Donning its home whites, the Virginia women’s soccer team came out flying against Syracuse (4-5-1) on a picturesque Sunday in Charlottesville. Less than a minute into the match, senior forward Kaili Torres’ volley jarred the crossbar and nearly landed behind the chalk. Soon after, at 1:44, senior forward Makenzy Doniak’s strike skidded a fraction wide of the frame.
Oohs and ahs, not to mention the customary foot stomping, were prevalent Sunday, as Virginia pressed for goals. Somehow, the Orange survived unscathed until 16:32, when Doniak finessed the ball into the right corner for her third goal of the season. It seemed the floodgates might open then, but Virginia didn’t capitalize on several chances late in the half.
Some frustration even set in when, in the closing seconds of the first period, Cavalier junior forward Veronica Latsko smacked the ball off an Orange defender and over the fence for a corner. The ball boy was empty-handed, so Latsko couldn’t get a ball from the sidelines in time. Senior defender Emily Sonnett, the no-nonsense All-American competitor, wasn’t too pleased about that.
Despite dominating possession and the shot count (13 to 0), the Cavaliers entered the half with an uneasy 1-0 lead.
“Even when we control the game like we did during that first half, I’m thinking, The score is still 1-0 — can we get them on their heels, and start of well in the second half?” coach Steve Swanson said. “And yeah, we turned it up a notch.”
In the 54th minute, Doniak took on a Syracuse defender in the box and slipped a pass back to her onrushing friend, senior forward Brittany Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe buried the ball into the back of the net, swinging all momentum in Virginia’s favor.
“That was awesome,” Ratcliffe said. “Mak picked her head up, saw someone coming in. I was lucky enough to finish the shot. It was a great ball on her part, and I wouldn’t have scored if it wasn’t for her.”
Ratcliffe ignited a scoring fest, which sealed the deal. Junior center back Kristen McNabb contributed two second-half goals, including a big third goal for Virginia at 58:24 and a beautiful volley at 82:42. Junior midfielder Alexis Shaffer buried the fourth Cavalier goal, her fourth on the season.
“Even 2-0, they score one goal, and they get the momentum to score another,” Ratcliffe said. “So it’s good that once we scored the second goal, the next ones kept coming. That was really clutch.”
Defensively, Virginia allowed a single shot. Orange senior forward Erin Simon sent a wormburner Morgan Stearns’ way, but the junior goalkeeper smothered it and ensured a fifth Cavalier clean sheet. The Virginia defense has been incredible all season, surrendering .5 goals per game, and deserves far more credit for the unbeaten start.
“Everyone loves watching goals, but defense wins championships,” Ratcliffe said. “Our defense is awesome. They should get more credit, but hey, they’re doing their job. Emily [Sonnett] is the leader back there, but even the people around her are great.”
Virginia will return to action Thursday when Notre Dame comes to Charlottesville. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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