No. 4 Virginia takes care of George Mason in season opener, 3-1

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 4 Virginia women’s soccer team opened the 2022 season with a victory, posting a 3-1 win over George Mason at Klöckner Stadium on Thursday night. The Cavaliers (1-0-0) got a goal in the first half and added two more in the second on the way to the result.

GOALS
38’ – UVA: Alexa Spaanstra (Chloe Japic)
57’ – UVA: Rebecca Jarrett (Maggie Cagle)
72’ – GMU: Josie Stockett (unassisted)
86’ – UVA: Maya Carter (Brianna Jablonowski)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a bevy of shots through the early stages of the first half, the Cavaliers broke through in the 38th minute with a goal from Alexa Spaanstra. Junior Chloe Japic brough the ball down the left side and cut into the box before tapping the ball forward to Spaanstra who slotted it in between the keeper and the back post for the score.

Virginia doubled its lead early in the second half when Rebecca Jarrett found the net in the 57th minute. Again the Hoos came down the left side with freshman Maggie Cagle cutting in along the end line and slipping a ball through to Jarrett on the run who put it in from eight yards out.

George Mason (0-1-0) got on the board with a goal in the 72nd minute. After the initial shot was stopped off a free kick, an attempt to clear the ball with a header saw the ball land at her feet near the penalty spot and she put it back in for the score.

NOTES

• Virginia has now won 11 straight against George Mason and leads the all-time series 14-8-3.
• The Cavaliers have won 10 straight season openers dating back to the 2013 season opener and are 21-2 in season-opening matches under head coach Steve Swanson.
• Freshman Maya Carter scored her first official collegiate goal after also notching a goal in exhibition play.
• Freshman Maggie Cagle made her first collegiate start with her appearance at forward.
• In all, the Cavaliers had five newcomers play in the season opener – Cagle, Carter, Jill Flammia, Tatum Galvin and Chloe Japic.
• The goal in the 72nd minute was the first surrendered by UVA in the series over the last eight meetings.

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON

“There was a good crowd tonight and a lot of positives from the atmosphere, the environment and just being back at Klöckner. Our turf people do a great job and the field looked great. It was good to get a win, especially the way the first few games (going back through exhibition play) have gone. There are a lot of things we can work on and I think we’ll be in preseason mode for another couple of weeks even though we’re playing games – we have to keep that in mind. I think our quality around the attacking third was lacking a little, but I’m confident we can be better and need to give a little more attention to it.”

UP NEXT

Virginia will return to action on Sunday when the Cavaliers host Loyola Maryland in a 6 p.m. contest at Klöckner Stadium.