Virginia women’s soccer carried a three-game losing streak into a Thursday night game against Duke in Durham, N.C., but the Cavaliers (8-4-0, 1-4-0 ACC) could not break it and suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Blue Devils (8-1-0, 3-0-0 ACC). Virginia matched Duke in shots on target but could not convert its chances nearly to the level the hosts did.
The first half was an evenly split affair. Virginia had the best chance first, when sophomore forward Allie Ross failed to make good on a sumptuous cross just minutes into the contest. Duke had a great chance of its own soon after and found the back of the net first when a nicely weighted through ball played by graduate midfielder Maggie Graham found junior forward Farrah Walters. The junior took a nice touch to beat the Cavaliers’ sophomore goalkeeper Victoria Safradin and open the scoring.
Virginia and the Blue Devils traded half-chances to end the first period, but both teams knew more would be necessary in the second half to add to the scoring.
Duke came out firing in the second half, adding to their lead within three minutes. Senior forward Ella Hase lifted her cross perfectly over the Virginia defenders and found sophomore forward Mia Oliaro, who headed the ball strongly past the goalkeeper. An even game in the first period was turning into a cruel reality for the Cavaliers, who were down 2-0.
The Blue Devils made sure the win was firmly theirs in the 65th minute, when Oliaro’s cross from the side found junior forward Devin Lynch for Duke’s second headed goal of the game. The Cavaliers were able to pull one back late when junior forward Meredith McDermott got her head in front of the goalkeeper's hands and tapped in a corner kick opportunity, but soon after, the referee signaled the end of full time, marking Virginia’s fourth straight loss in a 3-1 margin.
A season that started in electric fashion, with eight wins through the first eight games, now seems to be slipping out of the Cavaliers’ hands. Despite a first half with plenty of scoring chances, Virginia could not convert when it mattered and was only able to provide an answer when the game was already out of its reach.
On the defensive side, the Blue Devil attackers were able to get free for header opportunities for two of the goals. The Cavaliers will have to improve their marking in the box if they hope to end this losing streak and qualify for postseason play, which is getting further and further from their grasp as the defeats pile up.
Virginia will try to get back in the win column Thursday when they face off against NC State at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted live on ACCN.
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