Friday proved to be another disappointing loss for Virginia, as the No. 11 Cavaliers (2-3, 1-1 ACC) lost to Duke, 3-2, in Durham, N.C. The No. 2 Blue Devils (6-0, 1-0 ACC) have had a strong start to the season.
Virginia scored the game’s first goal, but Duke scored three unanswered to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the second half. Junior midfielder Tara Vittese scored to bring the Cavaliers within one goal with 20 minutes remaining, but the team failed to capitalize on the rest of its opportunities. Virginia sophomore goalkeeper Carrera Lucas made a career-high 10 saves in the loss.
Monday, the Cavaliers will look to rebound against a Liberty squad that has played well so far despite not having a single win — the Flames (0-3, 0-0 Big South) have only played ranked opponents so far. Liberty lost its opener against No. 19 James Madison, 3-2, and fell against No. 4 Duke, 4-0, and No. 2 Syracuse, 3-2, in overtime.
The game will be important for the Cavaliers as they started the season ranked No. 5 in the country but they are now under .500.
The focus for Virginia moving forward will be finishing the numerous chances they create.
The game is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. at Turf Field.