No. 10 women’s soccer played two conference matches at Klockner Stadium over the weekend, taking down No. 14 Pittsburgh 2-1 Thursday before dominating Miami 3-0 Sunday. Sophomore midfielder Emma Dawson scored the golden goal against the Panthers (6-1, 1-1 ACC) while junior forward Rebecca Jarrett served two assists and scored a goal against the Hurricanes (0-5, 0-4 ACC).
Game 1: Virginia 2, Pittsburgh 1
Dawson lifted the Cavaliers (4-1-1, 2-2-1 ACC) to a 2-1 win Thursday with a golden goal in the 93rd minute. The overtime win was the second-straight for Virginia after recording a 1-0 shutout against Virginia Tech Sept. 25. Junior defender Sarah Clark delivered both assists on the Cavalier goals, connecting with sophomore forward Diana Ordoñez in the 17th minute before finding Dawson for the game-winning goal.
Virginia controlled the tempo throughout the match and had ample opportunities to push the lead out of reach. But despite a 30-to-4 shot advantage, the game ended in nail-biting fashion as it went into extra minutes.
“We knew they would come in with confidence and be hard to break down,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “These last two games have gone to overtime. On the positive side, we pulled them both out in overtime, but we feel like we should be taking care of our chances a lot more and making it a little bit easier for ourselves.”
The Cavaliers jumped on the board first as Ordoñez scored her second goal of the season in the 17th minute. Clark paced down the right side of the pitch and served a long pass to Ordoñez inside the six-yard box. Ordoñez easily one-touched the pass low and left of the Panther keeper to give Virginia a 1-0 advantage.
While the Cavaliers dominated the remainder of the half with a 13-to-2 advantage in shots — applying significant pressure in the attacking third — Virginia couldn’t find the net again and the score remained 1-0 going into the half.
Pittsburgh responded quickly in the second period, capitalizing on a collision in the box that led to a penalty kick. Sophomore forward Amanda West buried the shot in the 50th minute to tie things up.
The Cavaliers failed to score again in the second half despite edging the Panthers 14-to-2 in shots. A promising opportunity came in the 62nd minute as Ordoñez lined up to take a penalty shot, but the attempt missed high and the score remained tied as the game headed into extra minutes.
As Virginia entered overtime, Dawson found an opening just minutes into the first period and hit the golden goal. Clark sent a pass toward the back post and found Ordoñez, who headed the ball to Dawson in the center of the box. Dawson then headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net to secure the 2-1 victory.
“It felt really great,” Dawson said on her game-winning goal. “Scoring a goal in overtime is awesome in any situation. I think it was a really hard-fought win [and] a long game. We had a lot of chances and we definitely probably should have put more away earlier but I think it was just a great feeling [and] great to celebrate with everyone.”
Game 2: Virginia 3, Miami 0
Virginia returned to Klockner Stadium Sunday for a 3 p.m. match against Miami, toppling the Hurricanes 3-0. Jarrett guided the Cavaliers to victory with two assists and a goal in the 69th minute. Virginia attacked Miami on offense and controlled the pace through both periods.
“[It was a] super huge team effort,” Jarrett said. “I think we moved the ball really really well. We worked together really well. [There were a] bunch of new faces out there but we had a long preseason and we've had a lot of time to get used to everybody, so it was a really good team effort today.”
The Cavaliers capitalized on two critical errors just minutes into the first half as senior midfielder Anna Sumpter and sophomore midfielder Lacey McCormack both found the back of the net. Sumpter struck first for Virginia after Jarret sent a strike at junior goalkeeper Tyler Speaks. Speaks stopped Jarret’s shot but deflected the ball right back to Sumpter, who sent a high strike into the back of the net to put the Cavaliers ahead 1-0.
Just minutes later McCormack scored her first girl of the season to extend the lead to 2-0. Jarret came up with her second assist as she paced up the right wing and sent a pass toward McCormack in the box. The ball deflected off the feet of a Miami player and McCormack was there to finish the play, sending a shot past Speaks.
While Virginia continued to threaten on offense, it couldn’t convert in the remainder of the half. The Cavaliers edged Miami in shots 10-0 and shots on goal 7-0, but Speaks came up with five saves to limit the Virginia lead to two as the game entered halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Cavaliers tried to find offensive rhythm again as they pressured the Hurricanes in the attacking third. Godfrey had two opportunities in the 63rd and 65th minutes, but was unable to put the ball away for Virginia.
After serving assists on both first-half goals, Jarret scored a goal of her own to extend the lead to 3-0 in the 69th minute. Multiple Virginia players contributed to the play as they pressured Miami around the box. Freshman forward Lia Godfrey received a pass on the left side and connected with Jarrett, who sent a left-footed strike to the right of Speaks for her first goal of the season.
After replacing redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cayla White in the 72nd minute, junior goalkeeper Michaela Moran came up with a huge save for Virginia in the 79th minute. It was the Hurricane’s sole shot of the game as Virginia finished with a 17-1 advantage in shots.
While the Cavaliers continued to threaten on the attack, neither team scored as the match came to a close. Virginia secured their third-straight win with the 3-0 final.
“I thought they executed really well,” Swanson said. “You know we got a couple goals early, which made the difference and kept our shape fairly well and moved the ball pretty well so we were happy. I think there’s some progress there and it was good to see a lot of new faces get some time and do well with their minutes.”
The Cavaliers return to action Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C. with an 8 p.m. match against North Carolina at Dorrance Field.
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