Olympic Sports Roundup: Cavaliers sweep Dukes, Cross Country season kicks off Saturday

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 5 Virginia women’s soccer team posted its fourth consecutive shutout on Thursday as the Cavaliers used a pair of second-half goals to defeat James Madison by a score of 2-0 at Klöckner Stadium.

GOALS
47’ – UVA: Haley Hopkins (penalty kick)
84’ – UVA: Lia Godfrey (Maya Carter)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After controlling the first half, Virginia (5-0-0) found the back of the net in the early moments of the second half off a penalty kick in the 47th minute. A handball on a cross set up the chance from the penalty spot and Haley Hopkins buried the chance to put the Cavaliers on the board.

Virginia would double the lead late with a strike from Lia Godfrey in the 84th minute. Maya Carter took a shot off the attack that was deflected to Godfrey who quickly pulled up and placed her shot up and to the right of the keeper for the score.

NOTES

• Hopkins scored the opening goal of the game for UVA for the third consecutive match.
• Hopkins now has a team-leading five goals and has scored in three straight matches.
• Lia Godfrey scored for the second straight match with her strike in the 84th minute.
• Maya Carter’s assist on the Godfrey goal was her first of the season.
• Virginia is now 23-1-2 all-time against JMU (3-1-1) and has won 11 consecutive matches in the series.
• The shutout was the fourth straight for the Cavaliers and second solo shutout of the season for Cayla White.

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON

“It was a good result. JMU is much improved and we feel good about the result, but the performance is a different story. There are a lot of things we can do better and have to do better. We’re going to concentrate on those things and look to improve because we have a good Memphis team coming in on Sunday. We have to be better for that one. There are lessons to be learned from this game and hopefully we learn those lessons.”

UP NEXT

Virginia continues to play at home on Sunday when the Cavaliers host No. 23 Memphis in a 6 p.m. contest at Klöckner Stadium.

Cavaliers blank JMU, 3-0, to win second in a row

Powered by an electrifying offensive performance, the Virginia men’s soccer team defeated James Madison by a score of 3-0 to secure the team’s second consecutive victory Thursday night at Klöckner Stadium.

Goals (Assists)
17’ – Virginia: Leo Afonso
65’ – Virginia: Albin Gashi (Moritz Kappelsberger)
77’ – Virginia: Phil Horton (Unassisted)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia (2-1-0) began knocking on the door from the opening kick. In the early goings, it was freshman Reese Miller who posed the biggest threat to the Dukes’ defense as he created a pair of quality chances down the left wing and narrowly missed getting on the end of a threatening ball that drifted across the six-yard box.

In the 17th minute, it was a solo effort from captain Leo Afonso which broke the doors open for the Hoos. After winning a challenge in the midfield, the forward took the chance himself from 18 yards out and laced the ball just underneath the crossbar to blast Virginia in front. Virginia would carry that 1-0 lead into half time.

At the start of the second half, James Madison (1-2-0) registered its best chance of the match just three minutes into the restart as Josiah Blanton rifled a shot just wide of the right post.

Five minutes past the hour mark, a Virginia cross from Daniel Mangarov was dealt with and cleared by the James Madison defense. However, the ball fell to Virginia’s Moritz Kappelsberger who played it to freshman Albin Gashi. With two touches on the ball, Gashi fired a shot from well outside the penalty area to score the first goal of his collegiate career.

With just over 10 minutes to play in the match, Phil Horton received a ball in the midfield and took on three JMU defenders. With an excellent piece of skill, Horton found himself in on goal and calmly slotted home his first goal of the season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Virginia kept its second consecutive clean sheet
• Leo Afonso scored his second goal in as many games
• Horton’s goal is his first since the 2020 season when he found the back of the net against Louisville (10/09/20)
• Afonso tallied seven shots in the match, one shy of his career-high
• Virginia outshot James Madison by a margin of 18-6
• In all three of Virginia’s matches this season, the Cavaliers have not allowed a single shot in the first half
• Virginia took five corner kicks and did not concede one to JMU
• Virginia improves to a record of 21-5-2 all-time against the dukes
• Virginia remains undefeated at Klöckner Stadium against JMU with an 8-0-1 when the teams meet at the facility

FROM HEAD COACH GEORGE GELNOVATCH

“I think that was the most complete game we have played this season. We have continued to be pretty good defensively in terms of giving up shots and shots on goal, and we are dangerous. We are dangerous and scoring goals, so it was a good day for us. To be honest with you, the clean sheet is a close second to winning games because it starts there.”

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on No. 9 Maryland in the Battle for the DMV on Monday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Audi Field.

Sambach added to Annika Award Watch List

Virginia sophomore golfer Amanda Sambach is one of 25 players named to the 2023 Annika Award Watch List. The Annika Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding female collegiate golfer.

An honorable mention All-American as a freshman, Sambach (Pinehurst, N.C.) led UVA with a 72.85 stroke average last season. That was the lowest single-season average by a first-year in program history. She picked up all-ACC honors and placed 31st at the NCAA Championships and was third at the ACC Championships.

The award is named for former LPGA champion Annika Sorenstam, who won 89 professional events and 10 major titles during her 15 years as a professional.

Sorenstam enrolled at the University of Arizona in the fall of 1990 and won seven titles during her collegiate career. She was the first foreign-born player and first freshman to win the individual NCAA Championship. She also won the 1991 National Co-Player of the Year Award, was the 1992 Pac-10 Champion and was named to the 1991-1992 All-American team. In 1992, Annika was a runner-up for the National Player of the Year Award and finished second to Vicki Goetze at the United States Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.

12th-ranked Hoos begin home slate Friday against Temple

The No. 12 Virginia field hockey team plays its first home matches of the 2022 season this weekend at Turf Field. Virginia will take on Temple on Friday at 6 p.m. and James Madison on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Both matches will stream online on ACCNX through the ESPN app. It is available through participating TV providers that carry ACCN
• Live stats be available for both games
• Links are posted on VirginiaSports.com

NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• This is the 50th season of Virginia field hockey. Field hockey was one of three women’s sports to begin at UVA in 1973-74 along with basketball and tennis
• The Cavaliers (1-1) are No. 12 in the Preseason NFHCA Coaches Poll and were picked to finish fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll
• Virginia dropped its season-opener 3-2 at No. 11 Penn State after the Nittany Lions scored the game-winner with 33 seconds remaining in regulation
• The Cavaliers picked up a 4-1 road win at No. 17 Delaware last Sunday
• Senior Laura Janssen scored three goals last weekend, two at Delaware and one at Penn State. The Delaware game was her first was Janssen’s first multi-goal game since scoring two against Wake Forest on Nov. 5, 2020. It is the third multi-goal game of her career
• Janssen is tied for the ACC lead in points and goals with UNC’s Ashley Sessa and Syracuse’s Joy Haarman
• Jans Croon scored the first goal of her collegiate career against Penn State. She assisted on two goals at Delaware to give her four points this season
• Daniela Mendez-Trendler is the first of the freshman to score a goal this season after finding the back of the net at Delaware. She also had an assist in her collegiate debut at Penn State
• Freshman Madison Orsi started both games last weekend, the only first-year to start both games
• Six of the eight first-years made their collegiate debuts last weekend
• Taryn Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal at Delaware. It was the second game-winner of her career along with the decider in last year’s win against Miami (Ohio)
• Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy logged eight saves against Penn State. She is averaging 6.0 saves per game with a .750 save percentage

NOTING TEMPLE

• Temple (2-0) posted two shutouts on opening weekend, including a 6-0 win against Lehigh, the most goals scored by the team in a game since 2015
• Six different players scored in the two games
• Temple returns the majority of its starting lineup, including three graduate students in Annie Judge, Nienke Oerlemans, and Tali Popinko. The team also returns its 2021 leading scorer, Julianne Kopec
• Temple is coached by UVA alumna Michelle Vittese (2008-10, 2012). She was a three-time All-American at Virginia and helped lead the team to the 2009 and 2010 Final Fours. She is in her second season as the head coach for the Owls
• Temple’s assistant coach is UVA alumna Carissa Vittese (2010-13). She was a two-time All-Region honoree at UVA and a member of the 2010 Final Four team. This is her third season as an assistant coach for the Owls
• Temple holds a 2-1 edge in the series. Virginia won the last meeting in 2012 4-3 in overtime

NOTING JAMES MADISON

• James Madison (2-0) is competing as an independent team this season after leaving the CAA last year
• The Dukes opened the year with victories against Richmond (3-1) and Bucknell (6-2)
• JMU went 12-7 last season and a 6-0 record in the CAA
• Eveline Zwager was the team’s leading scorer last season with 16 goals and six assists. They also return their second-leading scorer Diede Remjinse who had 11 goals and an assist
• Virginia holds a 34-12 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last seven meetings
• UVA and JMU played a preseason scrimmage against each other on August 20

NEXT

Virginia will face the reigning national champions, No. 1 Northwestern, on Sunday, Sept. 11 in Evanston, Ill.

UVA Cross Country to compete in first meet of the season Saturday

The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country programs are set to open the 2022 Cross Country campaign at the Spider Alumni Open in Richmond on Saturday. The men’s 6k race will start at 9:15 a.m. followed by the women’s 4k at 9:50 a.m.

Fans can follow the action through a live results link posted to VirginiaSports.com. Updates will also be available on the program’s official Twitter account (@UVATFCC).

COMPETING FOR THE HOOS

Virginia will have 13 women and 14 men participating in the meet. The men’s season opener will feature some familiar faces as 12 returners will line up for the Hoos. Kenton Bachmann and Griffin McCauley, two members of a strong Virginia recruiting class of both men and women will make their debuts for the Cavaliers.

On the women’s side a group of six returners are set to be led by Margot Appleton in her second season while seven Cavaliers will make their Virginia debuts including Esther Seeland and Rebecca Story.

Men’s Competitors:
Billy Atkinson, Kenton Bachmann, Justin Diehl, Jack Eliason, Kellen Hasle, Jacob Hunter, Andrew Jones, Nick Karayanis, Griffin McCauley, Conor Murphy, Jacob Plummer, Johnny Rogers, Ian Sellors, and Justin Wachtel

Women’s Competitors:
Margot Appleton, Claire Frasier Bolton, Addison Cox, Ellie Desmond, Katie Dorsey, Lila Fenner, Luci Illnicki-Lambert, Linnaea Kavulich, Amelia Maughan, Esther Seeland, Rebecca Story, and Anna Workman

UP NEXT

Virginia will host its first of three meets at Panorama Farms this season on Friday, September 16. The Virginia Invitational will start at 9:30 a.m. and feature a 6k for the men and a 5k for the women.

ACC POLLS

The ACC announced its preseason predicted order of finish on Friday based on voting by the conference’s coaches. Virginia is set to host the ACC Championship meet at Panorama Farms on Friday, Oct. 28.

Here is a look at the 2022 ACC Cross Country Coaches’ Preseason Polls. First-place votes are in parenthesis followed by total points:

Women

1. NC State (15) – 255
2. North Carolina – 195
3. Notre Dame – 188
4. Florida State – 173
5. Virginia – 149
6. Syracuse – 145
7. Duke – 132
8. Boston College – 128
9. Wake Forest – 105
10. Virginia Tech – 101
11. Georgia Tech – 96
12. Pitt – 64
13. Louisville – 41
14. Miami – 37
15. Clemson – 21

Men

1. Wake Forest (8) – 210
2. Notre Dame (5) – 205
3. North Carolina (1) – 193
4. Virginia (1) – 164
5. Syracuse – 162
6. Florida State – 150
7. NC State – 149
8. Duke – 132
9. Virginia Tech – 99
10. Pitt – 86
11. Louisville – 79
12. Georgia Tech – 62
13. Boston College – 57
14. Clemson – 36
15. Miami – 16

Virginia volleyball continues road swing at Xavier tournament

The Virginia volleyball team travels to Cincinnati, Ohio this weekend to compete in a four-team round robin at Xavier University, where the Cavaliers will face the Musketeers, Purdue Fort Wayne and Eastern Michigan at the Cintas Center. UVA and Xavier will square off on Friday at 7 p.m. before challenging the Mastodons and the Eagles at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

All three matches are set to stream on FloVolleyball.tv, which requires a paid subscription to stream.

SERIES HISTORY 

• Virginia (2-1) takes on Xavier (3-0), Purdue Fort Wayne (2-1) and Eastern Michigan (0-3) at Xavier’s Tournament this weekend.
• Xavier leads the all-time series, 1-0, as does Eastern Michigan, 2-1. The Cavaliers will take on Purdue Fort Wayne for the first time in series history on Saturday.
• A complete list of all-time results against UVA’s upcoming opponents can be accessed via the Virginia Volleyball Record Book.

LAST TIME OUT 

• Virginia kicked off the 2022 season by going 2-1 at the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, Florida with wins over ETSU and UNF before falling to No. 15 Florida.
• Outside hitter Jayna Francis and middle blocker Abby Tadder were named to the all-tournament team. Francis led UVA in kills per set (2.63) and hit .436, while Tadder was second on the team in kills per set (2.60) and hit .455. Tadder also led UVA in blocks per set (1.00).
• Libero Madison Morey turned in a career-high 26 digs in UVA’s season-opening four-set win over ETSU. Morey’s 26 digs are the most by a Cavalier in a single match since 2018.
• All five UVA newcomers in Gabby Easton, Kate Johnson, GG Carvacho, Vereisa Yon and Chloe Wilson made their UVA debuts at the Gators Invitational.

CINCINNATI NATIVES MARY SHAFFER & GRACE TURNER RETURN HOME 

• Virginia’s Mary Shaffer (Saint Ursula Academy) and Grace Turner (McNicholas HS) will return to their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio when the Cavaliers travel Xavier’s Tournament this weekend.
• On the travel circuit, both Shaffer and Turner played club for Tri-State Elite.

SETTING BY COMMITTEE 

• Virginia’s two setters this season are Ashley Le and Gabby Easton.
• Last season, Le was the Cavaliers’ starting setter and led the team in assists (5.16/set) primarily in a 6-2 rotation.
• Easton transferred to UVA from Ole Miss in January 2022. During the 2020 season, Easton appeared in 19 matches and led the team in assists (8.91/set). Prior to her tenure with the Rebels, Easton played for Clemson in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, she earned ACC All-Freshman honors after finishing second in the league in assists (10.83/set). Her 1,387 total assists in 2018 stand at No. 2 all-time by a freshman in Clemson history.

THE ACC: THE NATION’S PREMIER VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE 

• Last season, the Atlantic Coast Conference led all conferences in the nation in both RPI and adjusted RPI.
• For the first time in league history, two ACC teams (Louisville and Pitt) advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament semifinals in 2021.
• In addition to the Cardinals and Panthers, Georgia Tech was also one of three ACC teams to advance to the Elite 8, also a first in ACC history.
• A record-tying six ACC schools made the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, including No. 1 overall seed Louisville, which won 32 consecutive matches last season.

UVA men’s tennis announces 2022-23 schedule

The Virginia men’s tennis team announced its 2022-23 schedule Thursday. The reigning NCAA Champions will host the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships (Oct. 20-25) in the fall as well as ITA Kickoff Weekend matches in the spring (Jan. 28-29). The Cavaliers have a non-conference schedule that includes a rematch of the 2022 NCAA final as well as two more match-ups with top-five teams.

NCAA finalist Kentucky highlights the non-conference slate, with the Wildcats playing at the Boar’s Head on Sunday, Feb. 3. Virginia will also host dual matches against No. 4 Baylor (Jan. 22) and No. 5 Ohio State (Feb. 12).

The Cavaliers are the top seed in the ITA Kickoff Weekend matches and will be hosting Nevada, Ole Miss and Princeton at the Charlottesville Regional Jan. 28-29 with the winner advancing to the ITA Indoor Team Championships, being held Feb. 17-20 in Chicago.

The Cavaliers’ conference schedule includes home matches against Miami (Mar. 3), Florida State (Mar. 5), North Carolina (Mar. 17), Duke (Mar. 19), Virginia Tech (Mar. 22), Clemson (Apr. 14) and Georgia Tech (Apr. 16).

The ACC championships move back to the Cary Tennis Center in Cary, N.C. from April 19-23. The Cavaliers have won 14 ACC championships and 15 regular-season titles, including the 2021 and 2022 crowns.

The NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship will begin with regional action at sites on May 5-6. Super Regionals for the final 16 teams will be held at eight sites on either May 12 or 13. The team finals, featuring eight teams, begin on May 22 in Orlando, Fla. with the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships taking place after the conclusion of the team championship.

2022 Fall Tournament Schedule
DATE; TOURNAMENT; LOCATION
Sep. 16-18 — Southern Intercollegiate; Athens, Ga.
Oct. 1-9 — ITA All-American Championships; Tulsa, Okla.
Oct. 7-9 — Richmond Invitational; Richmond
Oct. 17-23 — ITF WTT 25K; Harlingen, Tex.
Oct. 20-25 — ITA Atlantic Regional; Charlottesville
Oct. 31-Nov. 6 — Charlottesville Pro Challenger; Charlottesville
Nov. 2-6 — ITA Fall Championships; San Diego, Calif.
Nov. 4-6 — Wake Forest Fall Invitationals; Winston-Salem, N.C.
Nov. 4-6 — Halloween Clash; Blacksburg
Nov. 7-12 — ITF WTT 15K; Winston-Salem, N.C.

2023 Spring Dual Match Schedule
Jan. 15 — UNCW
Jan. 15 — RICHMOND
Jan. 19 — at Liberty
Jan. 22 — BAYLOR
Jan. 28 — NEVADA (ITA Kickoff Weekend)
Jan. 29 — ITA Kickoff Championship/Consolation (ITA Kickoff Weekend)
Feb. 3 — KENTUCKY
Feb. 5 — at Wake Forest
Feb. 12 — OHIO STATE
Feb. 17-20 — ITA Team Indoor Championships (Chicago, Ill.)
Mar. 3 — MIAMI*
Mar. 5 — FLORIDA STATE*
Mar. 10 — at Louisville*
Mar. 12 — at Notre Dame*
Mar. 17 — NORTH CAROLINA*
Mar. 19 — DUKE*
Mar. 22 — VIRGINIA TECH*
Mar. 24 — at Boston College*
Mar. 26 — at Harvard
Apr. 7 — at Wake Forest*
Apr. 9 — at NC State*
Apr. 14 — CLEMSON*
Apr. 16 — GEORGIA TECH*
Apr. 19-23 — ACC Championships (Cary, N.C.)
May 5-6 — NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds (TBD)
May 12-13 — NCAA Super Regional (TBD)
May 17-21 — NCAA Team Championship (Orlando, Fla.)
May 22-27 — NCAA Individual Championships (Orlando, Fla.)

Team USA star Kennedy named UVA assistant coach

Virginia women’s lacrosse head coach Julie Myers announced the addition of Ally Kennedy to her staff as an assistant coach.

“I am thrilled to welcome Ally Kennedy to Virginia as part of our women’s lacrosse staff,” Myers said. “Ally is one of the top midfielders for the US National Team and has performed at the highest levels of the game. Her playing experience and youthful energy will be a true asset to the program. Ally will primarily work with our draw team and attackers. Her skillset will help us to generate fast-break opportunities, control the tempo of the game and win draws. We cannot wait to get started.”

Kennedy spent the 2021 season as a graduate assistant coach at Stony Brook and also worked as an assistant coach for the Long Island Yellow Jackets, a top club lacrosse team.

Kennedy joins the Cavaliers after representing Team USA at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, playing in all eight games with 11 goals and one assist. During the first five games, Kennedy had three separate hat tricks.

Kennedy was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 Athletes Unlimited draft. She finished her first professional season 16th overall in points scored. During her rookie season in the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse league, Kennedy finished with 1,302 leaderboard points, posting seven games with at least 100 points. She tied for eighth overall in most goals scored, with 22.

As a student-athlete, she was a four-time All-American and 2021 IWLCA Midfielder of the Year at Stony Brook. Kennedy finished her career ranked third all-time in goals (266), ninth in assists (63), fourth in points (329), second in ground balls (180), second in caused turnovers (343) and 10th in caused turnovers (59).

Kennedy was named a Tewaaraton Award nominee and Honda Award finalist in 2021. She led Stony Brook to the NCAA quarterfinals in each of her five seasons and again as a graduate assistant coach. After setting an American East Tournament record with 12 goals in two games in the postseason, she was also awarded America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

During the 2018 season, Kennedy led the Seawolves to the program’s first ever No. 1 national ranking, after winning their sixth straight American East title.

Kennedy graduated from Stony Brook in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.