After back-to-back impressive wins, No. 10 Virginia was beaten in an overtime thriller at No. 3 North Carolina. This capped a difficult three-game stretch that included then-No. 16 Wake Forest and then-No. 14 Old Dominion. The Cavaliers (8-5, 2-2 ACC) were unable to halt the Tar Heels’ (11-2, 3-1 ACC) five-game winning streak.
The showdown between Virginia’s Co-ACC Offensive Player of the Week, junior midfielder Tara Vittese and North Carolina’s ACC Defensive Player of the Week sophomore midfielder Ashley Hoffman lived up to the hype.
Initially, Hoffman dominated the game, leading her defense as it only ceded one goal in the game’s first 65 minutes. However, with 4:51 remaining, Vittese was able to equalize, extending her scoring streak to four games.
The goal forced extra time, when Virginia eventually lost, as North Carolina senior forward Emma Bozek scored three minutes into the first overtime period, but there were many positives to take from the game.
After taking an early lead, the Cavaliers lost momentum and found themselves trailing with less than nine minutes remaining. They did not panic and executed to perfection in the last minutes culminating in the tying goal.
This type of composure should inspire confidence for upcoming games, and they are going to need it if they want to contend at the top of the ACC.
Virginia plays William & Mary in Williamsburg this Tuesday. The game is set to start at 5 p.m.
Read More
The Cavaliers depart Conway with a Kickin’ Chicken mercy-rule sandwich for the road
By Ben McNiff | 6 hours agoReliable stars and inexperienced talent played their parts in running the table in Conway after a devastating loss to open the season.
No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis suffers first defeat of the season against No. 2 Ohio State
By Margaret Piatos | 17 hours agoVirginia will return to action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, scheduled Feb. 13-17.
The primer on Pollard’s new-look Virginia baseball roster
By Xander Tilock | 18 hours agoThis season, those Cavaliers of various backgrounds come together to fight for the program’s ever-elusive second national championship.
