No. 3 Virginia women’s soccer returned home Thursday to Klöckner Stadium to face No. 11 Florida State. The Cavaliers (10-2-3, 4-2-2 ACC), fresh off a winless three-game road stretch and in need of a resurgence, battled hard but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Seminoles (9-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC) on a last-minute goal.
The loss dropped the Cavaliers to seventh in the ACC, level on points with eighth-place Wake Forest and ninth-place NC State. With two regular-season games remaining and regular-season conference title hopes banished, the Cavaliers must now fight to secure their spot in the eight-team conference tournament.
“This is what life in the ACC is like,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “If [we] want to be the best, we have to put this aside and come back, and I have a lot of confidence in this team.”
Florida State controlled the game early in the first half, playing a physical and aggressive — yet disciplined — style that prevented Virginia from sustaining runs and possession.
When the Cavaliers managed to break out, they spread the ball wide in attack but struggled through most of the first half to connect on crosses into the box. With size and poise in their defensive third, the Seminoles were able to limit Virginia to just three shots in the first half.
Despite the lack of offensive opportunity, the Cavaliers maintained their composure in the defensive third, withstanding Seminole pressure to keep the match scoreless into halftime.
After the break, Virginia broke through in the 48th minute. Freshman defender Liv Rademaker dribbled toward the end line outside the box, whipped the ball toward the near-side post and found freshman forward Addison Halpern, who connected with a powerful header, leaving the Florida State goalkeeper no chance and giving the Cavaliers a 1-0 advantage. Halpern’s goal marked her second of the season, showing the talented freshman’s continued impact on Virginia’s offense.
“You have your ebbs and flows of the season,” Halpern said. "I want to be making more of an impact, and today was a good start. We’ll keep working. Whoever can get it in the back of the net — that's most important.”
Florida State, however, struck back, evening the match at one apiece in the 59th minute on a goal from junior forward Jordynn Dudley and assisted by former Cavalier Yuna McCormack. McCormack, now a junior midfielder for the Seminoles, transferred from Virginia this offseason after starting 17 games for the Cavaliers last season.
Just five minutes later, Dudley scored again to put Florida State ahead 2-1. A deflected pass caromed off two Cavalier defenders and landed at Dudley’s feet, who took a touch and scored from near the top of the penalty area.
Unfazed, Virginia responded in the 79th minute. Senior defender Maya Carter played a ball into the box to Halpern, whose header bounced off the crossbar before senior forward Meredith McDermott cleaned up the rebound to tie the match 2-2.
Junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin made a phenomenal save in the 85th minute, and as the clock waned, it looked as if the Cavaliers would escape with a draw. Seminoles sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson had other plans, though, finishing a pass from Dudley in the 89th minute to seal a 3-2 Florida State victory.
Dudley was the story of the night. Her constant pressure, clean touches and opportunistic finishing gave Florida State the edge, as she either scored or assisted on all three goals.
“They’ve got good athletes all over the field,” Swanson said. “We knew they were going to put us under pressure. I thought we did a good job for most of the game. We broke down in the back in the worst possible times, and they’re a good enough team to score.”
The Cavaliers will be back in action when they host Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The match will also be Virginia’s Senior Day, where the program’s nine seniors will be honored prior to kickoff.
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