Virginia women’s soccer returned to Klöckner Stadium Thursday night after a two-game homestand, taking on Miami in both sides’ second ACC matchup of the season. The Cavaliers (5-1-2, 1-1-0 ACC) were dominant in a 3-0 defeat over the Hurricanes (6-2-1, 1-1-0 ACC).
Virginia, who is missing stalwart third-year forward Gio Canali and second-year defender Pearl Cecil to international duty, demonstrated the strength of its depth in a win that saw limited chances for Miami. The Cavaliers appeared cohesive in their build-up play, and the midfield did a great job to switch the point of attack rapidly and efficiently.
Second-year midfielder Addison Halpern was once again running the show for Virginia, and tallied a brace, while fourth-year forward Aniyah Collier started the scoring for the Cavaliers. After suffering a three-game stretch without a win, the team was glad to get back into the W column.
“It was good to get the momentum going,” Collier said. “And I'm proud of how our team came together and finished the game out.”
Despite the three goals on the attacking end, Virginia’s defense was even more impressive. The Hurricanes only mustered two shots throughout the contest, and the Cavaliers did well to block passing lanes, cover space and stay disciplined — something Coach Steve Swanson emphasized postgame, while still acknowledging room for improvement.
“Good to keep a clean sheet,” Swanson said. “I thought we did some good things, but we also have some things still to work on.”
In the early stages of the game, both teams attempted to dictate the tempo, but neither made much progress. After the Virginia midfield settled down though, it took control — spraying balls from left to right and giving the front line time and space to create.
The Cavaliers almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute when a great cross found the head of Halpern directly in front of goal, but the header unfortunately went directly into the body of Miami’s senior goalkeeper Atlee Olofson, who collected the ball.
The deadlock wouldn’t last until the whistle blew for half time though, and Virginia was able to find the back of the net in the 41st minute. After some third-year midfielder Sarah Flammia probed the Hurricane defense from the top of the box, she slid a ball through to Collier. A quick turn evaded the Miami defender, and Collier smashed her shot through the hands of Olofson to give the Cavaliers the lead.
The second half proved to be less exciting than the first, and was more sloppy. Even with the change in pace, Halpern kept her composure, netting twice in similar fashion — strong right-footed finishes into the bottom left corner — to put her total at seven for the season.
The dominant win was a great stepping stone for Virginia. With highly-ranked conference opponents making up most of the remaining games, the Cavaliers will need to be at their best to capitalize on the level of talent that the team possesses.
As Virgnia enters the toughest stretch of its season, one aspect of the Cavaliers’ game can’t be doubted — its confidence. The squad seems to be firing on all cylinders, and Thursday’s performance was one with belief.
“We're gonna be a team to watch out for,” Collier said.
Virginia returns to action Sept. 25 when they take on North Carolina in Charlottesville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
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