No. 11 Duke upends No. 8 Virginia, 2-1, in ACC quarterfinal round

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 8 Virginia women’s soccer team fell in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships on Sunday, dropping a 2-1 decision to No. 11 Duke at Klöckner Stadium. Virginia was the fourth-seeded team in the tournament while Duke was the fifth-seeded team.

GOALS (ASSISTS)
3’ – DUKE: Michelle Cooper (Kat Rader, Maggie Graham)
36’ – UVA: Alexa Spaanstra (Talia Staude, Lia Godfrey)
56’ – DUKE: Kat Rader (Michelle Cooper)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke (12-4-2) struck in the third minute with an attack down the left side that started with Maggie Graham finding Kat Rader in transition before Rader quickly played the ball ahead to Michelle Cooper. Cooper picked up the ball in stride approaching the box and sent her shot in across the face of the goal and past the left post for the score.

Virginia (13-3-3) tied things up in the 36th minute with a goal from Alexa Spaanstra. Talia Staude brought the ball up the middle of the field and found Lia Godfrey near the box where the junior midfielder redirected the ball ahead to Spaanstra for the finish.

The Blue Devils reclaimed the lead in the 56th minute as Cooper picked up a ball on a turnover and started the counter. Cooper found Rader out wide on the left corner of the box and the freshman took her chance, beating a defender and putting the ball in past the back post.

NOTES

• Virginia is now 25-16-9 all-time against the Blue Devils, but Duke leads 5-2-1 in ACC tournament contests.
• Alexa Spaanstra scored for the third straight game and now has seven goals on the season (36 for her career).
• Spaanstra’s 36 career goals is tied for eighth all-time in a career at UVA and her 106 career points is sixth all-time.
• Haley Hopkins made her 100th appearance in a collegiate game with her start against the Blue Devils.

With her start tonight, Haley Hopkins has now played in 💯 career games throughout her collegiate career.#GoHoos🔶⚔️🔷 | #ALLIN⚽️🔥 pic.twitter.com/vwH0xaLHM1

— Virginia Women’s Soccer (@UVAWomenSoccer) October 31, 2022

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON

“It was a tough result. We played very well in large stretches. Give Duke credit for burying the chances they got. They punished us for some mistakes that we made and that’s what good teams do. We knew this was going to be a close game that would come down to making plays. We didn’t make enough in our defensive box and we didn’t make enough in the offensive box. We’ve got to get a little more consistent. Obviously, the first five minutes is causing us some problems. It’s not as simple as people think it is; I wish it was a mentality thing but there’s a little more that goes into it. I have a lot of confidence in the team and we have a whole new season ahead; I’m focused on getting better and preparing ourselves for the NCAA Tournament.”

UP NEXT

Virginia will now await the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field on Monday, Nov. 7.