Women’s Soccer: No. 21 Hoos stay perfect with 5-0 win over Utah Valley

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Posted on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, 7:00 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

Five different players scored on Sunday as the No. 21 Virginia women’s soccer team defeated Utah Valley by a score of 5-0 at Klöckner Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cavaliers (4-0-0) got on the board in the ninth minute as Utah Valley (2-1-1) was unable to clear the ball and Virginia reset the offense after regaining the ball at the penalty arc. Ella Carter played the ball out wide to the right to Laughlin Ryan who drove to the endline and served a cross in toward the penalty spot. Allie Ross headed it in back toward the near post for the score.

Virginia doubled the lead a little over a minute later when Ryan fired from distance, pulling up her attack 22 yards out and putting it in the upper left corner.

The Hoos struck quickly to open the second half with Alexis Theoret’s goal in the 48th minute. A deflected ball following a free kick came back out wide to Linda Mittermair on the right side. She served it across the top of the box and Tatum Galvin shielded her defender which allowed Theoret to slip the ball in past the left post.

Virginia made it a 4-0 lead in the 60th minute when Mittermair found the net on a deflected shot from Ryan. The initial shot in the box was deflected by the Wolverine’s keeper as she came off her line, but it bounced back to Mittermair crashing at the top of the box who finished with her volley.

Sophia Bradley capped the scoring in the 75th minute off a combo play with Maya Carter. Bradley passed the ball ahead to Carter near the top left of the box and the junior forward then passed it back to Carter as she approached the penalty arc. The freshman fired her shot on frame and put the Hoos up 5-0.

GOALS
UVA: 9’ – Allie Ross (Laughlin Ryan)
UVA: 10’ – Laughlin Ryan (unassisted)
UVA: 48’ – Alexis Theoret (Linda Mittermair)
UVA: 60’ – Linda Mittermair (Laughlin Ryan)
UVA: 75’ – Sophia Bradley (Maya Carter)

ADDITIONAL NOTES

  • The five goals scored by Virginia is a season high and the most since last season against Radford (8/20/23).
  • It’s the first time UVA has had five different goal scorers in a game since 2022 vs. Loyola-Maryland (8/21/22).
  • The goals from Allie Ross and Laughlin Ryan came 1:12 apart as the Hoos struck quickly to open the game.
  • The four points from Laughlin Ryan is a career high for the graduate midfielder.
  • Allie Ross’s goal was her first of the season after finishing with six goals last year in her freshman campaign.
  • Linda Mittermair’s assist on the Theoret goal was her first as a Cavalier.
  • Sophia Bradley scored her first collegiate goal in her debut as a Cavalier to cap the scoring for Virginia.

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON

“We did a good job on both sides of the ball overall. That’s a good Utah Valley team and they are going to win games this year for sure. We started off well and got two very good goals. We showed more aggressiveness and decisiveness in the attacking third. Our defense did a really good job against a very good transition-oriented team. We limited them and did a good job of keeping our shape and defending well. We’ve got some time now to get back on the training ground.”

UP NEXT

Virginia returns to the road with a single game next week when the Hoos travel to face JMU on Sunday in a 6 p.m. contest.