A storm rolled in a half-hour before the scheduled 7 p.m. kick, delaying the start of #1 Virginia vs. Clemson for an hour.
The ‘Hoos waited out the delay, got on the board early, and went on to a 3-0 ACC road win Thursday night.
Lia Godfrey started the scoring for Virginia (9-0-1, 3-0-0 ACC) with a goal in the 16th minute. A pass from Addison Halpern to Godfrey at the top of the box set the midfielder up, as she turned on the attack, and with an opening blasted the ball toward the left post.
The diving Clemson keeper got hands on it, but the ball skipped into the net as the ‘Hoos went on top 1-0 on the Tigers (3-3-5, 0-2-2 ACC).
Virginia wasted no time coming out of the break, adding a second goal in the opening minute of the second half. Liv Rademaker picked the ball up near midfield off a turnover and went on the attack. She sent a ball ahead to Maggie Cagle on the right wing, where Cagle redirected it toward Meredith McDermott on a run down the middle of the box. McDermott picked the ball up near the penalty spot and chipped it over the sliding keeper for the score. The ‘Hoos led 2-0.
The third and final goal of the night came in the 52nd minute off the foot of Allie Ross. Again, Cagle picked up the ball on the right flank and served it from 30 yards out in to Ross at the spot. Ross’s one-touch finish was to the left post for the 3-0 lead.
Victoria Safradin posted her seventh shutout of the season and second straight in ACC play.
“This is the second time this year we have had to deal with a weather delay, and I thought our team handled the delay well,” UVA coach Steve Swanson said. “The first part of the second half was the difference, though, and we finished two good goals. Meredith (McDermott) and Allie (Ross) took those chances really well. This is never an easy place to play, and Clemson was well-organized, so we are happy to come away with the result.”
Virginia returns home for a single game next week, hosting Virginia Tech in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matchup.
The game is set for Saturday (Oct. 4) with a 7 p.m. kick at Klöckner Stadium.
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Chris Graham
