Following a disappointing loss to the Hokies in 2018, undefeated Virginia women’s soccer took revenge on No. 16 Virginia Tech in an exciting second half performance at Klöckner Stadium. Virginia (9-0-1, 1-0-1 ACC) battled against Virginia Tech (9-1, 1-1 ACC) in a scoreless first half before senior forward Megan McCool found the back of the net in the 71st minute. Freshman forward Diana Ordoñez celebrated her birthday with a goal in the 84th minute to push the Cavaliers to a 2-0 final.
Virginia found numerous opportunities in the first 45 minutes to test senior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, who came up with three saves. The Cavaliers pushed four corners but couldn’t convert as the Hokies fended off their attempts. Junior midfielder Anna Sumpter produced a promising strike in the 13th minute, but McGlynn punched the ball out in a diving attempt.
“I think the hardest thing for us is to link ourselves together and to generate an attack as a team,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “We’ve been working on that and we’ve been remarkably consistent over the year but this wasn’t, especially the first half, this wasn’t our best performance.”
Despite not scoring in the first half, the Cavalier defense looked impressive as senior defenders Phoebe McClernon and Courtney Petersen and sophomore defender Claire Constant maintained an aggressive back line. Sumpter also made an impact as she stole possession and dribbled the ball into Hokie territory.
Virginia Tech looked poised and dangerous coming out of the half. Junior goalkeeper Laurel Ivory made a diving save in the 48th minute and a second attempt nearly missed as it deflected off the left post.
Both sides stayed aggressive throughout the match as Virginia committed 16 fouls to Virginia Tech’s 14. Hokie fans erupted on missed calls but the Cavaliers refused to let up on defense.
McCool struck in the 71st minute, driving a no-doubter past a diving McGlynn. The play was executed perfectly as Serepca intercepted the ball and passed it to Ordoñez. The tall freshman drew the defense to her and used her body to keep the ball at her feet as McCool found an opening in the box. Ordoñez slid the ball to McCool, who sent it past McGlynn.
“I think a moment like that when three passes go right in a row, speed of play was high, and then we put it in the back of the net … I think that last 15 minutes went a whole lot faster after that because I think the energy was a little high. We needed it.” McCool said.
Ordoñez took advantage of a poor clearing attempt in the 84th minute and swiped the ball into the right corner of the goal. The freshman, who hasn’t played the past few games due to injury, currently holds the most goals for Virginia with 10. She received a standing ovation from many Virginia fans as she took the field and a crowd of friends and family gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” after the final whistle.
“It was just so nice to score that goal, especially in a game like this,” Ordoñez said. “It’s Virginia Tech — we always want to beat them. But it was just really overwhelming and I was just really excited to get to celebrate with my teammates. The heart is always there and it was just exciting to get to compete against them.”
Virginia returns to Klöckner Stadium Sunday at 2 p.m. to face No. 10 Duke (6-1-2, 1-0-1 ACC).
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