The Virginia women’s soccer team is ranked No. 6 in the nation right now. They are 6-0 and have outscored their opposition 20-2 so far, including a 6-0 win over Liberty in their last game on Thursday.
Betsy Brandon leads the team with three goals, two of which came against Liberty. Goalkeeper Laurel Ivory has been in net for about 75% of the time so far, and she’s yet to give up a goal.
The opposition, though, has not been particularly impressive. Of the six wins, only Hofstra finished in the top 50 last season, and two of the six opponents were outside the top 100 last year. It isn’t surprising that a top-10 team won these games and by as commanding a margin as the Hoos did.
That changes this weekend as the Hoos head to Happy Valley to face off against the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday afternoon. PSU is 3-2, with losses to No. 7 UCLA and Wake Forest (unranked, but also receiving votes). Considering the difference in opposition, PSU may be more ready for this game, but Virginia might be the better team.
This game marks the beginning of four consecutive road games and is also the final game before ACC play begins. After this game, the Hoos head to Blacksburg on Friday, then to Clemson and Duke. It’s a tough stretch of play and will show if this team really is a championship contender.
The game is Sunday at 1PM and will be streamed by BTN Plus, which is a subscription site.