The No. 6 UVA women’s soccer team (13-2-0, 6-2-0 ACC) posted its fourth straight shutout in ACC play on Thursday night, taking a 4-0 victory over Syracuse (3-13-0, 0-8-0 ACC) at Klöckner Stadium.
Freshman Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) turned in her first multiple-goal game, hitting the game winner as part of her two-goal night, while senior Ayan Adu (Ashburn, Va.) and junior Sam Rosette (Bronx, N.Y.) also scored. It was the first career goal for Rosette.
Laurel Ivory (Surfside, Fla.) improved to 12-2-0 in goal this season with her sixth solo shutout of the year.
“It was a good result, but not an easy game,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “Syracuse was organized defensively and made it difficult for us. We had to have a good combination of patience and urgency. They had a lot of players behind the ball and there was not a lot of space near the goal and in the box. It was good to get that first goal in the first half. We settled down and had a little more space in the second half. We wore them down a bit more and got a couple of good goals at the end. We have to get back and ready for another good test on Sunday (against Florida State).”
Virginia scored its first goal in the 26th minute when Spaanstra struck from eight yards out in the center of the box. The Cavaliers played a ball into the box where Meghan McCool (Glenside, Pa.) was set up for a shot. Syracuse was able to keep McCool from taking the shot, but failed to clear the ball, instead knocking it back to Spaanstra who sent the ball in to the left of the keeper for the 1-0 lead.
Spaanstra notched her second goal in the 70th minute to extend the Virginia lead to 2-0. This time, the freshman scored with a header in past the near post off a corner kick. Betsy Brandon (Littleton, Colo.) served the ball in off the corner to the center of the box where Montana Sutton (New Bedminster, N.J.) headed it back to a leaping Spaanstra waiting by the near post.
Adu took the lead out to 3-0 in the 80th minute, successfully converting a penalty chance following a handball in the box by the Orange.
A header from Rosette in the 85th minute capped the scoring for the Cavaliers. Alissa Gorzak (Naperville, Ill.), who was dribbling down the left side of the field, pulled up and sent a cross in over the defense to Rosette who was crashing in toward the near right post. The ball hit in the box and Rosette headed it down and bounced it over the keeper for the 4-0 lead.
Virginia will return to action on Sunday, hosting No. 14 Florida State at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on television by the ACC Regional Sports Network.
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