Virginia Women’s Soccer Survives Virginia Tech Rally

Mitchell atoned for herself when she scored with 17 minutes remaining.

This is just hoof ball.  There are three Virginia defenders back, but Mitchell gets between Maki and Tatum Galvin and just flat out beats them to the ball with time to spare to compose herself.  Safradin has only allowed three goals in 11 games, but she has been beaten near post on two of them.

You can’t coach speed, but other teams can certainly exploit Virginia’s lack of it.  This is the blueprint.  I’m sure every coach in the ACC will have taken notice.

The second warning sign that has been brewing for a while, and it’s one that I have written about for nearly a decade now covering the women, is that Virginia is really wasteful in front of goal.  The English call wasting chances being profligate, and it’s been an issue even when Virginia had 15-goal scorers Meg McCool, Diana Ordonez and Hailey Hopkins. 

The team’s two center-forwards, you know, the position most responsible for scoring goals, are Meredith McDermott and Addison Halpern, and between them, they have each scored one goal.  McDermott is simply struggling and coach Steve Swanson has started her as a winger the past two games.  It gives her more space to run and she has a really nifty turn that she showcases when she’s running the touchline, but she was flagged offsides three times this game.  Two were particularly egregious.  Halpern is just not a forward and I think she will do much better as a midfielder next year when Lia Godfrey moves to the pros.  Neither can finish. 

So Virginia is having to get their goals elsewhere.  And in Maggie Cagle and Lia Godfrey, the Hoos have a pair of performers who are going to set career highs in scoring.    Cagle struck first for Virginia

while Godfrey got on the board in the second half.

Both are lovely goals, but they are, for all intents, shots from outside the box.  And this is where Virginia has lived all season, whether it is Godfrey’s three free kick goals, Ella Carter’s three and Jill Flammia’s pair.  These are the worst shots in soccer in that they less frequently are successful and thus generate a lower likelihood of returning points.  They are the soccer equivalent of basketball’s long 2.  It’s a risky way to live, but that’s how it is rolling for the Cavaliers.

Game Notes:  A win is a win is a win, and beating Virginia Tech is better than losing or tying the Hokies.  The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matters.

This is also a great picture because Liv Rademaker, center in the green pinny, took a hard knock in the game.  These women are tough, so when a woman is lying on the ground in tears, I fear the worst.  But Rademaker was later caught on the jumbotron riding a bike and smiling.  This pic confirms that she appears ready to go for the next game.

Next Game:  Virginia heads out to California for their west-cast jaunt.  First up is Cal on Thursday, October 9th.   Gametime is 6:30pm and will be shown on ACC Network Extra.