When we last checked in with the women's soccer program, they had just completed a 9-1 destruction of in-state foe Liberty, on the heels of a 6-0 womanhandling of Richmond.
So what's happened since then?
Meh. Same ol' same ol'. More wins. More goals. More outstanding play.
In contests against St. John's, Arizona State and Drexel, the ladies outscored their opponents by a combined score of 9-1. Have to wonder how that makes Liberty feel. But I know it makes me feel pretty good about this team.
Let's take a look at each game after the jump
Virginia 2, St. John's 1
This one was the closest contest Virginia has had since the season opener against West Virginia. The match was tied at nil at the half when the teams left the pitch, but St. John's scored first in the second half, taking the lead in the 48th minute. I have to imagine head coach Steve Swanson was a little edgy as time wore on, but Virginia did eventually tie the game in the 73rd minute on a Molly Menchel goal off a corner kick. Just thirteen minutes later, Gloria Douglas gave Virginia the lead for good in the 86th minute.
Looking at the statistics for this game, the Cavaliers completely dominated the Red Storm. Virginia held a 15-0 corner kick advantage and a 35-3 shot advantage.
Virginia 3, Arizona State 0
I get the feeling that someone must have told Lauren Alwine that she wasn't helping her teammates enough lately or something, because she assisted on all three goals scored by Virginia against the Sun Devils. The first two came on goals by Julia Roberts in the 4th and 13th minutes, while the third goal was scored by Caroline Miller in the 61st minute. Erica Hollenberg was also credited with an assist on Miller's goal.
Much like the St. John's game, the Cavaliers had a significant statistical advantage. They had a 20-7 shot advantage and "only" a 7-5 corner kick advantage. Interestingly, Arizona State's starting goalkeeper, Vittoria Arnold, played only to the second goal and then was taken out and replaced by Alyssa Gilmore, who went the distance and gave up only one more goal.
Virginia 4, Drexel 0
Shasta Fisher (8th minute) and Lauren Alwine (19th minute) tallied their first goals of the season and the Cavaliers never looked back. Caroline Miller added her 6th goal of the season in the 22nd minute and Danielle Colaprico closed out the scoring in the 47th minute with a one-timer. It was the freshman's third goal of the season.
One interesting note about this game is that freshman phenom Morgan Brian did not play. She had been pretty quiet since a strong debut against West Virginia. I'm guessing this is just one of those opportunities to give a player a breather, but I'll keep an eye on it.
The Cavaliers rose the #4 in the country last week, but somehow fell to #7 this week after winning three contests handily. I guess that's the problem with early-season rankings.
This weekend, Virginia hosts the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic. Here's a quick glance at the schedule for the weekend:
Friday, September 9th, 4:30pm - Central Florida vs Penn State
Friday, September 9th, 7:00pm - Virginia vs Washington State
Sunday, September 11th, 11:00am - Central Florida vs Washington State
Sunday, September 11th, 2:00pm - Virginia vs Penn State
Central Florida and Penn State are both "receiving votes" in this week's poll.