Not even the current dreary weather of Charlottesville can dampen the spirits of the Virginia women's soccer team. The No. 3 Cavaliers kept their unbeaten streak alive last night as Virginia defeated the Maryland Terrapins 3-0 at a cold and damp Klöckner Stadium. Now riding a 13-game win straek, Virginia improved its record to 11-1-4 (5-0-3).
Freshman forward Meghan Lenczyk was the star of the match. She scored two goals late in the match to put away a game for Virginia that was much closer than the final score indicated.
"I felt that we had some good chances," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "The discouraging thing was that the game was still 1-0 in the 86th minute. They were still in it. We're not operating on all four cylinders, but we're certainly a lot better."
The first half was a sloppy and unorganized affair. Neither team was able to get any momentum going offensively. The Cavaliers' first scoring opportunity came early in the match in the 12th minute. Off of a corner kick, a Virginia forward redirected the ball in midair towards the goal. The attempt, however, had a little too much on it and flew over the goal and out of play.
Less than 10 minutes later, Virginia avoided a scare as junior defender Alex Singer blocked a Maryland shot directly in front of the goal to stop a dangerous scoring opportunity for the Terrapins.
Later in the period, freshman midfielder Sinead Farrelly got off a blistering shot that just barely missed the far left corner of the goal in the 31st minute. Farrelly's good scoring chance was followed one minute later by a great opportunity for senior defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Sauerbrunn collected the ball in front of the net off an unsuccessful corner kick. The all-America defender then blasted the ball from close range right at Maryland freshman goalkeeper Yewande Balogun. Balogun was up to the challenge, however, and saved Sauerbrunn's point-blank attempt. Balogun also sustained an injury while making the save and was helped off the field after the play.
Just before halftime, the Cavs avoided another potentially dangerous situation. In the 40th minute a defensive miscue led to a wide-open Maryland shot. The Cavs, however, escaped from the situation unharmed as the Maryland shot was pushed wide. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. The half was marked by inconsistent play and unexploited opportunities. The constant rain appeared to play a significant role as it stifled both team's offensive creativity and suppressed the home crowd's enthusiasm.
The second half began very quickly and aggressively. Virginia maintained great offensive pressure in the beginning of the period and drew several fouls from the Maryland defense.
The Cavaliers finally got things going offensively as they added their first goal of the contest in the 62nd minute. Farrelly started the play as she passed the ball wide to senior forward Shannon Foley. Foley then played the ball nicely to junior midfielder/forward Kelly Quinn, who was open in front of the net. Quinn made a great play as she grabbed the pass and one-timed a bending shot that beat Balogun to the top left corner of the goal. Quinn's goal broke the scoreless tie and brought life to the cold and wet crowd at Klöckner Stadium.
The remainder of the match mostly featured a lot of back-and-forth action. In the last five minutes, however, Virginia added two goals thanks to the superb play of Lenczyk. For her first goal, Lenczyk took a throw in from Singer and blasted a shot from 30 yards away. The ball curved nicely into the goal and beat the outstretched hands of Balogun. For her second goal of the game Lenczyk grabbed the ball in an unsettled situation, dribbled past defenders and neatly lofted the ball into the goal.
"The team was pushing forward," Lenczyk said. "I just got luck and put both chances away"
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