The No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer team performed brilliantly in its first road trip of the season, illustrating that its 7-0 start was not simply a product of home-field advantage. To stay unbeaten, the Cavaliers will need to prolong their road success when they face ACC nemesis Duke Thursday night.
Virginia (9-0, 2-0 ACC) made history in several areas last weekend, including scoring its first ever goal and win in eight years on Boston College’s turf. Coach Steve Swanson also recorded his 300th career victory when the Cavaliers defeated Pittsburgh for the first time.
“We have never won at Boston College before and it has always been a really tough game, so I was really happy the way we bounced back,” Swanson said. “Pittsburgh did a lot of different things to us. They put a lot of numbers behind the ball, which took us a while to get used to, but overall I was happy with how we played.”
Though Virginia did trail in both games, Swanson lauded his team for bouncing back and believes that resilience can fortify the squad for the rest of the season.
“Coming back in both games is very positive for us,” Swanson said. “This team is confident that they can come back if they go down.”
Duke (4-4-2, 1-2-1 ACC) tumbled out of the top 25 this week after giving up a second half two-goal lead to tie Syracuse. The Blue Devils’ record is misleadingly pedestrian, however, as their two ACC losses have come in close losses Florida State and Wake Forest, the No. 4 and 10 teams in the nation, respectively. Virginia defeated Duke in a scrimmage this past spring.
“We played them in the spring and we won,” sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak said. “Both teams are different now, so it will be interesting to see how we’ve grown since then. I’m excited to see where we are.”
In the past decade, the Cavaliers and the Blue Devils have played 14 times in regular and postseason play, and each of the games have been tightly contested. The Cavaliers boast a narrow 7-5-2 edge during that span.
“It’s a really good rivalry; it’s been back and forth going back the last five to 10 years,” Swanson said. “It’s an important game for both teams and we expect a very competitive game, no question.”
This year, the Cavaliers’ offense has been even more potent than it was last year with star forward Caroline Miller on the team. Virginia’s 33 goals through nine games is eight ahead of where the squad was at the same point last season, and is already half as many as the Cavaliers tallied through 24 matches in 2012.
Virginia’s offensive attack this season has seen 15 different players get a point, 10 of whom are goal scorers, showcasing the Cavaliers’ extensive depth. Doniak spearheads Virginia’s prolific offense — the sophomore has recorded eight goals this season, including three in the comeback victories last week.
“I’ve been relying a lot on my teammates for good balls and for support,” Doniak said. “I couldn’t do anything without them.”
Doniak and the Cavaliers will have to play well to preserve their flooring offensive statistics, as the Blue Devils are allowing just one goal per game in their 10 games this season. Virginia is averaging just less than four goals per game.
Duke will also have the advantage of catching the Cavaliers at the end of a long road stretch that has comprised hundreds of miles. Virginia, though, does not anticipate the trips to Boston and Pittsburgh to impact its performance on Thursday.
“I think we do well on the road, as we showed last weekend,” Doniak said. “I don’t think it’s going to matter too much.”
The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday in Durham, N.C.
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