If Wake Forest expected to face the same Virginia women's soccer team yesterday they defeated in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, they were sorely mistaken. Indeed, this past weekend, the Cavaliers brought their best to Winston-Salem, N.C., and after defeating both West Virginia and Wake Forest, have earned a spot in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We knew it was going to be a battle with Wake, but our mindset was always to go out there and play our game," sophomore forward Jess Rostedt said. "We wanted to move the ball, keep possession and finish our chances when we got them."
Only seven minutes into Sunday's second-round matchup, Rostedt got and finished the chance that broke open the game for the Cavaliers. Receiving a pass off a give-and-go play between junior Julia Falk and sophomore Jen Redmond, Rostedt maneuvered behind Demon Deacon goalie Laura Morse and sent the ball into the net. The goal was not only the earliest Virginia had scored in a game this season but also gave Redmond her sixth game-winning assist of the year. She now holds the school record for the most game-winning assists in a single season.
"That first goal really settled us in," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "We were into the game from the opening whistle and getting the early goal got us some confidence."
Despite battling brutal wind gusts and a determined Wake Forest team, Virginia maintained its lead into halftime. With only three minutes left in the first half, Sarah Senty's efforts to defend an open Cavalier goal prevented Demon Deacon Sarah Winslow from scoring the equalizer.
"It made such a difference to come in at halftime up a goal and have the wind going our way," senior forward Kristen Weiss said.
Equipped with those advantages, Weiss put the game away in the 87th minute. Miscommunication between goalkeeper Morse and a Demon Deacon defenseman gave Weiss an opportunity in front of a wide-open net, which she then converted into the Cavaliers' second goal of the afternoon.
Friday night the Cavaliers gave freshman Caitlin Miskel the best 19th birthday gift possible: a first round 2-0 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers to qualify for Sunday's game.
Virginia's goals came from rather unlikely sources as both junior Julia Falk and senior Nikki Lieb picked up only their second goals of the season. For Falk, her fourth career goal was also the third time she has scored in an NCAA Tournament match.
Controlling the midfield proved key for the Cavaliers. Keeping possession and winning 50/50 balls ensured that Virginia had multiple quality scoring chances and prevented West Virginia from posing a consistent threat to the Cavalier goal.
"I think our fitness kicked in during the second half," Falk said. "You could tell we were a little more fit, and that allowed us to keep going hard till the end."
This coming weekend, Virginia will face either SMU or Texas A&M in the third round. Against either opponent, the Cavaliers will be looking to once again play the "Virginia" style soccer Klöckner has seen all season but which the team has only just learned how to take on the road.
"We did what we needed to do this weekend, and I am very proud of the team," Swanson said. "We've faced a lot of adversity during the year but the girls have pressed on and been a very resilient group. A lot of people would have said this would have been a tough bracket to get out of, and so we feel both fortunate and proud to be moving on."
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