Wearing assertive orange jerseys for the first time in 2015, the Virginia women’s soccer team rallied to beat No. 8 UCLA 2-1 on the road Friday night.
The Bruins (2-2) seized a 1-0 lead, when junior midfielder Annie Alvarado converted a penalty kick at 17:47. The No. 1 Cavaliers had several opportunities to score before the half — none greater than sophomore forward Veronica Latsko’s shot off the crossbar and senior forward Kaili Torres’ ensuing rebound around the 25th minute — but UCLA redshirt junior keeper Cassie Sternbach delayed an equalizer.
The game-tying goal came at 50:32. After a Bruin handball in the box, junior midfielder Alexis Shaffer stepped to the penalty mark in front of a crowd of 1,956 and buried it right down the middle. Momentum shifted to the Cavaliers. Less than seven minutes later, sophomore forward Megan Reid floated a cross towards junior defender Meghan Cox, who headed the ball off the far post and into the side netting.
Virginia encountered a few frights in the final twenty minutes but escaped Pasadena with a huge 2-1 win. A second challenge awaited the Cavaliers Sunday afternoon in picturesque Malibu, where No. 19 Pepperdine (4-1-0) showed its resiliency.
A strike from Latsko gave Virginia a 1-0 lead at 28:39, but just seven minutes later, freshman defender Danielle Thomas scored a header off a set piece in traffic. This 1-1 stalemate endured until the 80th minute, when Wave sophomore midfielder Bri Visalli’s shot just outside of the box snuck inside the right post.
Five minutes from suffering their first defeat of the season, the Cavaliers produced a free kick on the edge of the eighteen. Calm, cool, and collected freshman midfielder Courtney Peterson drained the equalizer and final goal of the day. Two hard-fought overtime periods could not determine a victor. So Virginia will return home undefeated.
Star senior forward Makenzy Doniak (left hamstring) played only 16 minutes Sunday. Her status for next week is in question, as the Cavaliers face Harvard and Old Dominion Friday and Sunday, respectively.
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