Following last night's draw in Tallahassee, Fla., the Virginia women's soccer team heads even farther south Sunday to take on the Miami Hurricanes.
Virginia embarked on the season's first conference road trip with a 2-0-0 ACC record, marking the fourth consecutive year the Cavaliers have defeated their first two conference opponents.
"It was great to get these [wins] under our belt at home before we head[ed] out on the road to Florida," sophomore Jen Redmond said.
In their two previous away games, the Cavaliers fell in overtime to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, 1-0, and tied the West Virginia Mountaineers, 1-1.
The Hurricanes are 6-3-0 on the season but just 0-2-0 in the ACC following a pair of losses at the hands of N.C. State and fourth-ranked North Carolina last weekend.
Sunday's game marks the third-ever meeting of the two teams. In 2004, the Hurricanes fell 4-0 to the Cavaliers, and in 2005, it was Virginia's 1-0 victory over Miami that moved the Cavaliers to 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in school history. This weekend will be the first time the Cavaliers will play in Miami's Cobb Stadium, however.
"It will be a tough environment to play in down there," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "But I think it is a great challenge for us at this time and we are all looking forward to it. We just have to go in there with the right mindset."
A solid defensive line will prove key for the Cavaliers as they look to prove they can win outside Charlottesville. With both ACC victories hinging on only one-goal margins, the defense's prevention of both go-ahead and tying goals was critical. Swanson predicts the team can expect a similar "dogfight" in every conference game but added that he was particularly encouraged by the team's defensive efforts against Duke.
The leader of Virginia's defense is undoubtedly senior goalkeeper Christina de Vries. Tallying 14 shutouts last season, de Vries tied the school record she had set as a sophomore. Entering her senior year, de Vries was already ranked among the top five in ACC history for career shutouts and has since added six more.
While credited to the goalie, shutouts are clearly team efforts. This season, with Virginia returning its entire back line, the defense looks more confident than ever on the field. Indeed, Virginia's able bodies and skillful maneuvering on the defensive end have physically and mentally challenged opponents. As the back line continues to draw off-sides calls, they simultaneously contain and frustrate the opposing offense.
With the defense working diligently to prevent goals, Virginia's offense, led by sophomore Jess Rostdet, has been scoring just enough. Averaging nearly a goal a game, Rostedt leads the team in scoring and of her five goals so far this season, three have been game winners. This week, she was recognized by three separate organizations. The conference named her ACC co-Player of the Week, while both Soccer America and Soccer Buzz magazines selected Rostedt for their National Team of the Week honors.
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