The clock halted at 72:57, and Klöckner Stadium rattled with relief. Cavalier teammates began to pile onto freshman defender Brianna Westrup, the instant hero. Westrup, who had endured trial by fire throughout the match, had banged a header into the left corner for the game’s only goal.
Afterwards, Westrup recalled a chain of moments she’ll likely never forget.
“Shaff [junior midfielder Alexis Shaffer], the whole game had been putting really good crosses into the box for us,” Westrup said. “We were just a little late or not getting to the ball first. When she played that ball to the back post, I saw it floating. I just tried to track it, get up, get near the ball, get a head on it and hope for the best.”
Somewhere, senior center back Emily Sonnett — whom Westrup replaces this week — must have celebrated the goal, perhaps with fellow Virginia products and WNT teammates Morgan Brian and Becky Sauerbrunn after training. One thing is certain: Sonnett and her teammates have made an indelible impact on Westrup.
“Emily is an incredible player,” Westrup said. “Every day at practice and games, I just try to see how she plays, soak up what she does and learn from her. But a lot of the girls around me were super supportive and giving me some confidence in the practice before this game. Just to say like, ‘Hey, you can do this.’”
When the dog-pile of orange and white finally cleared up, Westrup remained on her back. Everybody watched from high above the pitch, worried sick at the sight of her motionless body. Post-game, Westrup had a good chuckle about the cramps.
“Well, kind of like when I was in mid-air both my calves decided to cramp up at the same time,” Westrup said. “And so when everyone came down and jumped on me, they were just so tight and cramping. It was just a result of me jumping, not anything they did. Then I had to come off, because I couldn’t walk.”
She didn’t play another minute Thursday night, but Westrup had done her job and more. She overcame butterflies and a little bit of shakiness at the center-back spot in the early stages. She wanted to win one 50-50 ball more than anybody else on the field, and that proved to be the difference. Junior goalkeeper Morgan Stearns praised the fill-in freshman for all her effort.
“Midseason stepping in as a freshman — I’ve been in her shoes and I know that’s kind of terrifying,” Stearns said. “So for Bri to do as well as she did to keep players inside of the ball, make really decisive decisions and of course score the goal that wins us the game was awesome. She’s got to feel on top of the world right now.”
Westrup and junior defender Kristen McNabb led the Cavalier defense to its ninth shutout of the season. Louisville produced six total shots; one at 6:51 was especially threatening.
Cardinal sophomore forward Alison Price took her space into a dangerous position and then uncoiled. Her long-range strike traveled in a blur from shade to sun before clanging off the right post. Klöckner exhaled enough air to tousle a pair of balloons floating in the sky. The Cavalier defense regrouped, and — apart from a few bad fouls near the edge of the box — held its own.
“I thought the back line did okay,” coach Steve Swanson said. “There were some moments, which you’d expect when you have someone as strong a leader as we have in Emily, and you take her out of the lineup. Overall, aside from some free kicks here and there, the one time they got behind us and the long-range shot, I thought we kept them in check.”
The Virginia offense connected passes up the field for most of the night. On the flanks, where Swanson likes the ball to be, Virginia wingers and backs sent a bunch of low crosses bending through the box. Some found the feet of senior forward Makenzy Doniak and junior forward Morgan Reuther, but from there none found the back of the net.
The Cavaliers produced a total of 19 shots, but only Westrup’s found pay dirt. Swanson always expects his team to finish its opportunities at a higher rate.
“We had some really good chances tonight, at Boston College and [at] Wake that we didn’t convert,” Swanson said. “You want to have a higher percentage than what we’ve had the last few games. You don’t want that to bite you at the wrong time. I’d like to think there are a lot of goals left. Maybe that’s just me, the eternal optimist.”
Swanson wouldn’t mind for the Virginia scoring frenzy to happen Sunday. The Cavaliers (12-1-1, 6-1-0 ACC) will face their toughest test of the 2015 campaign, a rematch with No. 1 Florida State, the team that spoiled their title hopes last season. Virginia is ready for a war.
“We’re going to have to come out as strong as possible,” Shaffer said. “I think we should have a chip on our shoulder from last year. We’ll need a little bit more inside, more heart, more drive in order for us to get the win on senior night.”
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