Virginia 2020

I struggled with this one.

https://hoosplace.com/content.php?inc=2020092103

Clemson Spanks Virginia

This was the bargain that the ACC made to play fall sports: away teams will, when possible, complete all their travel in one day. So the Virginia women, who left for Durham early Thursday morning and returned home that night, left for Clemson on Sunday morning ahead of a six-hour bus trip. It might have been too much.

Virginia 0
Clemson 3

It didn’t take Clemson long to open the scoring, attacking down the right side, which I expect Virginia will see a lot of this season. First off, left back is helmed by freshman Samar Guidry, and she’s going to be tested, just because she’s a rookie. Also, there is typically space behind the left back, going back at three seasons from when Courtney Petersen was holding down the left. Just like Petersen, Guidry has the green light to attack and the defense effectively becomes a 3-back line when Guidry ventures forward.

The ball was deep in the right corner, the Virginia defense flooded into that sector, leaving right back Sarah Clark marking a Clemson player at the penalty spot. Caroline Conti, though, was alone at the edge of the six-yard box. I suspect this was by design and not poor marking because the Virginia D typically floods an area in defense. To victimize the Cavaliers, it would take a near perfect cross and a great header. Playing the odds, the defense seemed sound. Except that Maliah Morris made a fine cross and Conti’s finish was professional. And just like that, four minutes into the match, Virginia was chasing the game.

It was a task that would prove too much. Clemson was faster and stronger on the day and they played their game plan – drop deep in defense and hit Virginia on the counter – to perfection. Clemson was physical, but the ref called a tight game: Clemson was whistled for 14 fouls and the ref gave out two yellow cards. But the fouls did their job, preventing Virginia from ever getting into their free-flowing attack. The absence of two-thirds of our starting midfield, Taryn Torres and Anna Sumpter, didn’t help as it left Alexa Spaanstra and Lia Godfrey as our starting wide midfielders, both of whom could generously be described as “slight.” Midway through the half, the injuries mounted as Spaanstra twisted her ankle going for a ball in the Clemson penalty box. She tried to play, but she lasted less than a minute before walking off for good. Sophomores Lacey McCormack and Emma Dawson didn’t make a mark, though freshman Alexis Theoret played brightly during her cameo.

Chasing a goal would leave us stretched and vulnerable in the back and the Clemson counter worked to perfection with a long ball over the defense which sprang Courtney Jones who finished nicely. As time was winding down, Guidry was called for a handball in the penalty box and Morgan Bornkamp had a perfect strike for the third goal on the day.

If you are counting at home, that is the second handball that Virginia has given up in the penalty box and the fifth goal conceded. Last season the Cavaliers didn’t allow their sixth goal of the season until the ACC tournament.

My video capture was not working on Sunday afternoon, so there will be no highlights for this game, which is fine because highlights for the Cavaliers were few and far between. The one highlight I suspect I will remember was the introduction of Cam Lexow’s flip-throw (shades of Voga Wallace). She seems to have utilized the time off during the pandemic to learn this. First opinion: it still has too much arc to be particularly dangerous, but give Lexow a year and I suspect it will be quite the weapon. In any event, it’s a nice addition to Coach Steve Swanson’s arsenal.

Next up: The Cavaliers travel to Blacksburg to complete their home and home non-conference pair of games versus the Hokies. The game is on Friday night, September 25th.

 

Well, Dawson and McCormack were largely anonymous vs Clemson. And Duke for that matter. I'm ready to see what Theoret can do.

 

HoosPlace writeup: https://hoosplace.com/content.php?inc=2020092502


Constant Saves Virginia

After two sub-par outings, and with an ever-growing injury list, Virginia desperately needed an easier game. Traveling to Blacksburg for a second meeting with Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers were obliged by a Hokie team that would just be trying to score a second goal on the season. The game went to overtime when Claire Constant saved the game, and perhaps Virginia’s season.

Virginia 1
Virginia Tech 0

Coaches are funny about injuries, frequently relying on Cold-War Berlin-Wall levels of subterfuge and disinformation. Coach Steve Swanson met with the game announcers prior to the game, but even an hour before the game, he was unwilling to acknowledge that Alexa Spaanstra would not play. If you are counting at home, Virginia’s entire potential starting midfield – Spaanstra, Taryn Torres, and Anna Sumpter – are out. Also joining this trio missing this game were keeper Laurel Ivory, who was at the game and seemed active (read that as NOT hurt) and freshman defender Samar Guidry, who had started all three previous games and was at the game in a boot. That’s five starters from a team that had reasonable pre-season expectations of competing for a #1 seed come the national championship. In addition, sophomore Cam Lexow took a heavy hit and limped slowly off the field.

In our first matchup with Virginia Tech, UVa scored in the first 8 minutes and ran away with the game. This game was a slog, both literally and figuratively, as Blacksburg had experienced very heavy rains for the 24 hours prior to kickoff. Much like the old glass half-full, glass half-empty paradigm for determining if one is an optimist or a pessimist, Virginia’s pace could similarly illuminate one’s inner soul. Was Virginia poised and deliberate or were they perhaps slow and nonchalant? Though I am an optimist, we seemed slow changing the angle of attack and we rarely displayed any urgency at the all-too-important moment when possession has been won.

Virginia controlled the tempo and largely dictated the play; while Tech frequently morphed into a 4 - 5 – 1, to their credit, the Hokies never bunkered down, even to the degree of a Duke, and tried to play even with Virginia.

Tech was not successful largely due to the efforts of redshirt keeper, Cayla White, who started in place of Ivory and leapfrogged over Michaela Moran who had deputized for Ivory last season after she was destroyed by UNC’s Brianna Pinto. While Virginia had the customary advantage in the counting stats – corners, shots, shots on goal – the two best shots on frame came from Virginia Tech and White had two game-saving stops. Her play was so impressive, especially on a wet pitch with a sodden ball, that I am ready to anoint her the successor to Ivory in 2021.

Here's her day:



There were some encouraging signs from the defense. Sarah Clark’s offense has needed work; today she provided it, putting her best shift yet in in the opponent’s half and Clark was instrumental in helping right winger Rebecca Jarrett to see more of the ball than she has seen all season. Claire Constant had another strong game in central defense, and it’s important to note that while she is third year, she is still a rookie as a central defender for Steve Swanson. Talia Staude had her most imperious game yet, turning on the ball a la Phoebe McClernon and distributing the ball as well as Zoe Morse. In this case, I won’t discount Staude’s performance as coming against a weaker team like Tech because this was an important developmental milestone.

Youth was on full display in the midfield as freshman Lia Godfrey, and sophomores Emma Dawson and Lacey McCormack logged major minutes joining senior Sydney Zandi on the pitch. Swanson is moving players around a bit more this season than he has in recent seasons and this quartet looked very comfortable switching across the field. The game announcers called both Godfrey and Dawson the center mid on several occasions – hint, it was Zandi – but their confusion was descriptive of the fluidity in the center of the pitch. This is a position suffering the twin losses of Torres and Sumpter, after all, but this development was welcome.

The front line though, really struggled on the night. Jarrett saw much more of the ball in the first half, but still, too many of these times the ball came to her feet when she was stationary. We really struggle getting the ball to her when she’s moving and she’s just half the player playing from a static position. It’s been three games now that I have been able to watch, and it’s time to say that Diana Ordonez is really struggling. Her teammates were looking for her, and though most of the crosses were finding Ordonez’ back foot, she struggled at a minimum to keep possession. It’s two games in a row now that she has had convertible headers that she has just missed. Ashlynn Serepca and Alyssa Gorzak are fighting as hard as they can, but in this game, both found themselves on the left in space, tried to cut in to get the ball on their right foot and just lacked the pace to create a really good shot. Five goals in four games is NOT maintaining UVa standards.

The game went to overtime and for a second time this season, Lia Godfrey’s corner was converted, this time by Constant. It’s the correct result as Virginia was stronger all game. But a waterlogged pitch, the lingering aftereffects of pandemic-induced travel the week before, and the absence of five starters (from a team that was already young to begin with) all contributed to this game being more competitive than it should have been given the respective talent on the rosters.



I suspect we’ll have to eke out many more games this season, the next of which is Thursday, October 1st, as Virginia hosts the rapidly improving Pittsburgh. Gametime is 7pm.

 

Honestly? I have no idea. And it wouldn't surprise me if the rest of the players themselves don't know.

I would expect Spaanstra to be the first one back. It looks like she twisted her ankle. She eventually walked off on her own speed, came back in for barely a minute, and then was pulled. Swanson resolutely doesn't say anything about injuries and it's hard to get any reaction from the team trainer, who has the same affect as a marionette. I really don't like the guy. I've never seen anyone appear to be less concerned about a player injury than this guy, but maybe he's acting on Swanson's orders to minimize the reaction of those watching.

I don't know if it means anything, but Ivory and Guidry were at the game. I've been scanning the sidelines as best as I can via a stream, and yesterday's feed was especially poor, but I haven't been able to make a positive sighting of Torres, or Sumpter either since she was hurt. Bunch of ponytailed 5'6" women in masks? Hard to see who is who.

 

I get to go to the game. Swanson saw that I asked a question at yesterday's virtual/remote meet-the-team event on FB and 20 minutes later he emailed me an invite. So that is pretty cool.

As an alum, I appreciate the Daily Progress. Their coverage of UVa sports is sporadic, but when they do cover, it is usually pretty good. Maybe the best profile I have ever read, on any player ever, is one the Progress did on hoopster Jay Huff, who is a very complicated guy. It had to be 5000+ words.

 

HoosPlace writeup. Anybody wants to see full highlights will have to go to the site after Saturday because I don't have time to put highlights on youtube. https://hoosplace.com/content.php?inc=2020100201


Welcome to Virginia, Sarah Clark!

Pittsburgh came to Klockner Stadium with a 6 - 0 record and riding their best start ever, along with a program high #14 ranking. Esteemed coach Randy Waldrum, who won a pair of national titles with Notre Dame, had the women clicking, but how would the Panthers fare in the first test of the pandemic season?



Not well. It turns out playing both Appalachian State and The Citadel twice is as fluffy an out-of-conference slate as those John Thompson used to schedule for Georgetown. It wasn’t enough to prepare them for Virginia, but Waldrum is still in the baby-steps phase for his program. Virginia outshot Pitt 30 - 4 and had a 13 - 1 advantage in corner kicks. As the halftime stats were flashed on the scoreboard, Pitt was listed as having had two, and I remember thinking: 2? That many?

The word has gotten out on freshman Lia Godfrey and every time she got the ball in midfield, Pitt’s midfield immediately dropped back, ceding acres of space and making her look like the second coming of Leo Messi. It rained heavily most of the night, and Virginia, a quick, skilled passing team, struggled at times to play as quickly as they would have preferred, but they still kept the Panthers on their back heel for most of the half.

Virginia broke through in the 17th minute as defender Sarah Clark (more on her later) delivered a perfect cross to the edge of the 6 yard box that Diana Ordonez struck first time from point-blank range for a beautiful striker’s goal. The remainder of the first half went according to plan. Head coach Steve Swanson was able to bring in Anna Sumpter for the first time in two games, and she would end up staying on for the remainder of the game, logging over 70 minutes in her return. (Sumpter appears to be just as cagey as her coach when talking about her injury. I asked her via Facebook at the team’s virtual Meet-the-Team event about her return, and she said she hoped she’d be able to gradually work into the team throughout the weekend’s two games. And here she is playing 71 minutes!) Thinking the game was firmly in control, Swanson used the end of the half to blood Kira McGuire, Sarah Brunner, Jansen Eichenlaub, and Lauren Hinton, the last two getting their first ever minutes on the pitch for UVa.

The second half did not go according to plan, because the games actually have to be played after all. Virginia was playing without Talia Staude, whom I can only surmise picked up a knock sometime in the Virginia Tech game. The injuries through five games are extreme. Taryn Torres has not played at all; Anna Sumpter missed two games, Samar Guidry missed her second game (though she was not wearing a boot, so that is progress), Alexa Spaanstra is out, Cam Lexow didn’t play after hobbling off the field versus Tech, and Ashlynn Serepca, usually the first forward off the bench, didn’t play either.

Playing without Staude, the backline was a little shaky when trying to play out of the back. Lizzie Sieracki deputised for Staude in the center of defense (she’s usually a left back) and freshman Laney Rouse lined up left in place of Guidry. What success Pitt had offensively usually started with heavy pressure on the back four, and just 5 minutes into the half, Rouse lost possession of the ball and Sieracki tripped a Panther inside the penalty box for a Pitt freekick. It was a soft foul, but the ref got the call right. Amanda West, who had already converted two PKs on the season collected her third as she easily beat keeper Laurel Ivory. And just like that, we had a ball game.

Virginia roared back -- we were the better team on the night -- and 10 minutes later, Virginia was awarded a PK. Funny thing about a tiny, pandemic-restricted crowd; in some ways the crowd can play a larger role in creating the home field advantage. 5 guys on the bank side had really gone to work on the ref since the handball, and since there was no other noise to drown these five fans out, the ref heard every complaint. The handball was very obvious, but the ref was particularly quick on the call and moving to the spot. Ordonez stepped up to the spot and forgot the most basic rule of taking penalties: strike the ball well and don’t worry about the keeper. The goal is 8 feet high and 8 yards wide. It’s huge. Instead, on her run up, Orodonez shimmied her hips as she danced up to the ball -- ostensibly to confuse the keeper as to her intentions -- but she didn’t get set and she skied the ball wide right. She botched the kick on both axes.

The game was still tied, but the worst was yet to come for Virginia. Ten minutes later, midfielder Sydney Zandi fell in a heap, in what I can only call a wet-field slip. She was in extreme pain and it was only after several minutes that she was carried off the field. Zandi had upped her game the past week, staying at home when she was the base of the midfield and attacking creatively when she slotted out wide. I would suspect it will be a while before we see Zandi again.

Virginia would keep pressing, and the women controlled the closing minutes of the game. With seven minutes left in the game, Swanson pulled a defender to add a fourth forward. This is the gamble of going for the win. The Pitt defense held up well and they must have recorded a dozen blocks on the night. When a team logs that many blocks, it indicates one of two things. First, that the defense hasn’t given up, so full marks to Pitt. But secondly, it can signify that attacking players get locked into getting to a space where they want to shoot and that that space isn’t there any more. It’s a lack of recognition. If Pitt had a dozen blocks, well over half of them were outside the box and it speaks to a lack of creativity for Virginia.

The game went into overtime and the Cavs came out on fire. In the 2.5 minutes of OT, the Panthers completed just three total passes. Virginia won the game when Clark -- her again -- picked out Ordonez at the back of the goal. Ordonez headed the ball back toward the center where Amanda Dawson was waiting, and she looped her header into the top right of the goal. 2 - 1 Virginia, both courtesy of perfect crosses from Sarah Clark. It took Clark a couple of games to figure out how to integrate herself into the offensive flow, but she has done so well these past two games, albeit against weaker teams. I think that facing upgraded competition won’t hinder Clark maybe as much as others because she is setting up to cross the ball from what I call the David Beckham sweet spot: right channel, maybe 30 yards from the end line. Typically this is a soft space against any zonal defense precisely because it takes a perfect cross to be a danger from there. Well, Clark showed she is capable of delivering that cross and Swanson may have found his answer to the departure of Courtney Petersen. Clark is a converted midfielder after all. And her on-ball defense has been superb. Clark is going to go down as one of Swanson’s best transfer pickups. It’s been a lot of fun to watch her development just over the past four games.

With Torres still out and Sumpter missing two games, Swanson’s personnel in midfield have shifted more than normal, and with the loss of Spaanstra, Jarret has played more left wing than she did all of last season. I think this is a good thing and I would hope it could continue more in the future. Look at this through ball from Lizzie Sieracki as the game was winding down:



Jarrett NEEDS to see more balls like this and she rarely gets them on the right. If Jarrett is on the left, and the ball comes from a right footed player, the ball is more likely to slice (to borrow a golfing analogy) into Jarrett’s path. The same ball played from a right footer to Jarrett on the right is more likely to tail away. This allows Jarrett to run onto the ball, where her oh-so-dangerous speed is better utilized. And she can have her head up. I have had the niggling suspicion that we’re not getting the best of Rebecca Jarrett. Plus, if she chooses to turn the ball in, which she is doing far more this season, a la Leo Messi or Arjen Robben, the ball will be on her right foot.

And while I am being prescriptive, I would hope that Swanson would find someone else to take scoring-chance free kicks. Ordonez has taken maybe 10 such chances in her UVa career. Her first two or three sailed into the backstop netting and she’s over-compensated since by driving her last 5 or 6 right into the wall. This team is struggling to score goals -- just 7 in five games -- and we need a better alternative than just hitting the ball into the wall.

And lastly I would hope that we see more, much more, of Kira McGuire. To be frank, she showed as much off-the-ball movement in 35 minutes as Orodonez did in 80. I think Swanson was aware of her performance because she was that fourth attacker for the games last 11 minutes. McGuire red-shirted last season, but on this day, she looked like she belonged.

Virginia’s next game is Sunday as the Cavs host a poor Miami team. Gametime is 3pm.

 

Emma Dawson got the game winner. Fvck me.

 

The injury situation is pretty dire, we've had six starters out:

Taryn Torres (M): The leader of the team. Out all season thus far.
Anna Sumpter (M): Last year's most improved player. Back after missing two games.
Alexa Spaanstra (F/M): Most talented player on the team. Out last two games.
Samar Guidry (D): Starting as a freshman. Missed last two games.
Talia Staude (D): Best defender. Missed last game.
Sydney Zandi (M): The midfield workhorse. Hurt last game.

And for good measure...

Cam Lexow (F): Backend rotation player. Fell hard after collision. Missed last game.

 

Well, Sumpter came back.

If what I am hearing about Spaanstra is true, she should absolutely not come back this fall.

As for Torres, the team had a virtual meet-the-team event on FB and she gave no indication of returning anytime soon, instead referencing that she doesn't know how she'll stay sane the rest of the season.

And as posted in the ACC thread, Zandi's fall -- no contact, slight over-pronation, plus the very obvious pain (we could hear her crying in the top row of the stadium) -- has all the hallmarks of an ACL tear. So that's the whole year for her.