No. 3 Virginia women’s soccer took on Louisville Saturday, capping a three-game road stretch. The Cavaliers (10-1-3, 4-1-2 ACC), fresh off their first loss of the season to No. 1 Stanford, battled the Cardinals (11-3-2, 4-2-2 ACC) to a 1-1 draw.
Virginia broke the stalemate in the 48th minute after defense reigned supreme in the first half. Senior forward Maggie Cagle fired a shot that ricocheted off Louisville freshman defender Ella Bard, redirecting the ball just inside the left post, past Cardinal senior goalkeeper Erynn Floyd, diving the opposite direction. With the goal, Cagle brought her season total up to seven, one shy of her career high set in the 2023 season.
Virginia hung onto the 1-0 lead for nearly the rest of the match, despite a second-half offensive revival by Louisville. The Cardinals put up six shots in the second half, all of which were on target, putting junior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin to the test.
It was the penultimate shot that did the job, as Louisville’s leading scorer sophomore midfielder Amelia Swinarski spun herself free from graduate defender Laney Rouse, giving enough space to step into the shot that beat Safradin to make the score 1-1 in the 86th minute.
Unwavered, Safradin made her best save of the night just two minutes later when senior forward Emersen Jennings made a run to get behind the Virginia back line for a one-on-one challenge at the net. Jennings attempted a shot that the outstretched Safradin managed to just get a fingertip on to keep the score even.
Though it would appear that the Cardinals escaped with a draw after trailing for 85 minutes, it is Virginia that may have gotten lucky. The Cavaliers outshot Louisville 10-8 overall, but just three of their shots were on target compared to the Cardinals’ perfect eight. After being outclassed in the second half, Virginia narrowly escaped a second straight loss.
“Credit Louisville for pushing hard in the second half,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “I thought we lost the physical battle today, and part of that is moving the ball fast enough to solve their pressure. We just did not do well enough to sustain attacks and generate scoring opportunities.”
Safradin’s seven saves were key for Virginia, though she has now conceded six goals in the past four games after giving up just two in her first 10 outings, reflecting a combination of a greater number of defensive lapses and heightened competition during ACC play.
A draw with Louisville on the road is nothing for the Cavaliers to hang their head about, though, as the 11-win Cardinals have only lost to ranked opponents and have themselves received votes in the most recent top 25 poll.
Virginia, however, must continue to make adjustments, as it will be difficult to compete for a championship if it cannot win games where the defense allows just one goal.
“I’m confident in our team,” Swanson said. “And [I] know we are capable of raising our level.”
The road does not get easier for the Cavaliers, as they take on No. 7 Florida State Thursday for an ACC heavyweight bout. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.
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