Virginia women’s soccer opened conference play in emphatic fashion Thursday night, knocking off No. 2 Duke 3-1 at Klöcker Stadium. The Cavaliers (6-0-1, 1-0-0 ACC) applied consistent pressure to the Blue Devils’ (5-1-1, 0-1-0 ACC) defensive third, playing with a poise and precision indicative of their ability.
“Early in the year, we weren’t firing on all cylinders,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “These last couple weeks, we’ve really started to gain ground. Players are understanding their roles more and we are more consistent in the way we move the ball.”
Coming off a thrilling victory over then-No. 9 Penn State, Virginia was not satisfied. It played with a spark from the outset that reflected the stakes of this top-five matchup.
In just the third minute, junior defender Kiki Maki sent a long ball up the middle toward senior forward Meredith McDermott, who flicked on a header to graduate midfielder Lia Godfrey. Godfrey took one composed dribble and poked it past Duke sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Dysart on the breakaway — a beautifully executed sequence. Klöckner Stadium erupted as Virginia went ahead 1-0 in a pivotal early-season ACC clash.
“I just knew I had to score,” Godfrey said. “Scoring a goal that early is huge, and that play is something we actually worked on this week so it’s cool to see it come together.”
But the Cavaliers did not stop there, pressing forward relentlessly, creating chances and then capitalizing again. In the 11th minute, junior midfielder Ella Carter took a touch to the left and hit an incredible long-distance strike to the top left corner that tucked behind Duke’s keeper, giving Virginia a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Blue Devils responded immediately, flipping the field and generating their first big chances of the match as they connected on simple passes and through-balls. Their breakthrough came in the 27th minute when junior forward Mia Minestrella slipped past her defender and dinked a first-time shot into the net to cut Virginia’s lead in half.
Virginia’s defense settled in, finishing the first half strong and carrying that momentum into the second. It came out with a renewed focus and rhythm, creating set-piece opportunities and continuing to put pressure on Duke’s back line.
In the 49th minute, Virginia executed a stellar corner routine, sending a ball into the center of the box that met the head of graduate defender Laney Rouse, whose header lofted over multiple defenders and into the right corner of the net.
“It was an amazing feeling being able to celebrate on Klöckner,” Rouse said. “Everyone had so much energy and that goal sort of put [Duke] away.”
The goal was Rouse’s second of her career and her first since 2022. It also could not have come at a better time, as it gave the Cavaliers a crucial two-goal advantage to work with as they continued to push the numbers forward while limiting Duke’s chances.
As the second half wore on, Virginia’s connections on offense were strong as it continued to control possession in Duke’s defensive third. The Blue Devils’ sole big chance coming on a ball flicked toward the goal where junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin made a close-range reaction save to preserve the Cavalier lead.
In addition to her first-half goal, Carter stood out with an exceptional all-around performance, dictating the tempo and helping Virginia manage the match from the midfield. Her composure and quick decision-making denied Duke any extended momentum and allowed the Cavaliers to play out the second half comfortably.
When the final buzzer sounded, a contagious energy flowed through Klöckner. Fans rose to their feet and cheered, knowing that this team had now defeated back-to-back top-10 opponents and survived three straight ranked matchups unbeaten to establish themselves as a true conference and national title contender.
“A great win for our team all-around,” Godfrey said. “Some of the best and most competitive soccer we’ve played, and we had a really great crowd for our ACC home-opener.”
Virginia will seek to further its early-season momentum when the Cavaliers host VCU Sunday at 5 p.m. It will be their final non-conference matchup before continuing ACC play next weekend at Syracuse.
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