In the team’s ACC opener under the Friday night lights, the No. 5 Virginia women’s soccer team impressed in defeating No. 17 Virginia Tech, 2-0. This iteration of the Commonwealth Clash was highly anticipated by the fans, as evidenced by the record-setting crowd of 3,966 fans who flooded Klöckner Stadium.
The team needed all the support it could get from the crowd against their in-state rival, after coming off its first loss of the season.
“This crowd tonight was unbelievable, they really kept us in it,” senior defender Kristen McNabb said. “Coach said it was the best crowd we’ve ever had and we felt it, so it was awesome.”
McNabb certainly capitalized on this energy, having a career game by putting in both goals for Virginia (8-1-0, 1-0-0 ACC).
McNabb’s first score came in the 32nd minute, when a corner kick took a deflection and fell to her feet. The Montville, N.J. native calmly put the ball into the bottom of the net from point-blank range.
McNabb’s second goal followed in the 75th minute, again off a corner kick. Senior midfielder Alexis Shaffer sent in a promising ball from the corner spot, and McNabb latched onto it and finished the play to put the Cavaliers into the ascendency.
Coach Steve Swanson was very pleased with how his team played. He realized Virginia Tech (8-2-0, 0-1-0 ACC) represented quite a challenge, but one his team was prepared for.
“I thought we battled very hard,” Swanson said. “This is not an easy team to play against … they’re physical and they don’t quit. They really capitalize on your mistakes. So I think we did a good job minimizing those, or at least when we did it was 100 yards away from our own goal. Not an easy game and not an easy team to shutout as well … I’m not sure they’ve been shut out all year.”
It was a hugely satisfying victory — especially coming off a devastating loss against Georgetown — in which the Cavaliers led 2-0 before surrendering three consecutive goals.
“We got punished for our mistakes last week,” Swanson said. “They struck some good balls against us and we really got punished. I think it’s different when it’s on us because we can correct some things and I think we had the right approach this week … For them to respond the way they did, I think they were very focused in practice this week … and I was proud of the way they responded.”
The Cavaliers controlled the game throughout, generally dominating possession and outshooting the Hokies 23-6 on the night.
“I thought we played hard and set the tone,” McNabb said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Especially coming off a loss, we really wanted to get that win so we played hard and we’re happy with the result.”
Virginia will next play Thursday at Miami. Opening kick is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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