Sunday afternoon's women's soccer contest between Miami and Virginia marked the first ever ACC game in any sport for the newly relocated Hurricanes. Unfortunately for Miami, the Cavaliers were not exactly waiting with open arms, as they cruised to a 4-0 conference win.
After dominating possession of the ball for the game's initial 30 minutes, Virginia struck first with a picture perfect give-and-go to the left wing, where forward Kristen Weiss served a perfect cross to the feet of sophomore Shannon Foley, who one-timed it into the back of the net. Just in case Miami did not get the message, freshman Sarah Curtis scored her first career goal two minutes later, pushing Virginia's halftime lead to two.
"I think in the first half we did really well at looking into the spaces for open players, especially on the wide side," junior Kelly Hammond said.
The second half provided much of the same for those who braved the weekend heat, as Virginia added another goal just one minute and 16 seconds in when Foley's corner kick deflected off a Hurricane defender into the net. Remarkably, Virginia's streak of not allowing its opponent a single shot on goal came to an end at 140 minutes when Miami's Akilah Moore found some room at the top of the Cavalier box and pushed a harmless shot wide of the net. Virginia rebounded well, posting its fourth and final goal in the 70th minute when Hammond tallied her second score in as many games off of a Foley cross.
"We did a lot of things well for the beginning of the season and the first ACC game," Hammond said. "But we need to be more patient. The confidence is going to come."
With her assist on Virginia's first goal, Weiss received her first point in over two seasons as a Cavalier. Now a junior, Weiss played in seven games during her freshman year before an ACL tear ended her season. Then while preparing to play last season, Weiss suffered yet another ACL injury that caused her to miss the entire 2003 season. But after countless hours of rehabilitation and enduring the frustration of not being able to contribute to the team, the former high-school national player of the year is back and playing well.
"It feels great to just be playing with everyone," Weiss said. "I've been working off the field to get back and they've been working hard on the field. It just feels great to be able to be back out there with everyone."
Weiss' presence is not the only advantage that Virginia will have over its opponents this season. The Cavaliers returned to the states Aug. 23 following a 10-day preseason trip to Brazil. Visiting Sao Paolo and Santos during the trip, the Cavaliers posted a 2-0-1 record while gaining the experience of a lifetime.
"The trip to Brazil was amazing," Hammond said. "We started the season a little early, which is always tough, but I think it helped us a lot because we were able to bring the freshmen. They have done a good job of coming in and molding with the team."
For the fourth season in a row, the Cavaliers are ranked in the top 10 in Soccer America's preseason rankings, starting this year at No. 7. But with three other ACC teams as well as non-conference foes UCLA and West Virginia ranked in the top 25, any more 4-0 conference victories may by tough to come by for the Cavaliers.
Read More
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 10 hours agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 16 hours agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
You cannot say money is the problem for Virginia football
By Peter Kriebel | 22 hours agoMoney, after all, is just one aspect of a winning program.
