On a damp Friday evening the Virginia women's soccer team got the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic off to a great start. The No. 8 Cavaliers defeated the No. 18 Colorado Buffaloes 4-0 in Virginia's first game of the tournament despite playing through 90 minutes of constant rain. The Cavaliers were also able to continue their success Sunday afternoon as they bested the No. 25 Arizona Wildcats 4-0 to win the Nike Soccer Classic Championship for the first time in three seasons.
Friday night, senior forward Shannon Foley led the Cavaliers with two goals and one assist. Foley's performance was especially key considering that Virginia was without star junior forward Jess Rostedt.
The game got off to a quick start in the seventh minute as Foley received a pass from senior defender Becky Sauerbrunn and lofted what appeared to be a routine centering pass. The ball, however, curved neatly towards the upper right corner of the goal and sailed past unsuspecting Colorado junior goalkeeper Kristin Radlinski and landed in the back of the net.
When asked about her unusual goal, Foley introduced some new sports terminology.
"We call that a 'scross,'" Foley said. "It was a half shot, half cross and it just happened to go in. We got lucky."
The Cavaliers narrowly avoided a disastrous situation off of a corner kick just after Foley's early goal. A Colorado corner kick found its way onto the foot of a Buffaloes forward right in front of the goal. Colorado's bid, however, was stopped by a Virginia defender on the goal line to preserve Virginia's lead.
Foley's early goal proved to be the only scoring action of the first half, as the rain caused offensive problems for both teams. The first half ended with Virginia holding a 1-0 advantage. Virginia controlled the action throughout much of the period, but the Buffaloes hung tough and presented the Cavs with a number of threatening possessions.
Foley got the second half off to a strong start for Virginia as she took a pass from freshman midfielder Sinead Farrelly during an unsettled situation in the 50th minute. Foley dribbled past a Colorado defender and blasted a shot from the corner of the box. The ball found its way just inside the top right post and flew past the fingertips of a diving Radlinski.
Less than four minutes later, junior midfielder Jen Redmond was awarded a free kick from 15 yards away and directly in front of the goal. Redmond fiercely struck the ball right at Radlinski, who saved the opportunity and popped the ball straight up in the air. Virginia junior defender Nikki Krzysik then raced towards the goal, grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Sauerbrunn, who was waiting at the goal line. Sauerbrunn easily tapped the ball into an empty net to give Virginia a 3-0 lead.
Colorado tried to answer Sauerbrunn's goal just five minutes later as a Buffaloes forward rocketed a shot past redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chantel Jones. Fortunately for Virginia, the ball dinged off the post and bounced back to a Virginia defender who was able to clear the ball to safety.
Foley helped put the game away in the 68th minute as she played a great ball to junior forward Kelly Quinn, who then lofted the ball over Radlinski to give the Cavaliers a 4-0 lead.
"For us to come up with a score line like that [4-0] against a good team like Colorado is very good for us," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said.
Sunday afternoon,Virginia's offense dominated the game, outshooting the Wildcats 19-4.Foley registered a record-tying 30th career assist? with an early goal by Farrelly. The defense was led by Jones who recorded her fourth shutout of the season with two saves. The win over Arizona marks the Cavaliers' third consecutive shutout of a ranked opponent. Foley registered three goals and two assists on the weekend, earning her tournament MVP honors.
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