No. 16 Virginia’s hopes of finally coming up with a win against No. 1 North Carolina at home in Klöckner Stadium unraveled in a brutal two-minute, 10-second stretch in the first half, as the Tar Heels scored three times to put the Cavaliers in a hole they could not climb out of. Virginia (5-2-2, 1-2-0 ACC) ultimately fell to the Tar Heels (10-1-0, 3-0-0 ACC), 3-1.
The game started evenly enough. Fourth-year goalkeeper Victoria Safradin calmly claimed an early North Carolina free kick in the second minute. Despite an early corner and two shots from junior midfielder Ashley Pennie, the Cavalier defense held up in the opening minutes.
Second-year midfielder Addison Halpern carved out Virginia’s first real look in the fifth minute, floating a dangerous ball toward the top left side of the goal off a corner kick from far beyond the box that North Carolina junior goalkeeper Hannah Johann had to scramble to secure.
Then, the North Carolina tsunami hit.
In the eighth minute, a sloppy Virginia turnover deep near its own goal turned into a perfectly executed Tar Heel goal from sophomore forward Bella Devey on the left side of the net. Twenty-six seconds later, North Carolina scored again — the same player, same play and same strike — catching Virginia flat-footed twice in a row.
The Cavaliers once again struggled to regroup after the second goal amid the Tar Heels’ stellar ball-handling and athleticism. Just under a minute and 45 seconds later, North Carolina found the back of the net for the third time. In a wild sequence, freshman forward Amari Manning sliced through the Virginia defense with an incredible juke that drew a handball in the box following her cross. Graduate midfielder Summer Denigan converted on the penalty kick to put Virginia down 3-0 in the 11th minute.
The opening minutes of the game were an absolute disaster for a team looking to assemble 90 complete minutes against an exhausting conference schedule. As North Carolina continued to pile on pressure and capitalize on its opportunities, Virginia searched for answers.
“That three-minute spell hurt us,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “Credit North Carolina, they punished us. A good team takes their chances, and I think they had five chances in that first 15 minutes and scored three goals. You tip your hat to them.”
To their credit, the Cavaliers did not fold after finding themselves in a three-goal rut. Virginia generated a handful of promising looks to counter North Carolina’s scoring burst, including a shot from third-year forward Sophia Bradley in the 24th minute that sailed just over the goal and pushes from fourth-year forward Aniyah Collier and first-year midfielder Kyndal Shuler in the final minutes of the first period.
The second period told a different story on the scoreboard, even though the result stayed the same. The opening minutes of the half were extremely physical, as North Carolina racked up three fouls in the first seven minutes.
Virginia earned a penalty kick of its own in the 56th minute after Collier’s motor on the offensive front led to a broken tackle and handball on her cross toward the goal line. Halpern stepped up to take the shot and buried it — picking her spot perfectly to cut Virginia’s deficit to two goals, 3-1.
From there, Virginia continued to pressure offensively in an effort to find a way back into the game. Halpern and second-year defender Liv Rademaker both had chances near the 70-minute mark to punch the ball in. Collier had a well-struck shot at goal saved in the 75th minute, and Shuler saw a shot go wide right just two minutes later.
But the finishing touch never came, and fatigue appeared to set in down the stretch, as the Cavaliers struggled to consistently connect on their passes and find the right opening. Additionally, North Carolina’s defense was physical and made the important tackles when it mattered, even when it felt like the Cavaliers were gaining the smallest ounce of momentum.
“I thought we created some good chances and could have had more than one,” Swanson said. “I’m disappointed. It was a great crowd and atmosphere — unfortunately, we couldn’t get them into the game like we needed to. That three minutes cost us. Our biggest challenge is putting together a full 90 minutes.”
Safradin came up with another key save in the 82nd minute to keep the deficit from growing further following a quick pressure from North Carolina that put the weight on Virginia’s veteran goalkeeper to make the save. The Tar Heels played out the final minutes, maintaining possession and making simple passes, to close out the win in Charlottesville.
For Virginia, the takeaway is all too familiar against this opponent, as the Tar Heels lead 42-5-5 in the series. The Cavaliers’ flashes of playmaking down the stretch were overlooked by a three-minute stretch that proved too difficult to overcome against the best team in the country.
Virginia will look to carry its second-half energy — and Halpern’s continued scoring touch — into its next matchup, even as the program will continue to chase that first home win over North Carolina.
“Sometimes we're our own worst enemy, but I saw enough good things tonight, and that it’s just us continuing to work and grow and get better,” Swanson said. “I think our best soccer is still ahead of us.”
On Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., Virginia hosts Syracuse for another ACC battle as the team celebrates Senior Day.
Sofie Keppler is a senior writer on the sports desk. She is a second-year Commerce student. Originally from Evansville, Ind., Sofie enjoys covering women’s basketball, soccer and golf.
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