Women’s soccer: #1 UVA defeats Harvard, 3-0

The top-ranked Virginia women’s soccer team used precision passing on its three goals Friday night as the Cavaliers (5-0-1) defeated Harvard (1-3-1) by a score of 3-0 at Klöckner Stadium.

Freshman Betsy Brandon (Littleton, Colo.) scored the first goal of the night seven minutes into the game, while Morgan Reuther (Chantilly, Va.) added two goals of her own on the way to the win.

Despite the precise passing on the three conversions, the Cavaliers got more opportunities on the night but were unable to convert. Virginia out-shot Harvard 16-5.

“In the first half we did some good things and created enough chances to break the game open, but our conversion rate wasn’t what we would have hoped,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “The second half they dropped a player back and made it tight. We didn’t have enough creatively to get us the chances to break the game open. Harvard worked hard and were organized defensively, so it was a little harder for us to break them down.”

Virginia got the early goal to put the pressure on the Crimson, however, and never looked back on the way to the win.

The Cavaliers took the lead in the seventh minute of play. Alexis Shaffer (Cary, N.C.) sent a corner kick in to the top of the box where Reuther fired it toward the goal. Freshman Betsy Brandon knocked the ball in the net for the score and gave the top-ranked team the 1-0 advantage.

The lead grew to two goals in the 20^th minute when Meghan Cox (Springfield, Va.) played a ball forward toward the center of the box from 30 yards out. Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) tapped it forward through the defense to Reuther who scored the goal to make it a 2-0 lead.
Reuther capped the scoring for the Cavaliers in the 90th minute. Tina Iordanou (Upper Brookville, N.Y.) sent a pass into the box from five yards out on the far top corner of the box to the foot of  a sprinting Reuther in the box. The junior forward received the ball eight yards out and fired the shot to give Virginia the final 3-0 margin of victory.

Virginia will return to action on Sunday, continuing its five-game home stand against Old Dominion. Sunday’s match is set for a 2 p.m. kick at Klöckner Stadium.