Virginia 2021

Virginia's schedule finally dropped.

The out-of-conference slate is especially appealing.

@ West Virginia on Sunday, August 22.
In Harrisburg (Va) vs Santa Clara on Wednesday, September 1.
Home vs Penn State on Thursday, September 9.

After not playing UNC in the regular season for four years, hopefully this game, @ Chapel Hill on Sunday, October 3rd, goes off.

Virginia closes out the ACC slate on October 28th @ FSU.

But, the schedule makers still screw UVa: only four of the 10 ACC games is at home. Somehow we play two more road games this time around.

 

Not a typo.

Here's from the Virginia press release:

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s soccer team announced its 2021 schedule on Friday (July 9) with a slate that features 18 games, including eight home games – four of them against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

https://virginiasports.com/news/2021/07/09/virginia-announces-2021-womens-soccer-schedule/

 

Anna Sumpter. Tore her ACL for the fourth time. Swanson had an interesting anecdote about the episode in our last interview.

Laurel Ivory is returning, as is Taryn Torres and Lizzy Sieracki. Sydney Zandi is back after tearing her ACL last fall.

 

Well, we gotta get by you and UNC, something we've struggled with that last three years. We'll certainly be deep. I'm hoping we escape the rash of injuries that hit us last year. Those, plus covid, hitmus hard. One game we were missing 13 players. Once we were able.to field a consistent lineup, we went to the College Cup.

I'm hoping for something similar this year.

 

Well, I watching Vanderbilt highlights this afternoon, and here's hoping Haley Hopkins displaces Diana Ordonez as the starting central striker. She's better in the air, has a better shot and is a better passer. In talking with Swanson, he really loves Ordonez' defense, and that was huge in our run to College Cup. Hopkins doesn't, in the three games I watched, play defense with any particular intensity, but as of right now, she seems better.

That can only help our cause, right?

 

Here's what Swanson told me regarding the home/away schedule:

Regarding our 2021 ACC schedule. In 2017, we were supposed to go to play UNC at their place. They were in the middle of working on renovations to their new stadium at the time, so they were playing their home games at Wake Med Park. On the date we were supposed to play UNC, Wake Med Park was not available so instead of looking for another site they requested that we play that game at our place with the agreement that we would go back to them in another year. This is that year. We played 6 home games and 4 away games in the ACC in 2017 and UNC came to us in both 2016 and 2017. So this years schedule reflects that change.
​

Simply Byzantine that four years later we're paying the price for UNC repairs. Sheesh.

Glad he told me this though, or I would have written about it every column and just looked foolish.

 

According to her bio, Hopkins' dad attended Virginia and played baseball for a couple years.

As to her diminished scoring, she missed the entire sophomore year. I'm guessing ACL.... She may have had more of a burst pre-ACL. If that's the case, I'm doubly impressed with her scoring prowess because her game isn't based on speed anymore.

 

Yeah. Benefits of playing in the ACC. Add to that a date with Santa Clara, and it should be a great year.

Of.course, the pre season rankings look a lot like the end of season rankings.

 

Virginia won both of their exhibitions in Michigan, downing Central Michigan 3 - 0 and Michigan 1 - 0. Transfer Haley Hopkins has already proved her worth as she scored the lone goal vs the Wolverines.

As for why we went to Michigan, well, Swanson is from Michigan.

 

Well. We got a center forward in Hopkins.

The ACC should be very, very scared.

 

HoosPlace writeup on the Virginia 8 - 0 shellacking of Richmond.

https://hoosplace.com/2021/08/20/wsoccer/5867/

There must be something in the water at the McCue Center/JPJ complex.

Last fall, coach Tony Bennett opened the season by inaugurating a spread 5 – Out offense, presumably to facilitate the arrival of impresario transfer, Trey Murphy. In the first game of the season, women’s soccer coach Steve Swanson similarly altered his lineup, departing from his preferred 4-back defensive line in favor of 3-back line. Again, presumably to expedite the entry of transfer Haley Hopkins into the forward mix. Hopkins responded much like Murphy did in his debut.

Virginia 8

Richmond 0

Rebecca Jarrett killed this game in the third minute when she collected a weak clearance, took one touch, and rifled a shot right by Richmond keeper, Claire Hinkle. On the night, Hinkle must have felt very much like the proverbial fish in the barrel because Virginia was taking pot shots at the Richmond goal all night long. The Cavaliers would end up with 32 shots, 20 of which were on goal.

Richmond coach Marty Beall had stated that he wanted his team to come out and play their game – and not parking the bus in an attempt to eke out 0 – 0 draw – and to use the game as a jumping off point to prepare them for their Colonial Athletic Association season. He has also scheduled an out-of-conference slate that includes Virginia Tech and Maryland. He’s to be commended for reaching for the stars, because that’s all Richmond did on the evening as the Cavaliers just stomped the Spiders.

The difference in class could most obviously be seen in the acres of space that Jarrett and defender Laney Rouse found down the right side. The 3-back defense is very much the flavor of the month, formation wise, this decade, but most teams that employ this approach have two wide midfielders/outside backs who have extensive defensive responsibilities. In other words, the three backs are mostly central defenders. Not in this lineup. It was Rouse who provided the width, as one of the three defenders, leaving only Talia Staude and the left defender, nominally Samar Guidry, to cover the back. Richmond had no answer for Rouse and she had more unfettered time on the ball in this game than maybe she had all of last season. Rouse had an assist on a driving cross that found Hopkins (more on her later) and she showed a Jarrett-like ability to get to the end line and cut in, driving straight at goal.

Last year it was Samar Guidry who had more of the green light going forward, but she was definitely more hesitant venturing forward playing out of a back three. In the second half Swanson switched back to the more familiar back four and it was like a switch turned on for Guidry. I had literally just written in my log book -- Guidry looks much brighter in the 4 – when she cut in at the top of the box and slotted home her first career goal. Maybe she’s outgrown the freshman effect. Last season she would more often make the cut, gather the ball on her right foot, only to pass out of pressure, and in effect, slow the attack down. Guidry is a fabulous dribbler. If she has developed a nose for goal, this will make the Virginia attack that much mor frightening.

The revelation for the game surely must be the play of Vanderbilt transfer Haley Hopkins, who arrived on Grounds as the second leading scorer in Vandy history, as well as a two-time 3rd-team All American. Swanson has obviously recognized the talent she brings because he’s basically shoehorned Hopkins into the front four.

Eighteen minutes after Jarrett scored, she lofted a beautiful cross to nominal center forward Diana Ordonez. It was the kind of ball that you would expect your 5’11” striker to be able to bury in the back of the net. But she misplayed her run and she simply missed the ball. Enter Hopkins, who clearly knows how to attack an aerial ball, and she headed home the second goal of the night from just a foot or two behind Ordonez. Combined with her header off the Rouse cross, Hopkins showed that we have a true aerial threat.

And that may make Ordonez more effective because she is a much better finisher when the ball is on the deck. She has a quick release and both goals she scored on the night were largely through traffic and were what I like to call striker’s goals.

Swanson has been quoted as describing this team having a hunger to improve on last season and that there’s a sense of “unfinished business” from last year’s penalty debacle versus Florida State. With covid granting Lizzie Sieracki a 6th year and Laurel Ivory a 5th year, and red shirts being given to Sydney Zandi and Taryn Torres, the senior leadership that would normally have departed after the College Cup, has returned. According to Swanson, there is an urgency in this team to get started quickly and get down to business. An eight-goal explosion may have been just the ticket.



Up next: Virginia travels to Morgantown to take on West Virginia. Last spring the Cavaliers faced off against the Mountaineers twice, losing and drawing in the process. The NCAA seeding committee tried their best to schedule an early-round rubber match in the NCAA tournament, only for Rice to upend WVU. If possible, both UVa and WVU are seeking revenge for last season. Game time is Sunday, 22 August at 2pm.

Injury Notes: After last season, I am skittish. I am going to worry about injuries and contact tracing (Thanks Delta!) all season long. Defender Lizzie Sieracki did not play, though she was at the game. Alexa Spaanstra tweaked her ankle, tried to play, and ended up being the first starter pulled before Swanson unloaded his bench and turned the game over to the green team. (It should be noted that midfielder Sarah Brunner made the most of her extended playing time and was the brightest player on the pitch for the game’s last 25 minutes.)

 

HoosPlace game report of the women vs West Virginia: https://hoosplace.com/2021/08/23/uncategorized/5891/

Two teams arrived at Dirk Dlesk stadium, both of which had conceivable grudges to erase against the other. For Virginia, the mission was clear: keep Isabella Sibley off the score sheet. Result? Mission accomplished and the Cavaliers had won a game on the road against a quality opponent.

Virginia has dominated this recent rivalry, going 11 – 4 – 3 heading into Sunday’s game. The blip on the record came last year as the teams had an in-season home and home series, which West Virginia “won” by winning in Morgantown and then drawing the Cavaliers in the return match in Charlottesville. Sibley scored the winning goal at home and the tying goal at Klockner. Shutting her down, which the Cavs were successful in doing, was made easier by the absence of West Virginia’s leading scorer, Alina Stahl, who was out with an undisclosed injury.

West Virgina 0
Virginia 1

Against the overmatched Richmond Spiders, coach Steve Swanson loaded up on offense, starting Haley Hopkins as a fourth forward and playing a vanilla three-back defense. Against a quality foe, Swanson reverted back to a 4 – 3 – 3 and it now seems apparent that sophomore Laney Rouse has leapfrogged both Lizzie Sieracki and Sarah Clark as the preferred right back. On the left, Samar Guidry was again a terror, only with the added wrinkle of her teammates laying the ball out in front of her for her to run on. Usually, being the gifted dribbler she is, she advances the ball down the wing, but in the games opening minutes it was apparent that playing the through ball for her was part of the game plan.

It paid off quickly as in just the game’s seventh minute, she ran on to the ball, turned defender Nicole Payne pretty easily, and made a lovely cross to the awaiting Diana Ordonez for the ensuing goal. It was if Ordonez had read my criticism of her aerial game in the Richmond game report, because she he gave it tothe Mountaineers on this one. It would be the only goal that Virginia would need. A carbon copy play came just 12 minutes later – Guidry crossing to Ordonez – that Ordonez fizzed wide of the post. She may have been overthinking it. WVU’s keeper, Kayza Massey is big and very quick and one has to beat her. An average shot is not going to slip into her net.

The one goal was enough. Although the Mountaineers started off on the right foot, controlling much of the first 6 minutes of play, the first half belonged to the Cavaliers. The team defense was outstanding as the midfield trio of Lia Godfrey, Taryn Torres and Sydney Zandi attacked every outlet pass, swarmed every Mountaineer, and prevented them from playing through the lines. Even a heat-mandated water break did not give WVU the chance to claw back into the game in the first half. The on-ball domination, though, did not give Virginia the opportunity to extend the lead as at half time, they only had two shots – both the Ordonez headers – and a single corner.

In the second half, the game opened up a bit, but I expect the heat and humidity played more of a role. There were more corners for both teams, but they were surprisingly poor across the board. Both teams, on two occasions, just drilled the balls straight out of bounds, which I attribute to tiredness. Virginia allowed WVU back into the game as the midfield energy drained a bit and the Cavaliers started committing unforced errors in bunches. In the 20th minute Zandi delivered a perfect through ball to Hopkins, which if she converted, would have sealed the victory. But Hopkins was a step slow trying to go around the hard-charging Massey coming off her line, and the opportunity was squandered.

The last three minutes of the game offered a perfect metaphor for the dogfight that “unpretty” game had become. Sieracki, Godfrey and Ordonez were able to drain the game of all life, successfully killing the clock by taking the ball down to the corner flag. It was textbook 101 in professionally taking the air out of the ball and securing a win on the road, against a good team that had carried the results against us last spring.

Next Up: A bit of a tune-up away at George Mason on Thursday, 26 August, as the team prepares for the gala match before the beginning of ACC play: Santa Clara in Harrisonburg. The day of the match has been changed. It is now being played on Thursday, September 2nd at 8pm.

Injury Notes: Lizzie Sieracki played. That’s good news, but given her value to Swanson, I have to think she’s nursing an injury as she logged maybe 13 minutes vs WVU. Alexa Spaanstra tweaked her ankle in the first half and tried several times to play through the pain, but she was taken off much earlier in each half. Spaanstra was injured last year – maybe against Clemson? – and I don’t think she’s been the same player since. She’s lost her burst and she rarely beats anyone on the dribble anymore. If this injury further erodes her touch, Virginia’s ceiling just got a little lower.

 

HoosPlace writeup on the ladies' win over GMU yesterday: https://hoosplace.com/2021/08/27/wsoccer/5911/

Virginia huffed and puffed aplenty at George Mason, especially in the first half as seemingly everyone on the team tried to emulate Lia Godfrey’s stunning long range success from early last season. Fully half of the 12 first-half shots were from distance, and all sailed up, over the bar. Virginia found their shooting boots in the second half, though, and went on to claim the win.

George Mason 0
Virginia 2

But the crosses were easily snuffed out. GM did play a back – 5 and both Haley Hopkins and Diana Ordonez were completely covered. When the Cavs tried passing the ball through the line, the Patriots were ready, so that left the team bombing away from long distance. Ordonez, Hopkins, Rebecca Jarrett, Alexa Spaanstra and Taryn Torres all gave it a go from distance which resulted a lot of goal kicks for GM keeper Louisa Moser. Seriously. She must have had 20 on the night......​

 

HoosPlace writeup on UVa v GWU: https://hoosplace.com/2021/08/29/wsoccer/5926/

Question: Can a goalkeeper who surrendered six goals be the player of the match? If so, George Washington keeper Tamaki Machi certainly earned that accolade on this day because she had three fine saves and three other occasions where she had to come well off her line to make the play. It could have been so much worse for the Colonials.

I particularly like the Special Olympics athlete’s pledge: Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me brave in the attempt. GW certainly didn’t come close to winning, but they were brave in the attempt.

Virginia 6
George Washington 1

Ok, maybe a little foolhardy. GW coach Michelle Demko lined the Colonials up in a 3 – 5 – 2 and did not deploy any of her five midfielders to help the back three. As a result, just three central defenders were tasked with sliding out in the acres of open space to challenge Virginia’s wings, Rebecca Jarrett and Alexa Spaanstra. Maybe Demko had read my observation that Spaanstra was having trouble beating players off the dribble this year. In any event, Spaanstra and Jarrett boatraced the GW back line. Twice in the game’s opening three minutes, Jarrett was given through balls on the wing that left her racing to the end line.

The tradeoff, in theory, is that more players in midfield would allow GW to control the ball and maintain some semblance of possession. The six-goal scoreline suggests that they didn’t. The midfield and attackers are playing much better defense this year, especially Diana Ordonez and Jarrett. It’s like they are taking their College Cup intensity from last spring and have brought it to the preseason this year. And then there was this play from Sydney Zandi, maybe my favorite non-goal play of the day.

UVa women (soccer) handle GW pretty easily today at Klockner. Lots of goals, but this may be our favorite play of the game: Sydney Zandi hunting the ball.#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/a6xy3McgEo

— Hoos Place (@HoosPlace) August 30, 2021

Hard to maintain possession when your midfield is being hunted like that.

Continuing a nice trend this season, the Cavaliers scored early – in the 4th minute – when Haley Hopkins worked her way into space, was fed beautifully by Taryn Torres, and had a one on one with the keeper. Haley tried to go around Maki, didn’t, and the ball fell to Spaanstra who slotted the ball home. If there’s something to worry about on the Virginia front line it’s that Hopkins has had three very similar opportunities – ball on her left foot, and she tries to go wide left – and she’s failed to register a goal on any of them. She’s either got to shoot faster or else Steve Swanson needs to move her to the right.

Once again, for the 3rd ranked Cavs, the game was effectively over. In the next minutes, Virginia had four or five really fine looks at goal, all of which were a result in the gulf in class between the two squads. Ten minutes after the first goal, Hopkins received a great ball outside the box, turned, took a dribble to lure her defender to her, and slotted a ball to Jarrett who nailed it on the fly. 2 – 0. Two minutes later, playing off a short corner, Lia Godfrey delivered a perfect cross to Claire Constant as the GW defense was napping.

The mandatory water break couldn’t come soon enough for GW. The lengthy pause, plus the insertion of Virginia’s green team allowed the pace to slow a bit and for the Colonials to escape to halftime without suffering any further damage. And just two minutes into the second half, hope erupted for the Colonials. Bringing the ball down the left wing, first Margaret Rabbit outmuscled Jarrett and advanced the ball to Abby Mansoor, who similarly outmuscled Talia Staude, and delivered a cross to the incutting Maria Pareja. Pareja hit the ball first time with her left and delivered a perfect ball into the lower left corner of the net. Virginia’s lead was down to two and it was game on.

In the essence of full disclosure, here’s the goal. It was a lovely shot, made possible by two successive strong plays by GW. Virginia is, of course, not going to show this as a highlight, because why would they. And I’m not sure ESPN would release the rights to a non-ACC team, and even if they did, I’m pretty sure GW staff is not going to publish highlights of a 6 – 1 loss. But we here at HoosPlace will recognize any great play, because to beat Staude and Laurel Ivory, well, that takes some doing.

Credit where credit is due: GW's Maria Pareja briefly stops the bleeding for the Colonials at Klockner where UVa's women were victorious.

A fine goal.#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/MSy8cUieNR

— Hoos Place (@HoosPlace) August 30, 2021

But here’s the thing about Swanson’s Cavaliers. These women never give up. In a move reminiscent of Anna Sumpter’s goal vs Wake Forest or Sydney Zandi’s versus Penn State (both two years ago), Jarrett scored 45 seconds later to re-establish order on the pitch. Hopkins would finally get her goal and Cam Lexow scored, and this time it wasn’t a deflection. A great game all around as Swanson was able to get 26 players into the game, and all 26 played at least 11 minutes.



Injury Notes: None that I could see. And no tea leaves to read.

Coaches Reading HoosPlace: A new recurring feature. In addition to Zemko underestimating the threat coming down her right side from Alexa Spaanstra, Swanson saw the same corner deficiencies as I, and our third goal came from a short corner kick. On the day, we had 8 corners. Not one hit the side netting this time around.

Next Up: The marquee matchup versus Santa Clara on Thursday, September 2nd. The game is now on Thursday, and given that the remnants of Hurricane Ida should be in Harrisonburg on Wednesday, the decision to slot the game a day later makes a lot more sense. A little luster has been lost, given that Santa Clara has had a pair of draws, but this is still the reining champion. It should be a great match.

 

UVa beat Santa Clara yesterday evening 1-0. Technically, a neutral game, but played just an hour away in Harrisonburg.

Becca Jarrett was on crutches. No boot, but she couldn't put any weight on her right foot, either. She won't be back soon.

Santa Clara is good, we're good. We were better on the night. The game felt very much like a Duke v Virginia game.

But rough start to their season as they're now 2-1-2 and they've scored maybe just four goals.

 

Val was in Harrisonburg to watch the women knock off reigning champs Santa Clara on a free kick goal by Lia Godfrey.https://t.co/rYwicWgSyI#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/HzGV3lof6S

— Hoos Place (@HoosPlace) September 4, 2021