For 80 minutes, No. 14 Virginia let SMU believe.
The Cavaliers had dominated the first half, missed a penalty and watched a 2-0 lead shrink to just a goal. But when the Mustangs pushed everyone forward on a free kick, Virginia ran the other way — and opened the floodgates. By the 87th minute, the team that had not won or even scored away from home all season long had ended the drought with a compelling 5-1 victory in Dallas.
Virginia (7-3-2, 3-3-0 ACC) saw three strikes hit the back of the net as the clock ticked down late in the second half to break open a game that SMU (5-5-4, 0-4-2 ACC) fought the entire second period to equalize. The result helped Virginia rebound from Thursday’s heartbreaking road loss to No. 18 Notre Dame, where a late goal shut out the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers were immediately in attack mode. In just the second minute, third-year forward Sophia Bradley sent a header over the crossbar off a dish from second-year defender Jordyn Hardeman. In the fifth, second-year midfielder Addison Halpern struck from the right side of the box, but the shot was ultimately blocked and deflected off the post. A minute later, her shot off a corner kick was batted away again.
With chance after chance early, a goal felt imminent for a team looking to respond to Thursday’s defeat.
Virginia continued to earn corners, including in the ninth and 12th minutes — the latter from a pass from second-year defender Liv Rademaker, but on both tries, the Cavaliers were unable to convert. A wide-open Gio Canali missed a chance to tally Virginia’s first goal after SMU’s goalkeeper was away from the box, but the third-year forward’s shot fell wide left.
In the 13th minute, Rademaker finally broke through for Virginia off a beautiful setup from Halpern, finishing with her left foot on the right side for Virginia’s first away goal of the season — and the first of her career. Bradley followed with another strike across the net with an assist from Canali, as her shot slipped through the lower right corner just past senior goalkeeper Aubrey Brown, who got a hand on it.
A chance to bury the game came in the 30th minute, where a sequence led to Halpern getting tripped up in the box with four SMU defenders swarming around her. The Mustangs challenged the call, but it stood as a penalty. Halpern’s shot was smothered by Brown, whose instincts were dead on to keep the Mustangs from a three-goal deficit.
The Cavaliers entered halftime with a 2-0 lead and complete control on the offensive front behind a 14-3 advantage in shots over SMU.
However, the Mustangs came out of the break looking like a different team. With a newfound sense of urgency and energy, senior forward Kaylee Noble ran straight through the Virginia defense and scored one minute into the second half, leaving no chance for Safradin to make a play.
Working against a one-goal deficit, SMU kept Virginia on its heels in the second half. Brown made a crucial save for SMU on a bullet from Rademaker in the 48th minute. At the other end, freshman midfielder Julianne Richter’s shot in the 58th hit just off the crossbar, and a dangerous SMU sequence with sharp passes inside the box throughout the 60th and 61st minutes ended just right of the goal.
No matter how close SMU came to finding the back of the net for the second time, Virginia’s defense continued to find ways to make tackles and deflect. Second-year defender Pearl Cecil, in particular, was a steady presence on the field, calm and methodical in her defensive pressure.
For an SMU squad that had yet to lose a game at home and had not given up a goal in the second half this season, the Mustangs had given a tremendous effort through 35 of the second period’s 45 minutes.
But when Virginia’s lead grew, it grew fast. After a Mustang free kick in the 81st minute due to a foul on Rademaker in SMU’s territory, Collier had an impressive defensive touch that sent Virginia downfield in a matter of seconds, ultimately creating a cross that drew a foul in the box. Hardeman, who had set up Virginia’s first chance of the night, stepped up and sent Brown diving in the wrong direction.
With a 3-1 advantage and nine minutes remaining, Virginia continued to press SMU’s fatigued back line. Two minutes later, Collier scored with a left-footed shot to the right side of the net, assisted by second-year forward Carrie Helfrich. And if two goals in three minutes were not enough, Hardeman delivered a beautiful corner in the 87th minute, and first-year defender Mackenzie Mize scored the first goal of her collegiate career, sending her teammates in orange into a frenzy.
“I’m really proud of the team, not only because of the result on the road, but also the performance,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “The best part about today, though, was we finished our chances, which was good to see. SMU is a good team who has not lost a game at home this season, so to get this result will hopefully give us a lift heading into this week.”
Three days ago, a late goal sank the Cavaliers in South Bend. In Dallas, the late goals belonged to the blue and orange.
Tough stretches have cost Virginia against ranked opponents this season, and the win at SMU showed what Swanson has preached all year — capitalizing on opportunities and assembling a full 90 minutes. If the Cavaliers can continue to make that message reality, they have plenty of reason to believe in what this team can become.
Next, No. 14 Virginia takes on its ever-competitive in-state rival, Virginia Tech, in a Friday night Commonwealth Clash in Blacksburg. The 7 p.m. matchup will stream live on ACCNX.
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.
Read More
Virginia extends losing streak to five after 3-0 sweep by No. 25 North Carolina
By Cierra Lyles | 9 hours agoInstead of securing two wins during the gym’s opening weekend, they suffered two losses, extending their losing streak to five.
Sometimes dreams come true. Chris Messmore’s has this year.
By Cierra Lyles | 15 hours agoThe communications intern thought his football fantasy had ended years ago, but made the most of his opportunity once he was called upon his fourth year.
On Homecomings Weekend, the Cardiac Cavaliers return in triumph over Syracuse
By Theo Moll | 19 hours agoDown big early on, the Cavaliers were never daunted. The Virginia offense battled back throughout the second half, while the defense held on just enough to secure a victory over the visiting Orange.
