Virginia Women’s Soccer Stumbles on Senior Day, Draws lowly Boston College

On three successive corners in the first, BC had mounted quick counters – their team speed seemed better than Virginia’s – but UVa got enough defenders back to snuff out the BC forays.

All seemed to be in place for another strong Virginia second half, one in which I would have predicted Virginia to strangle the life out of the game and come away with the win. Boston College had other plans. Five minutes in Aislin Streicek got a nice through ball, outran Lacey McCormack and dribbled around Cayla White for the one-goal lead.

By this point, Wake Forest, playing the early game, had won. Virginia would need two goals. They got that first goal at the 60-minute mark when Cagle fed McDermott at the top of the box. McDermott made a lovely turn to slip her defender and slot the ball into the back of the net. Energized by the goal and perhaps knowing they needed the win, the women threw the kitchen sink at Boston College, but it was ultimately much ado about nothing.

Next Up: Virginia finishes the regular season on Thursday, October 26^th at Syracuse. Game time is 7:00pm and the game will be on the ACC Network. After that, the ACC Tournament will begin the following Sunday. Only six teams make the tourney and last year the ACC sent 10 teams to the NCAA tournament. So, it is possible that Virginia can extend their season into November. But I suspect it will be an anxious week of practice waiting until Selection Sunday.

Senior Day

With the game, Virginia “officially” bids farewell to six departing seniors: keeper Cayla White, defenders Talia Staude and Lacey McCormack, midfielder Peyton Goldthwaite, and forwards Sarah Brunner and Brianna Jablonowski.

Cayla White has started the past two seasons between the pipes and is in the middle of one of the finest seasons ever had by a Virginia goalie. In just two seasons, she’s already sitting 9^th in terms of career wins at Virginia, and for the season she leads the ACC in save percentage and is second in goal-against average. In the midst of a mediocre Virginia season, White has been extremely steady, and that’s all you can ask of a keeper.

Lacey McCormack arrived on Grounds as a midfielder and proved her value by being Steve Swanson’s Swiss Army knife in her time here, lining up at forward for two games during the pandemic. The last two years she has settled in on the back line, partnering with White and Talia Staude to field arguably the best defense in the ACC this year.

Peyton Goldthwaite has played minimal minutes in her time at UVa, but she is the eldest of three sisters who are playing across the ACC. One sister plays with Wake Forest and Phoebe plays for Duke, most notably scoring the Blue Devils’ only goal in a 1 – 0 win at Blacksburg. And anyone who scores the game winner against Virginia Tech is a winner in my book.

Brianna Jablonowski’s season was cut short as she was injured seven games into the season. For three years Brianna had been the first forward sub off the bench and she has always brought the energy to the pitch. Sarah Brunner on the other hand, has become the first option off the bench for Swanson this year. She’s fast, tracks back well, and to be honest, I was hoping we’d get another year of her.

And then there is Talia Staude who has been the steadiest performer on the pitch for the past five years. It is absolutely criminal how under-regarded Staude has been in the ACC, never once sniffing even third-team All ACC honors. She is data point 1A in my belief that coaches make for idiot voters. Staude has been rock solid in the back since about the seventh game of her freshman year when her play effectively pushed Phoebe McLernon out to right back. She has played over 8600 minutes in her career; I have probably seen 8100 of those minutes. I’m pretty sure I have never seen her make a mistake. Sure, she’s been beaten because everyone can be beat. But I don’t think she’s made an error.

It’s been a privilege to watch Staude, and all six of these women, in their time in Charlottesville. Best of luck in the future to all!

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