The effort and performance had always been there. The victories were what the Virginia women's soccer team had trouble finding throughout a futile conference campaign. The Cavaliers (8-5-2, 1-3 ACC) finally were able to put the pieces together and put one in the win column last night, however, when they defeated Duke 2-0 on a windy evening at Klöckner Stadium.
Junior goalkeeper Anne Abernethy notched her fourth shutout of the season, and senior forwards Darci Borski and Alyssa Benitez tallied a goal apiece as last-place Virginia won the battle of the ACC basement against the seventh-place Blue Devils (6-8-1, 1-3-1 ACC).
Last night's win followed a closely fought defeat on Saturday at No. 2 North Carolina, where the Cavaliers led 1-0 with under 10 minutes left and still managed to lose 2-1. The two other conference losses for Virginia were also tight matches, a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Clemson and a 2-0 defeat against Maryland.
"I couldn't be more proud of the kids. It's been tough," Virginia Coach Steve Swanson said. "We've been playing well, but unfortunately we've been maybe just a few chances away from winning. And it's been frustrating because I think overall, the games that we've lost we've played pretty well."
The game was evenly contested throughout the early part of the first half, with both teams getting chances but neither squad capitalizing.
With just under 14 minutes remaining, freshman midfielder Noelle Keselica connected with Benitez on a sharp pass inside the box. Surrounded by three Blue Devil defenders, Benitez managed to weave her way through the traffic and shoot one past the Duke goalkeeper to put Virginia up 1-0.
The goal was Benitez's team-leading eighth tally of the season. It also was the 20th score off the bench for a Cavalier team that has scored a total of 38 goals on the season.
Virginia took the one-goal advantage into the locker room and never looked back. The defense continued to frustrate the Blue Devils in the second half and held them to only six shots for the night.
With less than 5 minutes left, Borski ran down a long pass from freshman midfielder Julie Napolitano and separated herself from the Duke defenders. She cashed in on a low shot to the right-hand corner and crushed any remaining Blue Devil hopes of coming back by doubling the Virginia lead to 2-0.
The second-half score moved Borski into ninth place all-time in goals scored in Virginia history. She has tallied 25 goals in her four years with the Cavaliers, and has six goals this season alone.
The first conference victory was crucial for a Virginia team that is running out of time. The squad only has three games left in the season -- all ACC matchups -- including No. 14 Wake Forest on the road on Saturday. Swanson expressed confidence in the team's chances down the stretch.
"For the team to come back after a disappointing and really heartbreaking loss against a team we haven't beat and to play like this is great," Swanson said. "It gives us a lot of momentum."
Virginia aims to keep this momentum going in the right direction against the Demon Deacons this weekend. The victory over the Blue Devils provided the Cavaliers with proof that they can translate their strong play into a win, even against nationally ranked Wake Forest.
"This win gave us a lot of confidence," Borski said. "Now we know we can play with anybody, especially against North Carolina when we had them for 81 minutes and to beat Duke 2-0, it just gives us so much confidence."
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