In front of a near-record attendance of 3,611, No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer hosted in-state foe Virginia Tech Saturday night at Klöckner Stadium for the 31st installment of the in-state rivalry. The Cavaliers (10-0-1, 4-0-0 ACC) downed the Hokies (4-6-3, 0-4-1 ACC) 2-1 to bring their all-time series record to a commanding 25-4-2, having not lost to Virginia Tech since 2018.
Senior forward Maggie Cagle struck first in the 14th minute as she took on two Virginia Tech defenders off the dribble, shaking pressure from both to free up just enough space to blast a left-footed strike into the back of the net. The shot, which came from just a step inside the top of the box, careened off a Hokie defender on its path to the goal, freezing graduate goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove for just a split second.
Cagle’s goal was a special one, as her mother, Kelly Cagle served as the head coach of Virginia Tech from 2003-2010 — during which she led the Hokies to back-to-back victories over Virginia in 2008 and 2009. The younger Cagle, though, has never lost to the Hokies, and with her goal, the Cavalier sharpshooter has five total on the season, trailing only graduate midfielder Lia Godfrey in team points.
Later on, it was Godfrey who added insurance to the Virginia lead in the 64th minute. In very similar fashion to Cagle, Godfrey took a throw-in and weaved through two defenders to free herself up for a shot attempt from 25 yards out. Godfrey delivered a laser to the left corner of the net that the diving Hargrove could not reach. Godfrey’s seven goals are a team–high for the season, and she has now scored in all four ACC matches.
The insurance goal proved to be valuable, as Virginia Tech senior midfielder Natalie Mitchell delivered a response in the 73rd minute on a beautiful long-ball from freshman defender Madi Boutot. The goal was the first surrendered by Virginia in four games and just the third all year.
Despite giving up a rare goal, junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin made one of her best saves of the season in the first half. A long pass allowed Mitchell to get behind the Cavalier defense for a breakaway opportunity to take on Safradin one-on-one. Safradin displayed her lightning quick reflexes by making a foot save on the shot and keeping her net clean for the time being. This would prove to be crucial with the Hokies’ second half goal.
Despite the late scare, Virginia kept its foot on the gas, pressing in the attacking third all the way until the end looking for a third goal instead of playing conservative. Though the third score never came, the sustained intensity allowed the Cavaliers to stave off Virginia Tech.
Virginia ultimately dominated the shot margin 20-7 as well as time of possession in the attacking third. Despite this, the Cavaliers still hope to improve their defense of the long balls and breakaway opportunities, for these chances have the ability to keep games close and even allow teams to steal wins from Virginia, even on nights where they control the ball.
“We didn’t handle their transition as well as I would like,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “We know we have to play better, and we have to hit the road for three games in a tough stretch.”
The road trip for the Cavaliers will certainly be a test, as Virginia must head out west to face California and No. 3 Stanford before capping it off with a match at Louisville. The game against California is slated for Thursday and kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
With the win over Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers now extend their overall 2025 Commonwealth Clash lead to 1.5-0.5, across all sports. While the attendance fell just shy of the record of 3,966 set in 2016 against the Hokies, it was by far the largest crowd at Klöckner Stadium this season.
“It was a tremendous crowd, and we appreciate all the fans who came out to support us,” Swanson said. “That was a difference maker for us.”
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