A first-half goal from Maggie Cagle put Virginia in the driver’s seat, and the seventh-ranked Cavaliers dominated JMU from there en route to a 3-0 win on Sunday at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg.
Victoria Safradin posted her third solo shutout of the season for UVA (5-0-0), which has now won 12 straight in the series with JMU (1-2-2).
After some early chances, the Cavaliers broke through in the 21st minute, when a clearance went straight to a Virginia player in the attacking third, and the ball was immediately played to Allie Ross in the penalty arc. Ross passed to her left, where Cagle was making her run, and the junior forward slotted it in past the near post from 10 yards out.
Virginia doubled the lead in the 41st minute with a goal from Ella Carter off a corner kick. Alexis Theoret drove the ball low into the sixth, and it was punched out by the keeper. The ball didn’t go far, however, as it struck Cater in the chest as she made her run on goal and rocketed back in net for the 2-0 lead.
The Cavaliers net a third goal in the 83rd minute off another corner kick from the right side of the field. Theoret delivered the ball to the back post, where Laney Rouse was set up just outside the six. Rouse headed the ball down, and Kiki Maki used her knee to redirect the ball off the bounce, sending it up and over the diving keeper for the score.
“We raised our level in the attacking phase and we were better in buildup. JMU does a good job in staying organized and trying to keep the play on one side. We did a good job of switching the point and getting open on the opposite side. We caused some problems with that,” UVA coach Steve Swanson said.
“Overall, it was a good performance from start to finish, and it was nice to see players like Kiki and Ella get some goals. We got good contributions from our bench, and our depth is coming through now. We have another road game coming up with VCU, which is always a tough game, so we have to be ready for that one,” Swanson said.
Next up: Virginia continues play on the road on Thursday when the Cavaliers travel to Richmond to take on VCU. Kick is set for 7 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium.
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Chris Graham
