Virginia cruises to 8-0 win over Richmond in season opener

The No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers got an offensive explosion to open the season on Thursday night as they defeated the visiting Richmond Spiders, 8-0. Virginia had six different goal scorers in the victory, with both Diana Ordoñez and Haley Hopkins finding the back of the net twice.

It was the first time the Hoos got to play in front of a home crowd in over a year, and they put on a show for the Cavalier faithful.

“It was a good result and a good performance,” Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said after the game. “We were pretty consistent in both halves. Some of the things we have been working on in preseason you could see come out today – more so than at any other time. The team was excited to get out and play in front of some fans. It was a great crowd and a good atmosphere. We missed that last year. It feels like a sense of normalcy is back and that was good.”

They needed just three minutes to score the first official goal of the 2021-22 season as fourth year Becca Jarrett found the back of the net. Jarrett corralled a header from the Richmond defender just inside the box, and launched a hard shot into the back of the net. She assisted the second goal in the 22nd minute with a cross into the middle for a Hopkins header.

Ordoñez’s first goal of the game came in the 27th minute as she finished a cross to the far post that gave Virginia a 3-0 halftime lead.

After the break, the Hoos kept rolling. Second year Samar Guidry scored a gorgeous goal after weaving through several Richmond defenders to make it 4-0 in the 49th minute, and Claire Constant got on the board just under four minutes later to push the lead to five.

Hopkins’s second goal of the game — also on a header — made it 6-0, and Ordoñez followed with her second in the 63rd minute. Third year Cam Lexow rounded out the scoring with a deflected ball with just under 16 minutes left to play.

Defensively, Virginia held Richmond to just one shot for the game. Laurel Ivory recorded her 36th career shutout in goal for the Hoos, getting just one save in the game. The Cavaliers also only surrendered one corner kick to the Spiders all game.

As you would expect with such a lopsided score, Virginia dominated in shots (32-1) and corner kicks (15-1). The two Richmond keepers combined for 12 saves in the game.

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Next up, Virginia faces a tough test as they hit the road to play No. 12 West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated Buffalo 4-0 in their season opener on Thursday night. That game is Sunday, August 22, at 2pm, and it will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).