Women’s soccer: Virginia hosts UNCW In NCAA second round Friday

The top-ranked Virginia women’s soccer team continues play in the NCAA Tournament, hosting second and third round action at Klöckner Stadium this weekend.

The Cavaliers will play UNCW on Friday evening at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to face the winner of Friday’s 4 p.m. contest between Southern California and Princeton. Third-round action is set for 2 p.m. Sunday at Klöckner Stadium.

Tickets for the game are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/UVA students/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the tournament online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play.

Virginia enters the contest coming off a 7-1 win over Howard in the first round of the tournament, while the Seahawks posted a 2-0 upset of South Carolina in the opening round last weekend. The contest between the two teams is a rematch of the season opening game the Cavaliers won 8-0.

Senior forward Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.), who was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, paces the Cavalier offense with 35 points as she has scored 12 goals and added 11 assists on the season. Doniak posted a goal and three assists in the season-opening win over the Seahawks.

It’s a potent offense for the Cavaliers as 15 different players have scored goals and 16 different players have contributed assists this season. But it has also been a solid year for Virginia defensively.

Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) has been a standout performer in goal for the Cavaliers, posting a 12-1-2 record as she has combined with Jessie Ferrari (Fairfax, Va.) to help Virginia post 12 shutout victories on the season. The goalkeeping duo combined with center backs Emily Sonnett (Marietta, Ga.) and Kristen McNabb (Montville, N.J.)  in allowing only 12 goals through 20 matches this season and only 31 shots. Sonnett was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year while McNabb was named to the ACC All-Tournament team earlier this season.

Fans can watch the match live online through CavaliersLive or follow the match through Gametracker at VirginiaSports.com.