Virginia women’s soccer continued its out-of-conference campaign Thursday night against Charlotte at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers (4-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) remained undefeated, beating the 49ers (3-2-0, 0-0-0 AAC) by way of a fourth consecutive shutout.
Though typically a stalwart holding down Virginia’s back line, it was senior defender Kiki Maki who scored the match’s first goal in the 39th minute. Graduate forward Linda Mittermair delivered a strike into the box off a corner kick, and Maki, lurking behind the 49er defense, did the rest of the work.
Another standout from the first half was sophomore forward Sophia Bradley’s showing off her one-on-one dribbling and passing abilities, consistently creating chances for the Cavaliers at the net. Bradley flashed her ball-handling when she nutmegged a Charlotte defender along the goal line, drawing oohs and aahs from the Cavalier faithful and forcing a corner kick.
“Just doing stuff like that makes it really fun — I think it just makes it so much more enjoyable,” Bradley said. “Being able to show my creative side is really what I'm all about.”
Bradley kept pressing in the second half, and her energy was rewarded with an impressive goal in the 79th minute, as she weaved her way through defenders and blasted a strike from outside the top of the box. Though Virginia is deep at forward with veterans, Bradley provides a spark off the bench and is looking to carve out a big contributing role from the right wing in her second season, providing even greater depth for Coach Steve Swanson.
“I thought she looked dangerous tonight, and she was a little bit more aware of the spaces and where they were and how to get into those, which was good to see,” Swanson said. “She's got a lot of talent — we know that she can score goals, but she can create goals as well for us.”
Senior forward Maggie Cagle broke her goal-scoring drought, doing it herself on an unassisted goal in the 47th minute. Cagle shook the 49er defender off the dribble, freeing up just enough of a window to boot a shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Cagle, who has led the Cavaliers in goals scored the past two seasons, had seen a handful of quality chances this season but had not yet capitalized, including a shot off the crossbar in the first half of Thursday’s match. Virginia hopes that Cagle has taken the lid off the goal for good, as they will need her shot creation and shooting heading into a three-game stretch against top-25 opponents.
“She can take on players, one-on-one, and she's created a lot of chances for us over the last few games, and I'm not worried about her scoring or her assists,” Swanson said. “I think she does a lot for our team that doesn't get on the stat sheet, but if she keeps playing the way she is, she'll score goals and she'll create goals, and that'll be a difference for us.”
The Cavaliers ended up dominating the shot margin 24-5, marking their best differential of the season.
“This was probably our most complete game from an attacking standpoint, in terms of us getting the ball, moving the ball, getting in their end, and getting quality chances,” Swanson said. “We missed a lot of good looks, but overall, I thought we didn't turn the ball over.”
Though seeing limited action thanks to Virginia’s control of possession and stout defense, junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin looked sharp again, keeping the ball away from the net by clearing balls and effectively directing traffic. Safradin flashed her reflexes with a save on a breakaway from Charlotte freshman defender Rory Brown in the 88th minute, keeping her clean sheet streak alive.
Virginia is back on the pitch Sunday at 1 p.m. against No. 16 Georgetown, its toughest test of the season so far.
Read More
No. 3 Virginia field hockey starts 2025 season with dominant win over No. 18 Penn State
By Eleanor Buchanan | 4 hours agoIn a 5-1 victory, the Cavaliers came ready to play.
A cavalry of new defensive backs will bolster Virginia’s depleted secondary
By Theo Moll | 23 hours agoVirginia has a pass defense problem. Perhaps it has been fixed.
Is 2025 the program-defining year for Virginia football?
By Theo Moll | YesterdayWith great resources, come great expectations.
