No. 11 Virginia women’s soccer hosted matches against No. 13 Louisville and No. 2 Florida State, shutting out the Cardinals (4-2, 4-2 ACC) 2-0 Thursday before falling to the undefeated Seminoles 4-3 (6-0-0, 6-0-0 ACC) Sunday afternoon. The Cavaliers (5-2-1, 3-2-1 ACC) relied heavily on junior forward Alexa Spaanstra, who scored both goals against Louisville and one more against Florida State.
Game 1: Virginia 2, Louisville 0
Coming off a three-game winning streak, Virginia had a chance to extend its winning streak to four games in its match against Louisville Thursday night. Since joining the ACC, the Cardinals have yet to defeat the Cavaliers. In this matchup, Spaanstra led with two early goals to secure the victory for the Cavaliers, despite Louisville coming off a two-game winning streak.
“[Louisville] is a tough team to break down and are very organized,” Coach Steve Swanson said. “At times we moved the ball well.”
Virginia opened the scoring with a goal by Spaanstra in the 24th minute, which was assisted by senior forward Alissa Gorzak. Just 10 minutes later, junior forward Ashlynn Serepca drew a penalty kick, which Spaanstra converted to take a 2-0 lead in the first 34 minutes of the game.
“We obviously converted in the first half, which really helped us,” Swanson said. “The first goal was going to be key, I felt, in this game.”
The offense was on full display for the Cavaliers as they recorded 12 shots in the first half while holding Louisville to none. Cardinal senior goalie Gabby Kouzelos kept the Cardinals in the game, however, with 10 saves.
In the end, Spaanstra’s initial goals would decide the match as Louisville failed to challenge Virginia on offense, offering just two shots throughout the game. Freshman goalie Cayla White pitched her second shutout of the season after recording a 3-0 shutout in her first career start against Miami Oct. 4. White improved to 3-0-0 on the season with two saves as she took the place of longtime starter, senior goalkeeper Laurel Ivory.
Game 2: Virginia 3, Florida State 4
After recording the 2-0 shutout Thursday, the Cavaliers returned to Klockner Stadium to face No. 2 Florida State Sunday afternoon. While it was a highly competitive contest, the Seminoles stayed undefeated with the 4-3 win as senior defender Clara Robbins scored the game-winner in the 81st minute.
Florida State jumped to an early lead with two goals in the first 13 minutes of play. The initial goal came in the 11th minute when sophomore forward Lelainni Nesbeth converted off a pass from freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Zipay. Just minutes later Robbins followed up off an assist by junior midfielder Jaelin Howell to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Cavaliers found an opening in the 28th minute as freshman forward Lia Godfrey found junior forward Rebecca Jarrett with room on the wing. Jarrett had a one-on-one chance, but her shot was wide as Virginia continued to trail.
While the Seminoles edged Virginia 5-3 in shots in the first half, the Cavaliers converted in the 34th minute as Jarrett was taken down in the box, setting up a penalty opportunity. Spaanstra lined up and took the shot, finding the back of the net and putting Virginia on the board.
Florida State responded, however, extending the lead once again in the 42nd minute when Virginia committed an own goal following a Florida State corner kick opportunity as the half came to a close.
“We gave away the goals,” sophomore forward Diana Ordoñez said of the first half. “I think we just all needed to get on the same page, and we weren’t completely out of the game. I mean we came back and it’s tough to go down at halftime but I think we had the right mentality coming back out.”
Coming out of the break with a two-goal deficit, Virginia looked to rally back against the No. 2 team. Ordoñez made a difference in the 58th minute as she cut the lead to one goal. Ordoñez converted inside the six off a pass from senior defender Lizzy Sieracki, placing the ball in the back of the net with a diving header.
The Cavaliers continued to drive and scored the equalizer in the 64th minute as they capitalized on an own goal by Florida State. The tie didn’t last, however, and the Seminoles regained the lead in the 81st minute. The game-winner came from Robbins after junior midfielder Yujie Zhao sent a corner kick into the box and Robbins finished from close range.
Florida State concluded the match with a 14-6 advantage in shots and nine shots on goal. While Ivory came up with six saves, it wasn’t enough to stifle the talented Seminole offense.
“We’re very disappointed in the result,” Swanson said. “Giving up four goals, especially the way they happened, those are on us. Give credit to Florida State. They took advantage of their chances. When we tied it up, they became the aggressor again and put the pedal to the metal down the stretch. We played some good soccer at times, but not as consistent as we need to be against a team like that.”
Virginia returns to action Oct. 29 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. when it takes on Boston College. The conference matchup will air on the ACC Network and game time is set for 6 p.m.
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