UVA Soccer got a pair of shutout wins in a doubleheader at Klöckner Stadium featuring the women’s and men’s teams, with the 17th-ranked women dispatching Xavier, 3-0, and the 17th-ranked men defeating San Diego State, 2-0.
In the opener, the women got on the board in the 15th minute, converting off a free kick from 40 yards out. Lia Godfrey took the kick and lofted it to Tatum Galvin just inside the box to the right of the penalty area. Galvin redirected with a header down toward goal, where it was picked up by Allie Ross at the top of the six.
Ross slotted in to the right of the keeper for the 1-0 lead.
Virginia (2-0-0) scored again 21 minutes later as freshman Pearl Cecil stayed with the play and cleaned up a loose box in the box. Sophomore Sophia Bradley picked up a ball from Laney Rouse coming down the right side of the field and cut in, dribbling around defenders as she entered the box.
Bradley’s initial shot was saved by the keeper, but deflected back toward the top of the six, where it was picked up by Cecil and sent back in goal.
In the 62nd minute, another foul set up a free kick for the ‘Hoos. Godfrey lined up the free kick 20 yards out at the top of the penalty arc and sent the shot into the upper left corner for the score.
“Our performance at times looked really good. We’re getting better, but we still have little things to work on,” coach Steve Swanson said after the win. “There were times we gave the ball away a little too easily, but we scored some good goals. We’re a little bit better than last week’s game, and that’s sort of our charge now, which is to continue to make strides and improve for the next game coming up.”
In the nightcap, the UVA men dominated from the opening whistle, outshooting the Aztecs by a margin of 18-2 on the night.
Virginia broke through in the 21st minute with a goal that materialized in an instant. Nick Simmonds and Marco Dos Santos combined in the midfield before playing Albin Gashi into the box, where Gashi slotted the ball into the far corner for a 1-0 lead.
The Cavaliers got an insurance goal in the 82nd minute when Luke Burns played a corner short to Dos Santos. Burns received a return pass inside the box and found Jesus De Vicente in the center of the penalty area.
De Vicente lifted the ball into the top corner to seal the game.
“We did ourselves a favor by scoring in the first half. That was really important and of course, getting the second one is really, really important. This was a very tricky team to play, and this is a really good win,” coach George Gelnovatch said.
The Virginia women are on the road Sunday to take on Liberty. Kick is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
The men will be back in action at home on Sunday when they host Stetson at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff at is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
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Chris Graham
