On a breezy Saturday at Klockner Stadium, the No. 16 Virginia women's soccer team fell to the Clemson Tigers, 1-0, in a defensive battle that was Virginia's first time opening the ACC season at home since 1994.
In the middle of a four-game home stand and coming off an 8-1 drubbing of the Temple Owls, Virginia (5-3-1, 0-1 ACC) was looking to keep things going against the Tigers, but never could get their offense synchronized.
"The offense is off kilter," Virginia Coach Steve Swanson said. "We're struggling to get a rhythm in games."
The Tigers scored 62 minutes into the match on an unassisted goal by sophomore forward Paige Ledford. Ledford intercepted an errant pass and dribbled between four Virginia defenders before toeing the ball into the right side of the net.
For the next 28 minutes of the match, the Tigers (5-4, 1-1) went into their bunker defense, attempting to cut down on Virginia's scoring chances. Virginia's forwards still found their way through the defense, but were unable to capitalize on several scoring chances. "We haven't quite connected consistently on offense," sophomore defender Gillian Hatch said.
One opportunity in particular came close to tying the game at 1-1. With two minutes left to play in regulation, senior forward Alyssa Benitez dribbled down the right flank and took a crossing shot that hit the left post and ricocheted out to midfielder Sarah Huffman, who couldn't put the rebound in.
"It looked like it was going in for a second, and I thought the rebound was going in for sure," Swanson said.
The match was stalled at midfield for most of the first half, which ended with the teams deadlocked in a scoreless tie. Neither team was able to create many scoring chances, totaling only nine shots between the two. The Tigers owned the second half, taking 11 shots to Virginia's five.
Virginia's inability to put together a strong offense might have been a result of the team's youth. Four freshmen and four sophomores got extensive playing time during the match. "We look a little bit tentative," Swanson said. "But we have young players and you have to expect that."
Another factor was the absence of sophomore Lindsay Gusick, last year's leading scorer. The forward is out with a severely sprained ankle, and her return down the road should boost what was a stagnant offensive performance.
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