In Virginia’s first road game of the season, the Cavaliers (4-0-2, 0-0-0 ACC) found themselves in Georgetown’s defensive stronghold as soon as the ball dropped. In a back-and-forth battle defined by defensive physicality and backline saves, the Hoyas (1-2-2, 0-0-0 Big East) and the Cavaliers were both held scoreless after 90 minutes of action.
Virginia entered this matchup with nine total goal scorers on the season. Eyes were especially on second-year midfielder Addison Halpern, who has averaged a goal a game for Virginia. Halpern was double-teamed all afternoon long, which made getting to her usual spots far more difficult, even if she has the ability to strike on a dime.
In the fourth minute, Georgetown won a corner off early pressure, but fourth-year goalkeeper Victoria Safradin came up with a strong save to keep the game scoreless. For the next several minutes, each team tested the waters, looking for ways to poke holes and find gaps in the other team’s defense. Both the Cavaliers and the Hoyas are extremely well-coached, each team led by over 20 years of experience at the helm.
Virginia found its first real look in the 12th minute, sending a long ball forward to first-year defender Kyra Koopman that Georgetown’s backline managed to snuff out. After a chance for the Hoyas on the other end that did not make it past Safradin, the Cavaliers quickly bounced back — but a heroic dive by senior midfielder Kaya Hanson kept the ball from hitting the net.
The Cavaliers thought they had broken through in the 20th minute. A ball played down past the Georgetown backline found Halpern, who tried to squeeze a cross in from a tight angle near the end line, and found the right side of the goal after graduate student goalkeeper Reiley Fitzpatrick deflected the ball — but the goal was ultimately waved off after an official flagged a handball on Virginia.
From there, Georgetown seized possession. A free kick led to a corner kick in the 30th minute as the Hoyas increased their pressure. By the 37th minute, sophomore forward Aliza Mannon had carved out space to shoot at an angle from distance, only for Safradin to deflect the shot. Mannon nearly connected again just before the first half’s end, striking just wide of the back post in the 42nd minute.
The two sides went into the break locked at 0-0, with Safradin’s saves and Virginia’s backline keeping the score level despite Georgetown holding the momentum into the half. The Hoyas completely cut off Virginia’s offense in the final 10 minutes of the half, even though Georgetown did not ultimately find the back of the net.
At halftime, Coach Steve Swanson made adjustments to generate more firepower on the front end. Fourth-year forward Aniyah Collier was moved to a defensive position, while second-year defender Olivia Rademaker started the final 45 as a striker.
Out of the gate to open the second half, Virginia came out with a newfound energy, quickly pressuring high up the field, even though Georgetown’s defense continued to hold strong. The Cavaliers were knocking on the door four minutes into the second half of play with a big strike from second-year defender Jordyn Hardeman, but Fitzpatrick was able to alter the shot.
That pattern held throughout the second half, with Virginia dominating possession, but Georgetown’s defense continued to fend off the Cavaliers’ offensive force.
In the 61st minute, Collier nearly broke through, weaving past defenders to create a dangerous look for the Hoyas, but Fitzpatrick again dove to make the save. Georgetown's goalkeeper was tested once more in the 70th minute after tumbling in the box while trying to stop a bullet from Halpern, but Hanson came up with an incredible tackle inside the box to keep the Cavaliers from finding a breakthrough. Fitzpatrick’s decisiveness and decision-making in the box, especially, was superb in combatting Virginia’s offensive opportunities.
Virginia continued to seek opportunities as it suffocated Georgetown in its time of possession. A diagonal ball from Hardeman in the 75th minute was deflected away, and Collier’s follow-up strike in the 66th minute was easy for Fitzpatrick to handle.
The Hoyas had a chance at the 88th minute in a moneyball shot downfield to Mannon, who sprinted down the field to pressure the defense, but her shot drifted over the high post. A minute later, Halpern threaded a look down the field for Collier, who could not connect, missing wide left. Fitzpatrick’s afternoon of heroics continued into the 89th minute of the half, coming off her line once more to snuff out one last threat from Virginia before the clock wound down.
The physical toll of the match showed as it wore on, with one player from each side exiting the field with cramps. Still, both teams fought to the end, refusing to give an inch of breathing room. Virginia had seven total shots at goal, while Georgetown had three.
Despite a combined stretch of chances on both sides of the ball — and Safradin, Hanson and Fitzpatrick all delivering timely saves — neither Virginia nor Georgetown could break through the other side’s defensive unit, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
“Obviously, we are disappointed with the result,” Swanson said. “We played much better in the second half, which was good to see, but still not enough quality in our attack compared to the way Georgetown defended. In the end, our effort was there, but we just need to be better when a team plays in a tight mid-block.”
Adding to the early growing pains of its first road game, Virginia was without two weapons in Gio Canali and Pearl Cecil, who are both away competing at the U20 Women’s World Cup.
Awaiting Virginia’s season from here is ACC conference gameplay, which begins on the road Saturday at Wake Forest on ACCNX at 7 p.m.
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