Tall concrete pillars flood the grounds of Klöckner Stadium, several of which are emboldened with national championship banners. Of all the programs housed there, only one has never won the national title — No. 2 women’s soccer. The Cavaliers have been to the NCAA Tournament 33 times since their inaugural season in 1985 but have never claimed a national title.
Furthermore, aside from the 2014 season, Virginia has never made an appearance in the title match. The Cavaliers have gotten close though — making the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals in 2022. Unfortunately, 2023 was an absolute wreck of a season. Virginia suffered a bevy of costly injuries to key players and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993.
How will the Cavaliers respond? An answer can be found in a small detail that has become a mainstay as part of their kits. This feature is nearly impossible to see on television, or even in the stands at Klöckner Stadium. But up close, one can see a temporary tattoo donned by players that says “ALL IN.” The phrase has been around for several years, developed by players although the exact origin is unclear.
“‘ALL IN’ is basically just our team mantra, and each person has their own little unique design that they do for every game, and every game we’re just ‘ALL IN,’” senior midfielder Lia Godfrey said.
Godfrey, graduate midfielder Laughlin Ryan and senior defender Laney Rouse are all healthy and contributing so far after being limited last year due to injury. Also getting her opportunity to shine is sophomore goalkeeper Victoria Safradin, who has emerged as one of the strongest at her position across the ACC and beyond, in addition to being the leader of one of the nation’s best defenses fueled by the mantra.
“We all get [‘ALL IN’] stamped on ourselves, so it’s always good to look at it and remember what we’re playing for,” Safradin said.
What Virginia plays for, of course, is their first national title. Coach Steve Swanson has come so very close to that achievement in his 25 years as head coach, but the Cavaliers have not made the NCAA Semifinals since Emily Sonnett last roamed the pitch in the mid-2010s.
Virginia have certainly played with vigor in 2024 thus far, having stormed to a 7-0 start while notably conquering then-No. 3 Penn State on the road. Virginia demolished all of the non-conference opponents they have played thus far and established themselves as the top-10 team that they likely would have been in 2023 if an injury plague did not wreck the season.
“What [‘ALL IN’] means to us now is like last year having not made the tournament and kinda having an upsetting year just in general, kind of moving off that and a lot of people are gonna count us out on some things this year,” junior forward Maggie Cagle said. “And I think we're all just doing it for each other this year and it just means even more.”
Now, another opportunity is presented in the form of the new 2024 season. The Cavaliers have shown that not only are they poised to avenge last season’s disaster, but they will also seriously contend to claim Virginia’s first national championship in program history. They are currently ranked No. 2 nationally and will get plenty of opportunities to climb even further. To win the conference tournament, the gauntlet will likely involve a matchup against No. 1 Stanford.
Even with an arduous schedule, these Cavaliers are “ALL IN.” They dismantle their opponents through a constant barrage of shots and a defense that engulfs attackers with tenacious ferocity. While Swanson and company have been favored to make a deep run in the postseason before, the depth of this 2024 squad seems certain to set this season apart.
“Obviously our goal is ACC Championship, NCAA Championship, but we’re still working towards that,” Godfrey said. “We still have a lot to do, lot to work on this season but we’re here to show everyone that what happened last year is never going to happen again.”
As the Cavaliers push to avenge 2023 and finally climb the highest of peaks — that first national championship — this talented roster has proven that they will fight hard and go “ALL IN” together for a full 90 minutes each and every match. Virginia is back, and all of the college soccer world is watching.