Coming off its first loss of the season, the No. 14 Virginia women's soccer team responded with a resounding 4-1 triumph against rival Maryland during the first ACC game for both sides. The No. 6 Terps (6-1-2, 0-1-0 ACC) could not keep pace as the Cavaliers (7-1-1, 1-0-0 ACC) dictated the flow of the game with their potent offense.
From the outset, crisp passing and dogged defense made Virginia the sharper team. The Cavaliers dominated possession throughout the match and often held the ball deep in the Terps' end to create numerous chances on goal and outshoot Maryland 18-6, including a 12-4 second-half advantage.
"At halftime [coach] Steve [Swanson] just mainly talked about our ball movement and making sure we move off the ball and don't be stagnant," Douglas said. "As you can tell in the second half we got a lot of shots and goals off so I think that [talk] was a big factor."
The two spark plugs to the Cavalier offense in the early going were Douglas and freshman midfielder Morgan Brian. Brian led the Cavaliers with seven shots and took the Cavaliers' first crack at goal in the sixth minute when she and Douglas teamed for a quick give-and-go. After receiving the ball back from Douglas, Brian struck a booming shot from the top of the 18-yard box which sailed over the crossbar but set the tone for what was to come.
The first goal of the game came in the 14th minute when junior forward Erica Hollenberg chased a ball down the left flank and slid on the ground to reach the ball for a centering cross to Douglas.
Douglas took the ball in front of the net and finished her chance past helpless senior goalkeeper Yewande Balogun, who had allowed just one goal in the Terps' first eight games.
"It's always good to get the first goal," Douglas said. "You kind of get going and everyone's pumped and everything, so it's always an advantage to get the first goal and keep everyone relaxed."
At the defensive end of the pitch, the Cavaliers had their hands full with sophomore forward Haley Brock but prevented the physical striker from creating any dangerous chances. Although the Terps tried to channel their attack through the big target forward, Virginia's backline consistently shut her down.
Holding a 1-0 lead at halftime, the Cavaliers turned up the pressure yet another notch after the break. Junior forward Caroline Miller, whose status for the game was in doubt because of an ankle injury, capitalized on a prolonged Virginia possession with her team-best eighth goal of the year. After her first shot hit a defender and bounced back to her, Miller fired again and found the back of the net.
After the game, Virginia coach Steve Swanson praised Miller for her gutsy effort playing 44 minutes off the bench, but Miller insisted she was fine from the opening whistle.
"I got hurt against Maryland last year so this was a big deal in my mind," Miller said. "I think I could've broken my leg and [with] the adrenaline rush I wouldn't have felt it."
Maryland looked as though it might fight its way back into the game in the 56th minute when Olivia Wagner scored on a long free kick that squibbed through the Cavaliers' wall and squeezed past senior goalkeeper Chantel Jones, who was shielded on the play.
Four minutes later, Miller tallied her second goal of the game to ensure the Cavaliers wouldn't suffer a letdown. As with her first goal, Miller cleaned up the rebound of her own shot when her header ricocheted off the crossbar.
Freshman midfielder Kaili Torres notched her first career goal late in the game to cap the scoring for Virginia assisted by Douglas and Morgan. Douglas touched the ball ahead to Torres as she fell to ground, setting up Torres for the easy finish.
With a nine-game homestand concluded, the Cavaliers will take to the road for the first time this season against No. 18 Boston College Saturday with a conference win already under their belt.
"We weren't happy after Sunday's game. We felt we were better than the result, and we didn't have a great performance," Swanson said. "We challenged the players this week and they responded really, really well. I thought on both sides of the ball that was our most consistent 90 minutes we've played all year".
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