SU fails to withstand offensive pressure, suffers 3-0 loss to No. 1 Virginia
The Orange stayed within one against No. 1 Virginia until midway through the second half, but its struggles in ACC play continued with a 3-0 loss. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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There is no team in the nation playing better right now than Virginia, according to the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The Cavaliers entered Saturday with seven wins in eight games played, having zero losses and drawing once to Georgetown. There is no defense in the nation stronger than UVA’s; its backline has allowed just two goals on the season.
Its offense, on the other hand, isn’t remarkable. Occasional offensive brilliance from players like Lia Godfrey, Maggie Cagle and Ella Carter have given the Cavaliers enough to get by. But Virginia doesn’t even rank within the nation’s top 50 in goals scored thus far, and it barely cracks that threshold in shots per game, tied with Cal State Fullerton at 45th.
Breaking through its impenetrable back four was always going to be a Herculean task for SU’s attack. But if there was ever a chance for the Orange to steal a result against a top-five opponent, UVA’s seemingly pedestrian offense would’ve been a pristine opportunity to do so.
Ultimately, the Orange simply couldn’t capitalize. Virginia (8-0-1, 2-0-0 Atlantic Coast) dominated Syracuse (4-3-4, 0-2-1 Atlantic Coast) in its 3-0 home loss on Saturday. The Orange notched a season-low two shots — one on goal — while the Cavaliers peppered SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch with 23 shots, 13 of which were on goal. Syracuse’s defense held up for most of the first half, but it couldn’t withstand UVA’s offensive onslaught as the game went on.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said. “We knew we were going to have to defend.”
That pressure ratcheted up instantly on Vanderbosch. It took two minutes for the Cavaliers to find a shot on goal, with Cagle firing one to force the senior to make a save. She dove to swat it away, and the ball ricocheted to Natalie Magnotta for the clearance.
Similarly to SU’s loss to Florida State — where its attack had just one shot on goal — much of Saturday’s contest was spent with Syracuse on defense.
Godfrey — who entered as UVA’s leading scorer with four goals — tried to get involved in the 15th minute, launching a shot at the upper half of the goal. Vanderbosch came to the rescue again, leaping up and getting a mitt on the ball to force a corner kick that didn’t yield anything.
By the time Syracuse found its first shot, the Cavaliers had three shots on goal alone.
SU’s only substantive chance of the match came in the 24th minute. After receiving a pass from midfield, Mia Klammer dribbled past a UVA defender en route to the opposition box.
She laid it off to Ashley Rauch, who was unmarked in the box. The veteran midfielder fired a rocket, and Virginia goalkeeper Victoria Safradin dove right and swatted the shot to prevent the Orange from breaking through.
The pair have combined for nine goals on the year; Klammer with five and Rauch with four. Unfortunately for the Orange, that combination couldn’t tack on another against Virginia.
“(Rauch) was able to get in and slot Ashley in, and it was a great first-time ball,” Adams said. “Kudos to the goalkeeper for saving that.”
Everything was all downhill from there. Fourteen minutes after Rauch’s attempt, Godfrey responded with one of her own. The sequence began when Carrie Helfrich laid a ball to Allie Ross in midfield. Ross dribbled into the box from the right and found Godfrey making an overlapping run.
Tracking back for SU, Bree Bridges couldn’t get her body in front of the Virginia attacker, allowing Godfrey to bury her shot and break the deadlock with nine minutes left in the half.
It would be another 37 minutes before UVA scored again, but that’s not for a lack of Cavalier attempts. Five shots on goal were sandwiched between Virginia’s first two scores, all of which Vanderbosch saved.
“Shea is an incredible shotstopper,” Adams said. “She can always pull something off crazy.”
But in the 74th minute, her heroics ended. After Nixon blocked a try from Ross, the UVA forward rocketed another deflected shot. The ball eventually found its way to Godfrey, who set up Carter perfectly on the edge of the box.
All the Cavalier midfielder had to do was take a touch and swing her foot. It bounced just beyond Vanderbosch’s outstretched arms, doubling Virginia’s lead.
A few minutes later, Cagle converted a penalty try after a foul by Aleena Ulke, giving UVA a 3-0 advantage. It’s not like the Cavaliers needed much insurance. Syracuse hadn’t even attempted a shot in the 50 minutes that had elapsed since Rauch’s initial try.
Scoring in ACC play was never going to be easy for Syracuse. The Orange notched just five goals through the entirety of conference play last season.
But if SU wants a chance at breaking its dubious ACC winless streak, it’ll need to give its attackers more than two shots in a game.
“We talked about having to hold, get numbers forward, create more passes, and we did,” Adams said. “Did we get much out of it? No. But our effort was definitely there.”
