cavaliers were on the attack more in the second half, they could not get on the scoreboard. For most of the half, Duke, too, struggled to get past the Virginia backline. However, with less than five minutes left in the game, the Blue Devils took the lead. Duke junior forward Kat McDonald scored her second goal of the season off of a pass from junior forward Kayla McCoy to secure the win. 

“We needed to be a little smarter defensively,” Swanson said. “In the first half, we were chasing a lot, and we didn’t have to chase. We turned the ball over way too much. I felt like their best chances came from our turnovers, but they’re not undefeated for no reason. They can punish you. I hope this is a good lesson for our team. We had been playing good soccer up until this game.”

Now the Cavaliers will prepare for postseason play with the ACC Tournament beginning Sunday and the NCAA Tournament in about two weeks. 

“[We’ll] compete, play hard, play our game … [And] hopefully come out a little stronger than we did tonight, and hopefully click a little better,” Reid said.

Last year, the Cavaliers lost in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament and the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Cavaliers won the ACC Championship was in 2012. 

“It’s just one game at a time,” Latsko said. “You never know what is going to happen, and you have to only focus on the one opponent that’s ahead of you.” 

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