Women’s soccer: Shaffer goal lifts No. 3 Virginia to 1-0 Victory at Wake Forest

Junior Alexis Shaffer (Cary, N.C.) scored her sixth goal of the season, striking in the 13th minute of play on Sunday to lift No. 3 Virginia (10-1-1, 4-1-0 ACC) to a 1-0 victory over Wake Forest (4-9-2, 1-5-0 ACC).

The victory was the third consecutive shutout for the Cavaliers and fourth shutout in conference play.

Virginia out-shot the Demon Deacons 16-to-9 for the match and goalkeeper Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) combined with the back line of the Cavaliers to turn away the chances Wake Forest got in the match.

“This has never been an easy place for us to play and Wake Forest played very hard with some good players and is a well coached team,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “We’re happy to come on the road and get two results in the ACC. We learned some things that will help us become a better team down the road.

“We did a good job of neutralizing them and a lot of that was our ability on the ball and decision making in the back. We made them work and didn’t give the ball away too cheaply – especially in the first half. We’re getting good performances out of our back line and feeling confident in our defending. It was good to not give up a goal against two very good teams on the road, but we have to make sure the lessons from this road trip help us down the road.”

The Cavaliers came out firing, taking the ball and getting the first shot on goal within moments of the opening kick. Morgan Reuther (Chantilly, Va.) fired a shot on frame that was saved by the Wake Forest keeper, but the pressure from the Virginia offense was on.

Virginia got on the board in the 13th minute when Tina Iordanou (Upper Brookville, N.Y.) dribbled into the box on the near side. The Cavalier defender was dispossessed of the ball, but Wake Forest couldn’t control it as it skipped over to the feet of Shaffer, who buried the shot from 16 yards out.

The Cavaliers would notch eight shots in the half, but couldn’t find the back of the net a second time to hold the 1-0 lead at the half.

Wake Forest came out aggressive to start the second half, but again the Cavalier defense had the answer to turn away early attacks by the Demon Deacons until the Virginia offense could again get settled and apply pressure to the home team. Despite getting eight more shots in the second half, the Cavaliers couldn’t find the net again but picked up the victory.

Virginia will return to action in a week, traveling to face Boston College at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20.