On a packed Senior Night at Klöckner Stadium, the No. 10 Virginia women’s soccer team used five goals from five different players to power past No. 22 Boston College, 5-1.
The Cavaliers (13-4-1, 6-3-1 ACC) recognized their four graduating seniors – Caroline Miller, Erica Hollenberg, Julia Roberts, and Carrie Wisman – in a ceremony before the game. The seniors made an immediate impact. Wisman, who had only seen 20 minutes of game action during her four-year career, earned the start in goal and rose to the occasion. Playing for 14 minutes, she shut out the Eagles (10-6-3, 4-5-1 ACC) and notched a save.
“It was amazing,” Wisman said. “Playing with this team for four years has been an awesome experience. It was a little nerve-wracking, I won’t lie, but I know that we have each other’s back.”
Despite a strong effort in the cage, the Cavaliers struggled offensively in the first half and failed to find the goal with nine shots. The game remained scoreless until Boston College’s senior forward Victoria DiMartino snuck a shot past Virginia’s junior goalkeeper Danielle DeLisle in the 32nd minute. The Eagles carried their 1-0 margin to halftime, and the Cavaliers remained goalless through the period.
“We knew that we’re a better team than them,” Wisman. “We weren’t playing the game that we play so well.”
The Cavaliers played the second half like a team transformed, displaying the potent offensive attack that has characterized their play this season. In the 49th minute junior defender Morgan Stith looped a cross into the box, finding sophomore forward Danielle Colaprico on the left side of the goal. Colaprico slotted it into the upper corner to tie the game. Less than a minute later Virginia struck again, as Miller found freshman midfielder Emily Sonnett on a perfect give and go for a second goal.
“It wasn’t any different than what we had talked about at the beginning of the game; we just executed much better,” coach Steve Swanson said of the second-half play. “We were making better decisions, our passes were sharper, and our touch was better. We felt we could have done that in the first half, had we been a little more sharp.”
Even with the lead, Virginia continued to play at a frenetic pace. The team took 16 shots in the second half alone. In the 60th minute, Miller advanced the ball from near midfield and fired a blast from 20 yards out, sneaking the ball inside the post for a 3-1 lead. The Cavaliers added two more late goals from junior defender Molly Menchel and sophomore forward Kaili Torres to seal a massive victory to finish the regular season.
For Miller, the game marked the last regular season match of a distinguished career, which saw her climb to third all-time in goals and fourth all-time in points for the Cavaliers.
“I don’t think I could have asked for a better Senior Night,” Miller said. “I was tearing up before the game. It’s my last regular season game at Klöckner. I cannot describe how much I love playing here, and it’s just kind of depressing, but it’s a great night.”
With the win, Virginia finished as the No. 5 seed for the ACC tournament, losing a tiebreaker for the fourth position to North Carolina because of goal differential. To the Cavaliers, that means traveling to Chapel Hill for the first round of the ACC tournament Sunday. The road trip adds an extra obstacle to an already brutal path to the ACC title, but it’s a challenge the Cavaliers embrace.
“We’re playing well right now, and it doesn’t matter who you play,” Swanson said. “You have to beat three good teams to win the ACC tournament. We’ll go down to Carolina, and play them first, and be ready for that one.”
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