Virginia Women’s Soccer -- Steve Swanson Wins his 500th Game

It’s been a long time coming, and four-game slide didn’t help matters, but Virginia head coach Steve Swanson won his 500th career game, and he did it at Klockner, which has to make it all the more special.  With the win, Swanson becomes just the seventh head coach to win 500 games.  As an added tribute, Swanson won all 500 at the Division I level with stops at Dartmouth and Stanford before his coming to Virginia.  And with the win, Virginia booked a spot in the ACC tournament, something the Cavaliers have failed to do the past two years.

As for the game itself, this was varsity vs junior varsity stuff.  Virginia had a 30 – 1 shots advantage with just 10 minutes to go and 9 – 3 advantage in corners.  And the pressure was immediate, as has been true for Virginia all season long. Maggie Cagle fired a rocket from the edge of the six-yard box just 90 seconds in and within the game’s opening three minutes, the Hoos had already won a pair of corners.  That’s two corners before BC had even completed two passes.  Virginia had seven shots in the opening nine minutes, and they were all good looks.  But Allie Ross, as is typical for this Virginia team, had a hat-trick of poor finishes.  UVa should have been up by two, three goals in the first 10 minutes, but shambolic finishing was the order of the day.

Virginia had 66% of the possession in the first half against a young, bottom-of-the-table Boston College team. Because this game was a mismatch from the get-go, it was hard to tell, but everyone looked off.   Cagle, Ella Carter and Lia Godfrey, the trio that makes this team click, were spraying passes that didn’t find their mark or were easily cut out.  Virginia was missing two starters.  Liv Rademaker was ill, so sick that it didn’t look like she even made it out of bed (and I was looking hard at the sidelines post game.)  It is hoped she’ll be able to travel for Sunday’s ACC tourney game.  Jill Flammia and it’s hoped she’ll return in time for the NCAA tournament.

The game finally broke seven minutes into the second half when Tatum Galvin, filling in for the missing Rademaker, was brought down in the box.  Virginia was incapable of scoring during the run of play, so it was up to Maggie Cagle to convert the PK, which she did with aplomb going top right for the 1 – 0 lead.  Just six minutes later, a VAR review (which finally went Virginia’s way) gave the Hoos a second penalty for a handball in the box.  This time it was Allie Ross’ turn and her strike was the equal of Cagle’s.  Game, set and match for Virginia with the 2 – 0 win.

Except that Virginia made it interesting.  Despite surrendering late goals to Virginia Tech, Cal and Louisville this season, the Cavs still have trouble closing games out.  With ten minutes left, BC’s Tess Barrett got two shots off that could have changed the game.  The first was inches over the bar while the second drew an outstanding save from Victoria Safradin.  Boston College also drew two of their three corners in the final 10 minutes, one of which produced a nerve-wracking goal box scrum.

Nevertheless, Virginia held on, preserved the shut-out, and Steve Swanson got a well-deserved Gatorade bath.