The Cavalier women's soccer team will take on the Liberty Lady Flames tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. Virginia is coming off its first conference loss of the season to Duke last Saturday, breaking their 11-game unbeaten streak. The Cavaliers are now 11-2-2 overall, and 3-1-1 in ACC play. Liberty (2-12-2) also is coming off a loss to Georgetown and will be looking to record another win.
The 5th ranked Cavaliers are undefeated at home so far this season, and the loss to Duke is their first ACC loss of the year. Virginia also is undefeated against in-state opponents, beating Richmond, William & Mary, and JMU.Each of these games, however, has been a close one, with the Cavaliers winning by only one goal.
Last Saturday, Duke was able to hold Virginia to only four shots, a season low, with their strong defensive game. The Blue Devils played four defenders and five midfielders, focusing on the defensive aspect of the game and not allowing Virginia to move offensively as much as they have in past games.
"You have to credit Duke," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "They kept things very tight. We're a possession-oriented team, and they didn't give us much space to move on offense."
The Cavalier offense did not accomplish much in the first half and found themselves trailing at half-time for only the second time this year.
"We didn't come out with the kind of intensity we needed," Swanson said. "We lacked the focus and the sharpness that we usually have."
Despite allowing eight shots total, the Cavalier defense only allowed two shots on goal, one being saved by senior goalkeeper Anne Abernathy.
A Cavalier win against Liberty will depend upon the offense, led by sophomore midfielder Kelly Hammond, who recently was honored by Soccer Buzz as a member of their Elite team. Junior Lindsay Gusick also has been a consistent leading force for the Cavalier offense, along with junior Gillian Hatch and freshman Shannon Foley.
The Virginia defense will rely on the consistent performance of goal keeper Abernathy, along with a strong back line lead by freshman sweeper Becky Sauerbrunn.
Liberty's offensive efforts will be controlled by Rachel Lyndon, who leads the Lady Flames in goals scored with three. Freshman Mandee Judd, senior midfielder Sarah Davis and Lyndon have recorded the most consistent performances of the season.Liberty will look to these players to start the offensive drive of its game.
Swanson has faith that his team will be able to return to their winning ways in today's game.
"They want to respond to what happened on Saturday," Swanson said. "It's important that we come up with a great performance against Liberty. I'm confident that our team will bounce back."
Despite Liberty's poor record so far this season, the Cavaliers still realize the importance of this game.
"Any in-state game for us is huge," Abernathy said. "One of our goals is to win all of our in-state games and be number one in Virginia. We need to take every team we play seriously."
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