With expectations soaring for Virginia women’s soccer, a road matchup Sunday against No. 3 Stanford was an opportunity to further its unbeaten dominance. The Cardinal (11-1-1, 5-0-1 ACC), however, had other plans. Stanford used the home crowd to its advantage, coming out hot and scoring twice before the Cavaliers (10-1-2, 4-1-1 ACC) could respond. Although Virginia would get one back in the second half, the contest ended 2-1 in favor of the Cardinal, breaking Virginia’s 12-game unbeaten run.
Coach Steve Swanson emphasized the debilitating nature of his team’s slow start.
“It’s hard to go down two goals and come back against a team like Stanford, but we certainly made it a game in the second half,” Swanson said. “I thought we competed hard today.”
Part of the reason Stanford was able to earn its first half lead was due to some poor moments on the defensive side by the Cavaliers. On multiple occasions, clearances were weak, there was a lack of urgency or the Cardinal players were more physical.
“We just had a few uncharacteristic breakdowns on the defensive side that cost us,” Swanson said. “A lot of takeaways from this trip which we can use moving forward. I’m confident our team will respond in the right way.”
Soon after the whistle blew to begin the match, one of those Virginia mistakes almost cost the team a goal. After some nice wing play by Stanford on the right side, what should have been a textbook clearance on a slow rolling cross was completely whiffed on by senior defender Kiki Maki. Although junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin was able to scramble and cover up the chance, the moment served as foreshadowing for what was to come.
Despite some questionable defending in the first period, the Cavaliers were no slouches on the attacking end. In the 12th minute, junior midfielder Jill Flammia showcased some fancy footwork to earn a shot from the edge of the box. The ball looked destined for the top left corner, but Cardinal freshman goalkeeper Caroline Birkel tipped the strike over the crossbar.
Virginia’s attack was not the only one creating chances, though, and Safradin was called into action off of a corner when junior midfielder Shae Harvey’s header had to be parried over the bar.
Crosses and corner kicks were an issue all day for the Cavaliers, who were unable to strongly clear the ball in most of these situations. Just minutes after Safradin’s super-save, the poor defending on crosses proved costly when a weak clearance allowed Stanford’s star senior midfielder Jasmine Aikey to bike the chance home. The impressive athletic feat was both unexpected and brilliant, shocking both the fans and players.
Virginia made the same mistake just 10 minutes later, as a high cross made its way to the back post, where the Cardinal headed it home and extended their lead. This time, it was sophomore midfielder Charlotte Kohler who profited.
Going into the break, the Cavaliers were executing their game plan on the attacking end, but their defensive woes were certainly holding them back.
The second half proved more fruitful for Virginia. Better pressure on the Stanford back line and midfield allowed for more control of the game. The Cavaliers finally got on the board in the 74th minute when a messy Cardinal clearance fell for Flammia, whose powerful shot bounced off Birkel’s hand and into the net.
Even with improved second half play, Virginia was never really in a position to tie the game. A missed Stanford penalty kept the game within one goal, and that’s how it ended.
The Cavaliers had their moments, but they ultimately were not at their best in Sunday’s matchup. Whether communication on the defensive end or physical assertiveness in the box needs to improve, the Virginia performance was not enough to take down a top program like the Cardinal and prolong its nearly two-month-long unbeaten run.
Virginia will return to action Saturday when it travels to face Louisville in another ACC matchup. The game is set to start at 5 p.m.
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