No. 1 seed Virginia (13-3-4, 6-2-2 ACC) opened the NCAA Tournament with a dominating 5-0 win over High Point (5-10-5, 3-3-2) Friday night at Klöckner Stadium. Virginia overwhelmed the Panthers from start to finish and secured a spot in next week’s second round.
The Cavaliers entered the postseason as one of three No. 1 seeds from the ACC, their fifth time earning a top seed under Coach Steve Swanson. Playing on a cold night and coming off a challenging schedule, Virginia dominated in possession, stretched the pitch with width and moved the ball with confidence.
“I think it was a really consistent game,” senior forward Maggie Cagle said. “We came out and played overall just really good soccer, which we've been talking a lot about, trying just to create 90 minutes of good, quality soccer.”
From the opening whistle, momentum was all on Virginia’s side. The Cavaliers kept the ball in High Point’s half for long stretches, using quick passing and active movement off the ball to break down the Panthers’ compact defensive setup.
It was evident that Virginia had put significant preparation into their set pieces. Just 13 minutes in, the Cavaliers employed a planned short-corner routine. Cagle received the short pass, drew in a defender and slipped the ball centrally to junior midfielder Ella Carter, who turned in the box and fired a powerful shot off the Panthers goalkeeper’s fingertips to make it 1-0.
Virginia scored their second in the 36th minute after sustained pressure inside the box. Junior defender Allie Ross collected a loose ball and curled a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.
High Point struggled to generate anything going forward, failing to record a shot in the first half compared to Virginia’s 20. High Point found itself unable to keep possession and was overwhelmed with Virginia’s immediate pressing.
“We wanted to get possession and limit their chances,” Swanson said. “I thought we did a good job of that in both halves. I think overall we had control of the game.”
The Cavaliers continued to mount pressure and created many dangerous attacking opportunities, forcing High Point deep in its own end and forcing the Panthers’ goalkeeper into repeated saves.
Virginia added a third goal in the 60th minute after a quick, short combination producing a creative sequence in the box ended with freshman midfielder Addison Halpern finishing a deflected shot to the far post. Five minutes later, Virginia earned a penalty. Cagle took charge and calmly put it away in the bottom right, sending the keeper the wrong way to extend the lead to 4-0.
Sophomore defender Sophia Bradley capped the scoring in the 86th minute, stepping into open space and drilling a driven shot off the post and into the net. Her goal added to Virginia’s tally, bringing the score up to 5-0.
All momentum was on Virginia’s side throughout the match. Virginia had the edge on both shots, 41-1, and corner kicks, 11-0, by full time. The Cavaliers controlled the match in possession and were able to gain it back by pressing aggressively. Virginia’s back line spent most of the night stepping significantly high into midfield. The Panthers struggled to create any meaningful sequences and had difficulty handling Virginia’s push.
“It was good to get minutes for a lot of our players,” Swanson said. “We’re happy to be moving on, and this game gave us a chance to see some players in different positions. There were a lot of positives.”
Virginia will now advance to Thursday’s second round, where it will face No. 8 Penn State.
“It’s one team at a time,” Swanson said. “Our group is very locked in right now, and we’re excited for the next challenge.”
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