Virginia women’s soccer plays a style of soccer that favors long spells of possession, quick passes and control in tight spaces. However, in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Georgetown, the Cavaliers (4-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC) were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at their feet, allowing the Hoyas (2-0-2, 0-0-0 Big East) to hold them to a tie. Coach Steve Swanson acknowledged afterward that Virginia’s usual standard was lacking.
“I think the story of the match was our inability to advance the ball in possession and our constant ability to turn balls over, which allowed [Georgetown] to transition,” Swanson said. “And they're a very good team in transition.”
Despite keeping 61 percent of the possession, the Cavaliers managed only seven shots against Georgetown’s nine. For much of the contest, Virginia controlled the tempo, but misplaced passes and flat-footed play stopped it from executing any effective link up maneuvers. On multiple occasions, beautiful play-switching passes were played by the Cavaliers, but ended up being worth nothing when their midfielders and wingers were not on the same page in the final third.
Despite the plethora of miscues, a stroke of personal brilliance by graduate midfielder Lia Godfrey secured a Cavalier lead in the 22nd minute. After Virginia earned a free kick in a prime crossing position, Godfrey decided to go for it herself and sent a high, curling shot flying into the net. Georgetown senior goalkeeper Cara Martin could only watch as the ball soared over her and into the top left corner.
Immediately following the goal, the Hoyas stepped up the pressure and threatened to even the score. The Cavaliers stood tall on defense, though, and some last ditch blocks by senior defender Kiki Maki kept things in Virginia’s favor. Heading into halftime, it was really anyone's game, with only Godfrey’s genius separating the two sides.
“I think anybody who's watched Lia play over the years knows that if she's fully healthy, she's the best midfielder in the country,” Swanson said. “We need her, and we all think the world of her.”
Godfrey was once again on the front foot at the beginning of the second half, sending a nice pass to freshman forward Carrie Helfrich, whose first-time shot forced a nice save. Senior forward Maggie Cagle got in on the action soon after, beating her mark on the right wing and fizzing a low driven pass across the box, which was smartly grabbed by Martin.
Despite these threatening moments, including numerous dangerous crosses, the Cavaliers were still not up to their usual level. Whether it was fatigue, a lack of focus or just a bad day, Virginia was vulnerable.
That vulnerability came to fruition in the 70th minute. Following a Cavalier giveaway, Hoya senior midfielder Shay Montgomery played an incisive pass to graduate forward Maja Lardner, who was able to maneuver around Maki and ping her shot past junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin.
All of a sudden, Virginia’s mistakes had come back to bite it. With the scoreline now level, Georgetown took control of the game, running hard in transition and forcing the Cavaliers to make quick decisions. The Hoyas almost took the lead in the 83rd minute, but a great save by Safradin kept things even.
When the whistle blew to mark full-time, it felt as if Virginia, who had led for most of the contest, was the one glad to escape with a draw. With the Cavaliers facing even tougher opponents soon, starting with a home date Thursday against No. 9 Penn State, Swanson and the team know changes are necessary.
“I hope we can learn from this and take it to the next game because we just can't do what we did today for 90 minutes and get results,” Swanson said. “I mean, that's just not feasible.”
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