The College traveled to Charlottesville to take on ninth-ranked Virginia on Feb. 28. The Tribe was looking to pull off the upset over its in-state rival in order to claim its third consecutive victory. However, the College struggled offensively and could not come back from an early deficit, ultimately falling 16-5 to the Cavaliers.
Wednesday, the Cavaliers (4-0) took the lead within the first three minutes of the game and doubled it just 10 seconds later. Virginia midfielder Sammy Mueller scored the first goal of the game, ripping a shot past sophomore goalkeeper Elsa Rall. Immediately following the draw, midfielder Maggie Jackson got the ball for the Cavaliers and scored to give them a quick 2-0 advantage. Over the next 12 minutes, the College (2-2) held the Cavaliers scoreless and kept the deficit at two; however, it was unable to manufacture any scoring of its own during this strong defensive stretch.
With the College unable to capitalize, the Cavaliers essentially put the game away with a 7-0 run in the last 15 minutes of the opening half. The Cavaliers held a 9-0 advantage at halftime thanks to a stout defense and balanced scoring. The Cavaliers had goals from four different players. Jackson, Mueller and attacker Avery Shoemaker each had a pair of goals, while midfielder Kasey Behr completed a first half hat trick, giving her 13 goals on the season.
The Tribe finally got on the board with just over 26 minutes to play in the game, the Cavaliers leading 11-0. Senior attacker Abby Corkum got the ball from sophomore midfielder Nikky Price and fired it past the goalkeeper for her fourth goal of the season and her first of two on the night. After conceding another goal, the College brought the deficit back within 10 on a goal by senior attacker Alexandria Specht.
The Tribe was able to claw back within single-digits of the Cavaliers’ lead on Corkum’s second goal of the night. With just under 13 minutes left, she followed up sophomore midfielder Meredith Hughes’ first goal of the season with a goal of her own to bring the score to 13-4. However, the Cavaliers responded with a 3-0 scoring spurt to take a 16-4 lead, their largest of the game. Despite a late goal from freshman midfielder Annelise Kotz, the Tribe lost 16-5 to the undefeated Cavaliers.
The game against Virginia is the only contest for the Tribe this week, but the College will stay on the road for two more games next week. On March 5, the Tribe will visit Vanderbilt before going to Fairfax, Virginia for a matchup with in-state foe George Mason. The Tribe will be looking to avoid dropping below .500 for the season by picking up its first road win of the year. The College will play at home the following week on March 14 when it welcomes Virginia Commonwealth to Martin Family Stadium, where the Tribe is a perfect 2-0 on the season.