The Virginia women's soccer team, after breezing through its first three contests of the season, will face a much tougher test Sunday in Morgantown, W.Va. against the Mountaineers.
The No. 6 Cavaliers (3-0-0) have outscored East Carolina, ACC compatriot Miami (Fla.) and in-state opponent Liberty by a combined score of 13-0. However, the No. 21 Mountaineers (3-0-0) could pose a challenge to the career shutout streak of Virginia sophomore goalkeeper Christina de Vries (372 minutes), as West Virginia has scored 11 goals in its three opening victories.
Christina de Vries "is very capable," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "The only thing that she lacks right now is experience. She's going to get tested, we know that. But she got tested over in Brazil (during the preseason), and she's done well."
The Cavaliers have been led this season by an experienced defensive quartet: seniors Katie Bunch, Jamie Fabrizio, Gillian Hatch and Jessica Trainor. Thanks to the back line, de Vries only needed to make four saves in the first three games of the season.
Fabrizio credits familiarity with her fellow defenders as the reason behind the whitewash streak.
"We've played together for all four years every day at practice," Fabrizio said. "We actually knew each other before we even came to school. It's kind of just knowing what everyone is going to do and where everyone is going to go."
On offense, Virginia has led a balanced attack, with eight different players contributing goals. Midfielder Shannon Foley leads the team with eight points -- two goals and four assists. Additionally, Foley was named to the Elite Team of the Week by Soccer Buzz Magazine, along with Hatch, for her play during the season's opening week.
West Virginia rebounded from a 2-0 second-half deficit to defeat Kentucky in its season opener, led by two goals from 5-foot-3-inch junior forward Marisa Kanela. In a 7-0 victory over Ohio, freshman Ashley Banks and junior Rachel Minnich both tallied hat tricks, the first such occurrence in Mountaineer history. Minnich leads the team with eight points, tallying three goals and two assists.
The rivalry between the Cavaliers and Mountaineers, a natural border war, has heated up in women's soccer over the past few seasons. In last season's opener for both squads, Virginia triumphed 1-0 in Charlottesville, with Hatch netting her first career goal.
In 2002, the Cavaliers and Mountaineers met twice, with West Virginia winning 2-1 at the Virginia Soccer Classic in mid-September. However, Virginia had the last laugh by ending West Virginia's season with a 1-0 triumph in Morgantown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We are looking forward to West Virginia," forward Lindsay Gusick said. "That is going to be a very big game."
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