No. 5 Virginia will face No. 15 Georgetown at home Thursday, Sept. 5 in what should be the Cavaliers’ biggest test thus far. The teams will meet for the fourth time as the Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) look to improve their 1-2-0 record against the Hoyas (2-1-1, 0-0-0 Big East).
Georgetown recorded its most successful season in program history in 2018, with a record of 21-1-3 overall and 8-0-1 in the Big East. Senior forward Paula Germino-Watnick and senior defender Meaghan Nally were both named to the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List entering the 2019 season. The Hermann Trophy is awarded to the top male and female college soccer players in the country every year.
Ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, the Hoyas started the season strong with a 2-1 win against James Madison, but dropped in ranking after a loss to No. 27 NC State. Their next match against No. 8 Duke ended in a scoreless draw. This past Sunday, Georgetown beat Bucknell 2-0 to gain some momentum going into the Virginia game.
The Cavaliers started the season with three shutout wins and a 4-1 victory against No. 12 West Virginia. Virginia cruised past UC Irvine 7-0 and Liberty 6-0 in its opening weekend at Klöckner Stadium before beating East Carolina 4-0 and dominating West Virginia 4-1.
The Cavaliers’ undefeated record and torrential pace of goalscoring in their first four games should leave them brimming with confidence going into Thursday night’s match. Virginia has recorded an impressive 21 goals so far — third best in the country — compared to the Hoyas’ five on the season. Junior goalkeeper Laurel Ivory has allowed just one goal in four matches.
Standing out this season
Freshman forward Diana Ordonez has proven that she can score in a variety of ways, using impressive footwork to find openings for scoring opportunities. Ordonez was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after leading Virginia with two goals in both a 4-0 shutout against East Carolina and in a 4-1 victory against No. 12 West Virginia. The freshman leads the ACC in goals (8) and has scored in every game, including a hat trick in Virginia’s match against Liberty.
Sophomore forward Alexa Spaanstra will also be key to the Virginia offense in the match against Georgetown. Spaanstra currently leads the team with five assists and has been one of Virginia’s top playmakers and goal-scorers this season.
Correction: This article previously misstated that Virginia was ranked No. 6 and Georgetown was ranked No. 13. Virginia is ranked No. 5 and Georgetown is ranked No. 15, and the article has been updated with the correct information.
Read More
Volleyball falters against Boston College with NCAA Tournament spot at stake
By Lauren Halak | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers now await the announcement of the NCAA Tournament bracket Sunday.
Virginia obliterated 37-17 in Commonwealth Clash
By Peter Kriebel | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers lose to Virginia Tech once again, and have not conquered their hated rival since 2019.
On harsh own goal, men’s soccer loses to Massachusetts in NCAA Tournament
By Michael Liebermann | 2 days agoJoey Batrouni's heroics in goal were not enough to rescue Virginia.
