The No. 16 Virginia women’s soccer team returns to Charlottesville after back-to-back away games against the ACC’s top-two teams, No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 4 Duke.
Virginia (10-3-2, 3-2-2 ACC) defeated the Fighting Irish (10-2-3, 5-1-1 ACC) on a converted penalty kick from senior midfielder Alexis Shaffer. Her winning goal not only marked Notre Dame’s first home loss of the season, but also the first goal the Irish conceded all season at Alumni Stadium.
Fast-forward to a week later, and the Cavaliers found themselves in another game that would be decided by a penalty kick. However, this time it did not go in their favor, and the Blue Devils (11-2-2, 6-0-1 ACC) defeated the Cavaliers in Durham, N.C. The 63rd-minute goal was the deciding factor in a very evenly played match.
“That loss stung each of us and we are going to use that feeling to play our best against NC State,” freshman midfielder Zoe Morse said. “We want to continue getting better each game. We want to take how we did in the Duke game and continue learning from that and continue to elevate our performance.”
The Wolfpack (9-5-1, 3-3-1 ACC) currently sits at No. 28 in the rankings, and are coming off a pair of tough losses against Duke and No. 18 Florida State. NC State’s recent matchup against the Seminoles (10-2-2, 4-1-2 ACC) was a tight game in which despite numerous chances, NC State couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. Florida State put away a counter-attack opportunity in the second half, which proved to be the difference in the 1-0 Wolfpack loss.
Although the offense struggled to make an impact against the Seminoles, that is not a problem NC State has encountered throughout the season. The Wolfpack have a great deal of offensive talent that can pose serious threats to the Cavaliers Thursday night.
In midfield, NC State is led by two freshmen — Tziarra King, who has five goals and one assist on the season, and Ricarda Walkling, a U19 German National Team member, who has tallied three goals and five assists.
Additionally, the Wolfpack have secured multiple wins through forwards Jackie Stengel, a junior, and freshman Kia Rankin. Stengel, with five goals and an assist this season, earned all-ACC accolades her freshman year, and was selected to compete at the United States U23 National Team camp this past spring.
Rankin has also been a huge asset for the Wolfpack, and has proved she can come up big when it counts. The 2015 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year scored the lone goal against North Carolina to give NC State a huge win on the road. Rankin was also the only player to find the back of the net against Duke, which was her most recent of four goals and three assists posted this season.
Thus, the Cavaliers’ back line, which has managed to record 10 shutouts through 15 contests, will have their work cut out for them.
“We know they’ve had a really good season with some big wins, and we only have three games left and they’re all really important,” senior defender Kristen McNabb said. “Especially if we want to get home-seeding for the ACC tournament, which we aren’t guaranteed, so we are approaching every game like it’s a huge one.”
On the offensive front, Virginia is led by Shaffer, who has nine goals and four assists, and junior forward Veronica Latsko, who has seven goals and three assists on the season. The two experienced leaders for the Cavaliers will look to find the back of the net, as they have done so many times this season, in order to preserve Virginia’s unbeaten streak at home.
“We haven’t been home in a while,” McNabb said. “So we’re really excited, especially with Sunday being senior day.”
Kickoff is scheduled Thursday for 7 p.m., and it is the second to last conference game that will take place in Klöckner Stadium this season. On Sunday, Boston College will come to Charlottesville for senior day.
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