Game Preview: #1 UVA women’s soccer hosts Syracuse on Sunday

The top-ranked Virginia women’s soccer team hits the pitch to open Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday, hosting Syracuse at 2 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.

Virginia (6-0-1, 0-0-0 ACC) is coming off a pair of shutout victories over Harvard and Old Dominion last weekend, while Syracuse (4-4-1, 0-0-0 ACC) is entering the match after picking up a 3-2 win over Drexel on Thursday night.

Sunday’s contest will be streamed over the web via Cavaliers Live at VirginiaSports.com.

The Cavaliers enter the weekend having posted back-to-back shutouts and have shut out four of seven opponents on the year. Virginia is scoring an average of 3.71 goals per game, the third highest rate in the nation, and have scored at least two goals in ever match this season. Conversely, the Cavaliers have allowed only two goals on one occasion – a 2-2 draw at then No. 19 Pepperdine.

Junior Morgan Reuther (Chantilly, Va.) leads the squad with five goals on the season, while junior Meghan Cox (Springfield, Va.) is right behind her with four goals. Both players have hat tricks this season with Cox tallying her first career hat trick in the season opener against UNCW, while Reuther came up with a hat trick last weekend in the 3-0 win over Harvard.

In all, 11 different Cavaliers have scored goals on the season while 10 different players have tallied assists on those goals.

In goal, the Cavaliers have seen juniors Jessie Ferrari (Fairfax, Va.) and Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) split time. Ferrari has started each game, while Stearns has closed each game out on the way to the undefeated start for Virginia.

The duo helps direct a back line anchored by senior Emily Sonnett (Marietta, Ga.) who is one of two Cavaliers on the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy honoring the national player of the year. Senior forward Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) is also on the watch list for the national player of the year.

The Sunday afternoon contest against Syracuse continues a five-game home stand for Virginia that will conclude next week with a pair of matchups against nationally-ranked Notre Dame and Duke.