The No. 5 Virginia (5-2-1, 0-0-1 ACC) women’s soccer team had momentum most of the night, but couldn’t find the back of the net in the ACC opening match on Friday in a scoreless, double-overtime draw at NC State (6-1-1, 0-0-1 ACC).
Both teams picked up a point toward the ACC standings with the draw. It is only the second draw through the 40 matches played in the series between the two teams.
It was a match that saw the Cavaliers dictate play for most of the match, maintaining possession for most of the 110 minutes and out-shooting the Wolfpack 21-to-5 on the night. It’s the fourth shutout of the season for freshman goalkeeper Laurel Ivory (Surfside, Fla.) who has every result for Virginia this season.
“We played hard tonight, but unfortunately the quality was lacking, especially in the attacking end,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “The good news is we have another opportunity here very quickly with the game on Sunday (at East Carolina) so we need to see if we can take the lessons from this game and apply them. We have a great deal of confidence in this team, but we are still in the learning stage of our development.”
Virginia had the momentum for most of the first half, taking 11 shots to only two for the Wolfpack. Despite the edge in shots, only two of the shots by the Cavaliers were on goal and neither found the net as the squads entered the half scoreless.
The trend continued in the second half with Virginia possessing the ball for most of the period. The Cavaliers again turned up the offensive pressure, managing seven shots to only one for NC State. Virginia couldn’t find the net, however, as the match moved into extra time with both teams looking for a goal.
After only getting three shots through the first 90 minutes, NC State fired off two shots in the first overtime period. The first sailed high, while the second was saved by Ivory in the waning moments of the period.
The momentum fully swung the way of the Cavaliers in the final overtime period, but Virginia couldn’t find the net on its three shots as the teams finished the evening with the scoreless draw.
Virginia will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 17) when the Cavaliers step out of conference play to face East Carolina at 1 p.m.
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Chris Graham
