No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer faced Wake Forest on the road Friday in a close matchup that ended in an overtime draw. Junior midfielder Anna Sumpter produced the equalizer late in the second half to send the game into overtime, but the Cavaliers (8-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) couldn’t find the winner, giving the Demon Deacons (5-2-2, 0-0-1 ACC) an impressive 1-1 result against the top-ranked team in the country.
The first half remained quiet as neither team recorded a goal. Virginia tallied four shots, but Wake Forest graduate goalkeeper Meghan Kennedy made several saves to keep the Cavaliers off the scoreboard.
The Cavaliers, however, turned up the heat in the second half. Attackers worked Wake Forest’s backline, adding pressure and generating several threatening runs. Sophomore forward Rebecca Jarrett tested the keeper with a close range shot after charging down the right side and finding an opening, but Kennedy stood her ground and came up with the save.
Despite Virginia having more chances, Wake Forest scored first, as Demon Deacons senior defender Madison Hammond buried a penalty kick in the 87th minute. The kick was awarded off a foul inside the box, and Hammond converted to give Wake Forest a pivotal lead late in the match.
Sumpter, however, responded minutes later with the help of senior defender Courtney Petersen. Petersen sent a long ball over Wake Forest defenders and found Sumpter making a run into the box. Sumpter sent the ball between two defenders and into the goal to even the score.
Virginia controlled the game throughout overtime, recording four shots in the first period and two shots in the second. In the 92nd minute, sophomore midfielder Alexa Spaanstra attempted a dangerous shot that Kennedy barely fended off. Sumpter’s near miss in the 103rd minute was a second close call that almost gave Virginia an overtime victory.
The Cavaliers return to Klockner Stadium Thursday to face No. 18 Virginia Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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