Virginia women’s soccer opened their season against Towson at Klöckner Stadium Thursday night, and the Cavaliers (1-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) cruised to a 2-0 win over the Tigers (0-0-1, 0-0-0 CAA). While Virginia could have been more ruthless with its 24 shots and 12 shots on target, the home side controlled the proceedings throughout and never looked like losing the match.
The Cavaliers came out of the gates applying immediate pressure on the Tigers in the first half, peppering the Towson goal with nine shots, four of which were on target. They never let Towson get comfortable in their attack either, as the Tigers were able to muster just one shot in the first half. That singular attempt did come close, though, as Towson graduate forward Kale’a Perry grazed the crossbar with her effort in the 22nd minute, just barely failing to capitalize off of a turnover by Virginia in its defensive third.
Virginia’s constant pressure eventually proved to be overwhelming for the Tigers. A giveaway by Towson provided sophomore midfielder Yuna McCormack with the ball in a dangerous area, and McCormack seized the opportunity by laying a perfectly placed pass to the feet of senior midfielder Laughlin Ryan. The senior put just enough touch on the ball to get it over the outstretched arms of graduate goalkeeper Riley Menendez and put the Cavaliers on the board first in the 33rd minute. Not only was Ryan’s goal the first of Virginia’s 2024 season, but it was the first of her collegiate career.
“I mean, honestly, I was really not expecting that,” Ryan said. “I've never scored before. I was just pumped to see it go in.”
Ryan has battled injuries since coming to Charlottesville, suffering three ACL tears in her time as a Cavalier. As a result, she has seen very limited action, so it was an emotional moment when she made an immediate impact after entering the game as a substitute in the 29th minute.
“There were a lot of tears on our bench when [Ryan] scored,” Coach Steve Swanson said.
Junior forward Maggie Cagle also starred for Virginia Thursday night, applying pressure on the Tiger defense with six shots, four shots on target and one goal. Cagle, a second team All-ACC selection last season, was itching to get out on the field and start the 2024 campaign.
“Momentum was a big word for me tonight, kind of getting at them as soon as possible and getting confidence, not only for myself but with the team tonight,” Cagle said.
Her relentless efforts were rewarded towards the end of the contest, when she drew a push in the back in the box from Towson freshman defender Malin Bernt Schöps, yielding a yellow card and a penalty kick. Cagle cashed in on the opportunity, stretching the Cavalier lead to 2-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the match.
Virginia also held strong on the defensive end, not allowing the Tigers to hold onto the ball for extended periods of time. Senior defender Samar Guidry tracked down and disrupted multiple long Tiger passes along the left side of the field, stopping any chances Towson had of making runs to the Virginia goal.
Though the Cavaliers’ 2-0 lead would hold, earning them a season-opening win, the outcome left something to be desired on the offensive end. Virginia’s two goals came on an eye-popping 24 shots, which suggests the team should have found the net a couple more times Thursday night.
“We did some good things to get the ball in the attacking third, but I thought we were a little bit impatient, a little bit sloppy at times.” Swanson said. “We just lacked a little attacking quality in terms of our finishing, in terms of our crossing — we hit a lot of balls to the goalkeeper — and just in terms of decision making and execution.”
Swanson was clearly not enthusiastic about the shot quality and finishing on offense, but it was encouraging to see the Cavaliers execute an aggressive offensive game plan. According to Ryan, that offensive pressure came straight from the training ground.
“What we've been trying to do is force them to one side, and then all of us really press hard together,” Ryan said. “I think we did a really good job of keeping it to one side and winning it.”
Virginia can be frustrated that they could have scored more goals Thursday, but ultimately, starting the season with a victory is all that matters. The win puts the Cavaliers on the right track to bounce back from a rocky 2023 season.
“A lot of people are going to not think of Virginia this year, just with preseason rankings, or whatever it might be with our season last year,” Cagle said. “I think we're just really excited this year for it to be about us and to stay together as we build through the season.”
The Cavaliers will look to build on this performance against Northwestern at home Sunday. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ACCN.
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