The Virginia women's soccer team was tired. The team was playing its third game in six nights. On this night, Oct. 4, it played host to an aggressive BYU team. Virginia was in need of someone to step up.
Someone did. She was banged up: She received stitches two nights earlier and had a fresh gash in her mouth from fighting off the Cougars. She still led the Cavaliers (13-3-1), scoring two goals, including the game-winner in overtime to give Virginia the come-from-behind 3-2 victory.
This is the role of a captain.
This is the role of a star player.
This is Lori Lindsey.
Lindsey is the senior co-captain for the eighth-ranked Cavaliers. The midfielder from Indianapolis, Ind., finished the regular season with 19 points to lead Virginia to the second-best conference record at 5-2. For her accomplishments this season, Lindsey was named ACC player of the year for the second consecutive year.
"It's definitely an honor for me and I'm very thankful," Lindsey said. "It's so exciting, it's huge, but it's also huge for our team. We had a great season."
Beyond her fancy footwork and smooth moves in the midfield, Lindsey's humility also has helped her to the top of the ACC.
"What's so special about Lori is that she's a very humble person," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "She is one of the hardest workers that I've ever been associated with. I think there are a lot of players with Lori's talent that don't work as hard. Lori always wants to learn and do whatever it takes to get better."
As the sun sets on Lindsey's Virginia career, she certainly has made her mark in the Virginia record books. She ranks eighth all-time among Virginia scoring leaders with 69 points. Lindsey climbed up to the No. 6 spot for career goals with 30 by scoring eight this season. Lindsey is also a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club player of the year award and a finalist for this year's Hermann Award. Each award honors the nation's top player.
Lindsey is "a very special player," Swanson said. "She is certainly one of the best players I've ever coached in my career."
This time last year, Lindsey became the first Virginia player ever to be named ACC player of the year. The award made Lindsey a marked woman. Virginia's opponents have made a concerted effort not to let Lindsey beat them this year. Playing with this bull's-eye makes her impact that much more remarkable and also reflects how important her teammates have been to her success.
"To have that happen two years in a row is impressive because it's not like Lori's an unknown player," Swanson said. "Everybody is keying on her, trying to shut her down and yet she has been an impact player for us in every game"
"I think that it's reflective of our team's play," Lindsey said of her award. "I couldn't have done it without having great players around me."
"I think the team shares in that award," Swanson said. "I think Lori's free to assert herself and free to showcase her skills in our system. Yet one of the things that make her valuable is that she's a team player. Her ability to get the team involved and the team's ability to play off of her makes her special"
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