It has been six years since Virginia’s football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and field hockey programs have been ranked simultaneously — all for different reasons.
Football reached the ACC Championship in 2019 and then lost its coach in 2021 — and has now burst onto the scene after a four-year rebuild. Men’s soccer saw its 39-year NCAA Tournament streak snapped in 2020 and just won the complete ACC regular season for the second time since 2001. Women’s soccer had its worst season this century in 2023 and then spent six weeks this season at No. 1. And field hockey underwent a coaching change in 2023 but continued its frequent residence in the national rankings.
But those bumpy periods have seemingly smoothed out into this season, with all of them contending for ACC and NCAA championships. As the regular season winds down, four beat writers assess each team’s preseason ranking, defiance of those rankings and odds of capitalizing in the postseason.
Women’s soccer — preseason: 15, current: 7
David Sewall, Staff Writer: Entering a season of poise and promise, Virginia has met the moment and then some.
The preseason No. 15 Cavaliers ripped off 10 wins in their first 11 matches, knocking off multiple top-10 teams and climbing to a No. 1 national ranking for the first time since 2021.
To no surprise, graduate midfielder Lia Godfrey and senior forward Maggie Cagle have led the offensive charge for the Cavaliers with 10 and seven goals, respectively. The pair has been potent attacking opponents’ defensive thirds and now combine for over 50 goals and 60 assists in their Virginia careers.
On the other hand, senior goalkeeper Victoria Safradin has been spectacular as the Cavaliers’ starter in net, sporting a 0.825 save percentage and just 11 goals allowed all season.
The one hiccup was a winless road trip — two late leads lost to draws at California and Louisville, and a narrow loss at No. 3 Stanford — which has dragged Virginia into a tie for fourth in the ACC with Louisville and Florida State.
A late-season resurgence is now essential for their ACC title hopes. Despite the slide, the Cavaliers sit at 12-2-3 with everything they want in front of them — the talent, the path and the chance to chase a conference and national title.
Field hockey — preseason: 3, current 5
Casey Reims, Staff Writer: Coming off of a disappointing end to last year's season, with a late-season skid, it is clear that this year's squad has played with a chip on its shoulder. The Cavaliers roared out of the gates, tallying nine straight wins to begin the season and affirming their national championship aspirations.
Virginia suffered its first and only loss of the season against now-No. 1 North Carolina, a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in early October. The game put Virginia’s strengths and weaknesses on full display, perhaps serving as a wake-up call before the postseason.
The Cavaliers have relied heavily on their defense to help keep them in and close out tight games. Junior goalkeeper Nilou Lempers has been the key on the back end, as she ranks first nationally in save percentage at 0.891.
But for how great the defense has been, the offense has averaged just 2.21 goals per game this season, a figure which places it tied for 39th nationally.
Still the team remains in an enviable spot — it has a top defense nationally and an offense that looks to be improving with the postseason around the corner. If the Cavaliers can reach their full potential at the right time, do not be surprised to see them make a deep run this year.
Men’s soccer — preseason ranking: 17, current ranking: 7
Mofeoluwa Akande, Staff Writer: Coming into the new season, youthful talent, transfer prospects and seasoned returnees served as a fruitful blend for a men’s soccer team that looked to make noise from the jump.
In spite of a rigorous schedule, these Cavaliers won the ACC regular season title. Virginia is on an 11-game unbeaten run, including wins over then-ranked No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 NC State, No. 6 Louisville and No. 10 Clemson and a draw with No. 8 Virginia Tech.
Up to this point in the season, big time players new and old have stepped up for the Cavaliers. Freshman forward Nicholas Simmonds holds a team-high eight goals after registering the program’s first hat trick since 2012, and he is one of two freshmen on the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. Transfer junior midfielder Marcos Dos Santos has been a playmaking maestro tied for eighth in the NCAA with eight assists, and captain senior midfielder Umberto Pela has four goals and five assists.
Their remarkable play resulted in an undefeated regular-season record at Klöckner Stadium, with fans also providing a spark all season on home soil, a spark that looks to springboard No. 7 Virginia into hosting matches in the postseason. A home postseason game is likely, as it also sits as the No. 3 seed in the committee's recent top 16 rankings.
Football — preseason: unranked, current ranking: 15
Ben McNiff, Senior Writer: Before the season, in the typical preseason discourse surrounding a new campaign, a rough consensus emerged — the 2025 Cavaliers would win six games, maybe seven at best, and squeak into bowl eligibility.
It’s safe to say those expectations have been blown out of the water.
Virginia is 8-1, already bowl-eligible, with a 58 percent chance to compete in the ACC Championship. Prior to this season, Elliott had only won 11 games across three years as head coach, never once ranked in the AP Poll and failed to reach any bowl games. Incoming transfers brought promise, but also uncertainty.
Even with the uncertainty, though, the portal brought talent which has shown on the field. Graduate transfer stars like quarterback Chandler Morris and running back J’Mari Taylor have elevated the offense to record-breaking heights. The same can be said for the other side of the ball — graduate defensive end Daniel Rickert ranks second in the ACC in sacks as this team’s most productive defensive player.
Returning standouts like junior linebacker Kam Robinson have only gotten better, and together, this mix of players from all across the country have come together to become the most competitive football team the program has had in years.
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