#1 UVA (8-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) and Wake Forest (5-2-2, 0-0-1 ACC) played to a 1-1 draw on Friday night at Spry Stadium.
The Demon Deacons took the lead with a successful penalty kick in the 87th minute, but Virginia had an answer as Courtney Petersen (Canton, Mich.) connected with Anna Sumpter (Charlottesville, Va.) in the 90th minute to tie the match and set up overtime.
Despite controlling the bulk of both overtime periods and posting the only six shots of the 20 minutes of extra time, Virginia couldn’t find the golden goal as the match ended in the draw. Virginia held an 18-to-4 advantage in shots for the match with Wake Forest getting one shot in the first half and three in the second. The first shot of the second half for the Demon Deacons didn’t come until the 84th minute.
“I thought we did a lot of things well tonight, but credit Wake Forest – they were organized defensively and didn’t give us a lot of space,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “Space was hard to come by, but we did well to get ourselves into positions where we could create chances. We just didn’t have enough quality in the final third. Our crosses weren’t hitting the mark, our shot selection wasn’t as good as it has been and our final passes weren’t great. But as I said, credit Wake Forest for defending very well.
“I thought our response after the penalty kick and not panicking in the final three minutes was great. We got ourselves back in the game and controlled a lot of both overtimes. At the end of the day we just weren’t good enough in the final third and that’s something we have to get better at, but I’m confident in the team.”
After a scoreless first half that saw the Cavaliers tally four shots to only one from Wake Forest, Virginia turned up the pressure in the second half. The Cavaliers made several dangerous runs and peppered the home team with several shots in an attempt to break through. Rebecca Jarrett (Washington Township, N.J.) made a nice run down the right side, breaking free and getting behind the defense before sending in a shot from 10 yards out, that was blocked by the keeper. The deflection came back to Jarrett, but the ensuing shot was wide.
The Demon Deacons got only the third shot of the half, and fourth shot of the match, in the 87th minute with the penalty kick following the foul called on Virginia in the box. Wake Forest’s Madison Hammond converted the kick, giving the home team the lead.
The Cavaliers responded moments later with the Sumpter goal. Petersen played a long ball over the top of the defense that dropped in to Sumpter on her run into the box. The midfielder slipped the ball between two defenders just outside the six, past the keeper and in past the back post to tie the match.
Virginia had firm control of things in the first overtime period, controlling the ball and firing off four shots. The best chance of the period came in the 92nd minute with Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) firing a shot from range that was deflected out by the keeper. A foul on the ensuring corner slowed the Cavalier attack, but Virginia maintained possession for most of the remaining time and got two more shots off before the period ended.
The Cavaliers would get two more shots in the second overtime period, one a near miss by Sumpter in the 103rd minute that was saved and deflected over the end line by the Wake Forest keeper. The Demon Deacons would hold Virginia off the board the rest of the way as the Cavaliers got one more shot, a wide left strike by Taryn Torres (Frisco, Texas) before the match ended in the draw.
Virginia returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 26), facing No. 18 Virginia Tech in a 5 p.m. match at Klöckner Stadium. The match will be part of the Commonwealth Clash.
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Chris Graham
