The No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer team survived its first overtime scare of the season Thursday. The Cavaliers outlasted ninth-ranked Notre Dame 3-2 in double overtime in front of a record crowd of more than 2,800 people.
“We got record attendance even with it pouring down rain,” junior midfielder Morgan Brian said. “It’s great to see the support that the community has given us.”
The Cavaliers (13-0, 7-0 ACC) wasted no time making the soaked crowd happy, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in just the fourth minute. Senior forward Gloria Douglas took advantage of a perfect cross from junior forward Danielle Colaprico, who tallied her sixth assist of the season.
The lead, however, was short lived, with Notre Dame (9-3-1, 5-2-1 ACC) drawing even in the 25th minute. The Fighting Irish went on the attack, and freshman Morgan Andrews sent a header off the cross bar which landed at the feet of senior Elizabeth Tucker, who beat the Cavalier goalkeeper to make the score 1-1.
The score stayed even until halftime, despite the Cavaliers’ superior play on offense. Virginia dominated possession time and Notre Dame mustered just two shots on goal in the half.
The trend continued into the second half, where Notre Dame seemed overmatched. The ball was rarely in Virginia’s defensive third, and when it was, the defense was easily able to clear. In the 50th minute, Virginia retook the lead when senior defender Molly Menchel sent a deep cross into the box that corralled off a Notre Dame defender and into the net.
“In the past eight or nine games, we haven’t really played more than 45 consecutive minutes of great soccer together,” Brian said. “But tonight, we played a good first 45 minutes and then put a good 25 more minutes together, which is progress for us.”
Notre Dame, though, managed to stay in the game. The Fighting Irish slowly began to claw their way back, steadily possessing the ball and getting into Virginia territory. With 17 minutes to go in the game, Tucker again capitalized on a bouncing ball in the box to tie the score again.
“When you have two great teams, there are going to be ebbs and flows, and that was the case tonight,” coach Steve Swanson said. “I give a lot of credit to Notre Dame. To come back twice from a goal down in this environment shows the type of team they have.”
Virginia was able to right itself defensively and limited the chances for the remainder of the half. Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Stearns stepped up several times late in the half, making a handful of diving saves off of quality Notre Dame chances, which helped push the match into overtime.
“Morgan made some big saves tonight in crucial situations,” Swanson said. “They took some outside shots that would have caught lesser goalkeepers off guard. The saves she made were very important for us.”
Virginia’s offense slowly came back to life in the first overtime period. Sophomore forward Brittany Ratcliffe made several runs deep into the Notre Dame defensive third and put the Fighting Irish on their heels. Unfortunately, the constant rain began to play a role in stifling the Virginia attack, as several balls stopped short after getting caught in puddles of water, ensuring the game would head to a second overtime.
“I thought our facilities people did a great job. The field was in good shape for as much rain as we got,” Swanson said. “The game did change as the rain came though, and both teams kind of had to play it safe and play to the conditions a little bit more.”
Virginia began the second overtime with the ball and capitalized immediately, earning a corner kick less than a minute into the 10-minute period. Colaprico drove the service to the top of the six-yard box and Brian sent the header over the line for her ninth goal of the season and the golden goal of the match.
“Morgan can score in a variety of ways; she’s obviously very good with her head,” Swanson said. “She’s got a great mentality and a great will. She works very hard and we needed her to do that tonight.”
As Klöckner erupted and the team slid across the soaked field, Notre Dame players sprinted to the officials desperately arguing that the ball never full crossed the goal line. However, the controversial call was final, and Virginia emerged with its record unblemished.
“When I watched the play, my focus went right to the assistant referee, and he immediately put his flag up,” Swanson said. “He had the best angle on it. It wasn’t like he was uncertain about it.”
Virginia will put its record on the line again Sunday, when it travels to No. 14 Wake Forest.
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