Zero wins, 34 losses, two ties. Looking at this set of numbers, it is fair to say North Carolina owns the all-time series with the Cavaliers.
The Virginia women's soccer team will face the 21-time NCAA champions tonight at Kl?ckner Stadium. But after the Cavaliers' impressive win against then-No. 1 ranked Boston College - a team that beat the Tar Heels just a week earlier- Virginia may be able to earn its first victory against North Carolina.
"I think they're a little more scared of us this year when maybe it's been the other way around," senior midfielder Sinead Farrelly said. "And I think our team this year, and especially after this win, they should be afraid of us."
But Virginia has good reason to be wary of its opponent. During their last 768 games, the Tar Heels outscored their opponents 3,053 to 369. North Carolina lost just 11 ACC matches during a 24-year period. They have made the NCAA tournament every year since it started and have won 21 of 29 national championships in the history of women's college soccer.
In fact, Dean Smith, the legendary North Carolina basketball coach and Basketball Hall of Fame member once joked, "This is a women's soccer school. We're just trying to keep up with them."
The Tar Heels are currently led by redshirt senior midfielder Ali Hawkins, a Soccer America preseason All-American and one of only 30 candidates for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS award. Hawkins, a three-year starter on three national championship teams, is in her third year as team captain.
On the field, Virginia will face some definite challenges from the Tar Heel squad.
"They're probably one of the best in the country at pressuring the ball," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said.
That's an important factor for Virginia - during its win against Boston College, the Cavaliers struggled at times to deal with the Eagles' offensive pressure, which led to at least one of BC's goals. "I think BC's a very good team - obviously they have athletes all over the field that did a good job of pressuring the ball, so I think we gotta do a little bit better for sure," Swanson said.
The Cavaliers' win against BC did give them at least one thing, though - confidence.
"We're not scared or nervous about them - we're just really excited to play them, and we know that we can win," Farrelly said. "If we play good soccer, we'll come away with the result."
This year, the team has seemed to have a special gift for "coming away with the result."
"I think there's a real special quality about this team that we've been down before - we were down late against Penn State, and we came back. Even against Maryland [last] Thursday I thought we showed a lot of grit," Swanson said.
That "grit" is exactly what the Cavaliers are going to need if they expect to beat the Tar Heels at 7 p.m.
Read More
Mel Josephson and women’s lacrosse prepare to take center stage
By Xander Tilock | 42 minutes agoJosephson's ability to perform throughout a game's biggest moments is crucial for the Cavaliers.
Virginia schools can pay players through NIL, but the University should proceed with caution
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayGiven the unique academic and athletic opportunities Virginia is able to offer its athletes, it is not shocking that Virginia has been resistant to extravagant, NIL-induced changes.
Record-setting weekend for Virginia track and field at Penn Relays and Virginia High Performance
By Tanmayi Patil | YesterdayThe Cavaliers took down records across two events over the weekend.
