Virginia women’s soccer never looked back in a convincing win Sunday at a beautifully sunny Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) had five different goalscorers in a 5-0 crushing of Utah Valley (2-1-1, 0-0 WAC).
The Cavaliers were relentless from the moment the starting whistle was blown, and their constant pressure culminated in the tenth minute of play when senior midfielder Laughlin Ryan floated a dazzling cross in front of the goal, which sophomore forward Allie Ross headed into the back of the net. Just two minutes later, Ryan got the ball again just outside the box — her strike found the sweet spot on the ball and floated over the keeper’s outstretched hands to increase Virginia’s lead to 2-0.
The Wolverines almost got back into the game shortly after when senior midfielder Manthy Brady’s shot smacked the inside of the post but spun away from the goal line, and the Cavaliers were able to clear the ball upfield. Utah Valley was not afforded many chances to score throughout the contest, as the Virginia midfield dominated possession and the pace of the game.
With time dwindling in the first half, junior defender Tatum Galvin attempted an audacious long range shot that hung high in the air and bounced off the crossbar. The Cavaliers went into halftime still up by two, and they were not about to let up their pressure.
Mere minutes into the second half, Virginia was on the attack again. Graduate forward Linda Mittermair overhit a cross from the right side that drifted towards the left side of the box. Galvin shielded the closest Wolverine defender, which freed up space for graduate midfielder Alexis Theoret to take a half-volley shot that confused the unexpecting Utah Valley goalkeeper and landed in the net as the hosts’ third goal.
Midway through the half, Ryan found herself in a breakaway opportunity with only the goalkeeper to beat. Despite a good save denying Ryan her goal, Mittermair followed up the shot and slotted it home to enlarge the lead to 4-0. The Cavaliers pushed the lead to 5-0 in the 75th minute after freshman forward Sophia Bradley’s shot took a deflection and bounced past the misdirected goalkeeper.
The lopsided victory was a testament to Virginia’s all around performance — Utah Valley was not a pushover team either, as they had beaten No. 4 BYU and Michigan earlier this season. The Cavalier defense was stout and only allowed five shots from the Wolverines in the game — whenever the visitors looked to attack, a Virginia defender was quickly there to snuff out the chance. Coach Steve Swanson emphasized that the back line would need to stay solid for a successful season.
“We've got some versatility,” Swanson said. “We've played a number of players [on defense], they've given us really good contributions throughout the season, so that's been good, and we'll need to rely on that.”
On the attacking side, Ryan was the star of the show, racking up a goal and two assists. Her beauty of a strike in the first half will no doubt be a highlight of the season. Although her two goals this season have been from outside the box, that is not necessarily her main objective or specialty.
“Honestly, my personal game goals were to try to just drive around the outside back, but she kept letting me inside,” Ryan said. “I'm like, ‘Okay, I'll take it.’ Then she gave me an opening, and I was like, ‘Let me just try to shoot this level and see what happens.’”
The Cavaliers are off to a spectacular run of form to start the season, which they will hope to carry into their matchup in Harrisonburg, Va. against James Madison. Kickoff is set for Sunday at 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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