The Virginia women’s soccer team had a record-breaking 2013 season which resulted in an ACC Regular Season Championship and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. Despite facing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Cavaliers posted 24 wins with an average margin of victory of nearly three goals.
Virginia boasted the most potent offense in the country, putting up 78 goals during the season. The squad was paced by sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak, who tallied 20 times during the 2013 campaign. Following close behind was junior midfielder Morgan Brian, who scored 16 goals and added 14 assists — numbers which helped her to win the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded annually to the best male and female players in the nation.
To complement their lethal attack, the Cavaliers also possessed one of the most suffocating defenses in the NCAA, ranking 16th nationally in goals-against average. Virginia relied heavily on freshman goalkeeper Morgan Stearns, who set school records for wins in a season (19) and starts by a freshman (21). Stearns posted 11 shutouts in her debut season, including two in the NCAA Tournament.
“All of our defenders worked really hard on trying to stay together as a line,” senior defender Morgan Stith said. “It’s also not just the defenders, because the offense is really our first line of defense.”
Another critical component to the Cavalier success was the depth of talent on their roster. NSCAA National Coach of the Year Steve Swanson was able to substitute throughout the game without taking the pressure off the opposing defense. Perfectly illustrating this is sophomore forward Brittany Ratcliffe, who came off the bench to score 12 goals — the third most on the team.
“Our team, from the bench to the starters, all can play,” Ratcliffe said. “If we substitute, the level doesn’t change, it stays the same.”
Virginia perfectly mixed together these dangerous components to dominate elite competition on a weekly basis. The Cavaliers faced 10 opponents that finished the season in the top-25, beating nine of them. The only losses of Virginia’s season came at the hands of No. 4 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship semi-finals and eventual National Champion No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four.
The Cavaliers’ spotless regular-season record featured shutout victories against two Final Four teams. The team also limited top-10 opponents North Carolina and Santa Clara to a combined seven shots. This gauntlet of a schedule — Virginia owned the nation’s highest RPI — allowed the team to get into peak form early in the season.
“It’s such a difficult conference and you know that when you go through it, but I’m not sure anyone else really appreciates it unless they’re in there slugging away,” Swanson said.
While the Cavaliers fell before reaching their goal of winning a national championship, the 2013 season was anything but a disappointment. With four Cavaliers named to the All-ACC Academic Team, the Virginia women’s soccer team excelled both on and off the field to serve as a highlight in an excellent year for sports at the University.
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