HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Sophomore midfielder Sarah Huffman's one-timer to the far post broke a scoreless tie in the 82nd minute to give No. 4 Virginia a narrow 1-0 victory over James Madison on a brisk night at the JMU Soccer Complex.
The Dukes (3-7-1, 1-2 CAA) were able to contain the Cavaliers (10-1-1, 2-0 ACC) for most of the contest, thanks to a tough physical defense and a strong performance from goalkeeper Jessica Hussey, but Virginia finally managed to put one on the board when Huffman gathered a loose ball on the right side and scored her first goal of the season.
"The ball bounced out at her and she got a good look at it," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "She put it probably the only place she could put it to beat the goalie -- far side up the 90. It was well-taken by her."
The Cavaliers controlled the ball for most of the second half and had a few good scoring chances but were continually stymied by the Dukes' defense. JMU goalkeeper Jessica Hussey made several impressive saves, including a diving block of freshman midfielder Shannon Foley's bullet to the top right corner with 18:55 remaining.
"We had gotten a few good chances," Huffman said. "But their keeper kept coming up big."
After an evenly matched first period, Virginia made several adjustments to counter the Madison defense. The Cavaliers changed their usual 4-4-2 formation and played only three defenders in the back. Virginia also positioned its midfielders further out wide in the second half. The changes seemed to be working, as the Cavaliers recorded twice as many shots (12) in the second half than they tallied in the first, but they still couldn't get on the board.
"We were down on their side a whole lot more than they were in our half," senior goalkeeper Anne Abernethy said. "We just had to keep patient and wait for our chances, because it was bound to happen."
Locked in a scoreless tie with a sub-.500 team as the game went down to the wire was not a position the Cavaliers wanted to find themselves in.
"We were surprised -- it certainly wasn't a situation we would have liked to be in," Huffman said. "I think we did a much better job in the second half and made the right adjustments."
Virginia's best chance to score in the first half came in the 34th minute. Freshman forward Ariel Thompson received the ball at the top of the box from sophomore midfielder Noelle Keselica. Her shot was partially deflected by the charging Duke keeper, but a header from JMU midfielder Kim Argy kept the shot out of the goal.
The win was Virginia's third straight one-goal victory and sixth of the season. Abernethy's shutout was her sixth of the year. The Cavaliers have outscored opponents 24-4 over the eight-game winning streak.
The Cavaliers return home this weekend to face No. 16 Wake Forest, where they will put both their perfect ACC mark and unblemished home record (5-0) on the line.
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