Ella Carter scored in the 64th minute to put #15 UVA Soccer on top, and the ‘Hoos were able to finish off the shutout in a 1-0, season-opening victory at West Virginia in Morgantown on Thursday.
The strike in the 64th minute came off a corner kick from Lia Godfrey, who delivered a low, hard kick in from the left corner that was redirected down off a header at the near post by Carter for the score.
Victoria Safradin, who had five saves, one shy of her career high, and the Virginia defense turned away several late shots to preserve the shutout victory in the season opener.
“Hard-fought game, as all of our games against West Virginia have been through the years,” UVA coach Steve Swanson said. “I’m proud of the way the team battled throughout the game, especially in the second half. The goal was executed very well, and it was going to take a goal like that to break through. We now have some time to continue to train and build our team in this next week which will be helpful for us.”
Virginia returns to action at home next Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. contest against Xavier at Klöckner Stadium.
That game will kick off a doubleheader with the Virginia men’s team.
The women’s team will also hold an autograph session following their game against Xavier.