“It’s our biggest game of the season. I think it’s a tremendous rivalry.”
When Virginia coach Steve Swanson speaks of a “tremendous rivalry,” one school unequivocally stands out from the rest: Virginia Tech.
The No. 8 Virginia women’s soccer team (10-1-1, 4-0 ACC) will continue this in-state rivalry when it plays the Hokies (6-4-2, 1-1-2 ACC) in Blacksburg tonight. The Cavaliers hope to remain undefeated in conference play in their fifth ACC matchup of the season.
“When we play Virginia Tech it’s always a big game,” Swanson said. “The fact that it’s down there will be even more of a challenge for us.”
Thus far, the Cavaliers have out-scored their ACC opponents 16-1 in just four games, three of which have been away from their home turf. Their 4-0 in-conference start ties Virginia’s 2005 squad for the best ACC start in school history. It seems no opponent has exposed any major weakness in the orange and blue. Being on such a roll has put team focus at the forefront of Swanson’s approach to the next game.
“We always say that each game is our biggest game of the season because it’s the next game,” senior goalie Celeste Miles said. “We’re sure that we’ll get their best shot, not just because of the Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry, but because it’s an ACC game.”
Against Clemson Sunday, the Cavaliers managed their best scoring output of the season in the 7-1 blowout. They overcame what has been a challenge all season: shot conversion. In every game before the Clemson matchup, Virginia struggled to turn its overwhelming number of shots into goals. Even in the 6-0 rout of N.C. State, it took 26 shots to find the net six times. In their most recent game against Clemson, however, Virginia tallied seven goals on just 13 shots.
The Virginia defense, meanwhile, has been strong throughout the conference schedule. Posting three shutouts in its last four games, Virginia’s only goal allowed in conference play came from a score in the 89th minute by an already ravaged Clemson team.
On the offensive side of the pitch, forwards Lauren Alwine and Meghan Lenczyk have provided the spark. Alwine, a freshman, leads the ACC in assists, while Lencyzk, a sophomore, is tied for second in the ACC in goals, having scored at least one goal in each of the Cavaliers’ four ACC games.
To continue the team’s recent dominance, Swanson said he believes team leadership will be necessary to stay on track.
“I’ve been very happy with our leaders — our seniors on the team — that have really helped us get pointed in the right direction and helped keep our minds focused on the right game, the current game,” Swanson said.
One such senior leader is Miles, who had a constructive outlook after Sunday’s 7-1 dismissal of Clemson.
“If anything positive comes out of it, we’re definitely happy to win by that margin,” Miles said. “But [the one goal] leaves a bitter taste in our mouth that will help motivate us through practice next week. I think that could be a good thing to help us not get big heads because we know that we still have things to work on.”
The four ACC teams Virginia Tech has played thus far are the same four teams Virginia has played. Given their lone ACC win against N.C. State, the Hokies have performed less successfully than Virginia in conference. Notable to compare is Virginia Tech’s 2-2 tie against Clemson versus the Cavaliers 7-1 destruction of the Tigers. Come Thursday, however, these comparisons will become irrelevant.
“It’s very early in the ACC season as far as I’m concerned,” Swanson said, emphasizing that a team “is only as good as its last game.”
Right now Virginia is at peak form after a strong performance against Clemson, but all that could change if the Cavaliers do not come out ready to play Thursday. The athletes and coaches plan to prepare for the here and now.
“Steve [Swanson] told us that right now we have a one-game season,” Miles said. “That game is Virginia Tech.”
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