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Cavaliers host Panthers in regular season finale

Women's soccer team will honor seniors at Saturday night ACC contest

After a three-game road trip spanning eight days in which the No. 3 Virginia women’s soccer team went undefeated, the Cavaliers will return home for their final game of the regular season this Saturday.

Virginia (16-1, 8-1 ACC) is finally able to come home to the familiar confines of Klöckner Stadium, where the Cavaliers have tallied a 10-0 record, for the first time in nearly three weeks. They will be joined in Charlottesville by Pittsburgh (6-11, 2-7 ACC), who is currently reeling after having lost five games in a row. But this year — the Panthers’ second in the ACC — has been a marked improvement in comparison to last season, when they went 0-13 in conference.

“We don’t consider any team in the ACC weak, and they’re going to come at us hard,” coach Steve Swanson said. “But for us, it’s just nice to be home after playing three games like that in eight days.”

Saturday night’s game, which is senior night for the Cavaliers, represents a pivotal moment in what has at times seemed like a season of destiny. While it represents the end of Virginia’s regular season, the game is also a welcome tune-up in preparation for intense postseason matchups. After Saturday, the Cavaliers will have almost a week before the beginning of the ACC tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Every game’s important, and we have the chance to do something special,” Swanson said. “The Pitt game is important to us and it’s our last ACC game.”

The game also promises to be an emotional evening for the team’s graduating athletes, marking their last regular season game in a Virginia uniform.

“You’re bittersweet about it because it’s not the end of the season, and in many ways, I feel like our season’s just beginning,” Swanson said. “But at the same time, you want to honor your players and all they’ve done for our program over the last four or five years. On the one hand, you’re sad because you’re not going to have them in the coming years, but the sweet part is that we had them.”

Throughout this season, the Cavaliers have shown remarkable resilience, fortitude and skill following last season’s heartbreaking conclusion. Though this may have driven the initial motivation in 2014, the combination of upperclassmen leadership and the seamless integration of new talent is what has made this season one to remember.

Though Virginia has already clinched a spot in the ACC tournament, Saturday’s matchup is integral for the Cavaliers’ postseason success as they look to reintegrate star senior midfielder Morgan Brian, who has been away playing for the U.S. Women’s National Team duty since Oct. 15. The ACC powerhouse should not have too much trouble getting Brian back in sync with the team — as she not only kept pace, but excelled on the international level, scoring her third goal for the United States against Haiti on Oct. 20.

“Having Morgan being in and out presented so many challenges, but I think we came through that well,” Swanson said. “I think we have a lot more fine tuning to do between now and Pittsburgh and down the road. I think we’d be fine even if Morgan hadn’t practiced with us, she’s just that kind of player.”

Though Virginia has plenty of internal dynamics to address, the team cannot forget that the Panthers boast one of the best offensive talents in the ACC, specifically in Finnish international junior forward Roosa Arvas. An elite scorer, Arvas ranks sixth in the ACC in goals scored — one spot ahead of Cavalier junior forward Brittany Ratcliffe — with nine to her name.

Virginia boasts an incredibly strong offense which should more than match up, ranking first in the ACC in goals and goals per game — but it is the team’s defense which will prove to be its strongest asset against Pittsburgh and in the games thereafter. The Cavaliers rank third in the ACC, allowing just 0.65 goals per game, and are particularly stingy at home, where they have yet to lose this season.

Kickoff between the Panthers and the Cavaliers is set for 7 p.m. Saturday night at Klöckner Stadium.

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