By Becky Piedel Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
The Virginia women's soccer team outshot Liberty University 29-to-3 last night en route to a 6-0 victory at Klöckner Stadium.
The Cavaliers hit the scoreboard first 23:28 into the first half on a Shannon Foley corner kick. Foley lobbed the ball to junior Jamie Fabrizio at the far post. Fabrizio headed the ball to forward Kara Frederick, who headed it off the top post and into the goal for a 1-0 lead.
"I think we just wanted to set the tone for the game and come out and get the first goal early and kind of put them back on their heels," Virginia forward Kelly Hammond said. "After we got the first one we were able to attack more."
Virginia struck again just eight minutes later on another corner kick opportunity. Foley sent the ball into the center of the box, where Hammond, Virginia's leading scorer, headed it in for the Cavaliers' second goal of the contest.
The Cavaliers capped off the first half with a late goal by freshman forward Ariel Thompson. Hammond sent the ball into the box for freshman Becky Sauerbrunn, who headed a cross to Thompson for a one-timer into the goal and a 3-0 halftime lead.
"It was good to come out early and get some pressure and get a couple goals and to start asserting ourselves," coach Steve Swanson said. "Getting the third [goal] before halftime helped us with our mindset."
Virginia continued its attack in the offensive zone in the second half. Just over five minutes in, Hammond scored her second goal of the game on a blast from 12 yards out. Junior Taylor Wood crossed the ball to Hammond, who stopped the ball in the box and rifled a shot past Liberty goalkeeper Natalie Mayer.
Six minutes later, forward Sarah Lane one-touched the ball into the net for the Cavaliers' fifth goal after Mayer gave up a rebound on a Lindsay Gusick shot. Foley added a goal late in the game for the sixth and final Virginia goal.
Virginia dominated on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field.
"Especially coming off a loss last weekend, we had to pick it up a lot, be tighter in the midfield and tighter on our marks," defender Gillian Hatch said. "Coming out of the back, we had to keep our line higher so that we didn't give them much room or any options."
Crisp and controlled passing at the midfield led to several scoring chances for the Cavaliers and kept Liberty out of their offensive zone for virtually the entire contest.
"We really emphasized at halftime to keep the ball moving and to make them chase the ball and make them work," Swanson said. "I think to have the kind of quality we had in the midfield just shows you how much depth we have on our team."
Anne Abernathy and Christina de Vries combined for the shutout in goal for Virginia. Abernathy recorded one save for the Cavaliers on the only shot Liberty had on goal.
"You have confidence that if something gets by you or you make a mistake, that Anne is going to be there," Hatch said. "More often than not, she'll come up with a big save."
Virginia next hits the field Sunday in an important ACC match-up against powerhouse North Carolina. The Cavaliers will host the match, which is set to start at 2 p.m.
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