Virginia Cavaliers
ACC
The 2014 season has picked up from where the 2013 season left off for the Virginia women’s soccer team as the Cavaliers have been one of the more dominant teams in all of the sport. They can be very explosive with their deep attack that does not rely on Morgan Brian alone and they can lock you down defensively when they need to. Overall, they are in prime position to earn a second consecutive trip to the College Cup this season.
2014 Record: 18-2-0, 9-1-0
Coach: Steve Swanson
Good Results: 10/5 at Notre Dame (2-1), 10/26 at Virginia Tech (2-0)
Bad Results: 9/28 at Florida State (0-1), 11/9 vs Florida State (1-0)
Why They Can Surprise:
Virginia will have the very valuable experience of getting over the hump last year by making it to the College Cup and knowing the feeling of an excruciating loss in penalty kicks to UCLA. There is a lot to be said about having to go through a tough loss on the College Cup stage before winning a national title. The attack is lethal, led by junior forwards Makenzy Doniak and Brittany Ratcliffe and senior playmaking midfielders Morgan Brian and Danielle Colaprico. This depth makes it ridiculously difficult to focus on stopping a player like Doniak or Brian since it leaves too many other high quality attacking players to punish opposing defenses. The defense is very strong as well, led by sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Stearns, who has been outstanding all season long and has had to step up and make key saves for Virginia on occasion.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If they have an off night in finishing chances in the final attacking third like they did a little bit in loss at Florida State, this team could be in trouble. The Cavaliers are strong enough defensively to win 1-0 matches but in an ideal situation they will want to keep the pressure on the opponent and not bunker in. Also, the other factor as always is the penalty kick shootout as that is a great equalizer. That can hurt Virginia if they have to go to a shootout in the postseason and run into a hot goalkeeper like a Katelyn Rowland of UCLA.
Key Strikers:
Makenzy Doniak, Junior, 14 goals, 8 assists
Brittany Ratcliffe, Junior, 8 goals, 4 assists
Kalli Torres, Junior, 3 goals, 7 assists
Key Midfielders:
Alexis Shaffer, Sophomore, 5 goals, 5 assists
Morgan Brian, Senior, 6 goals, 5 assists
Danielle Colaprico, Senior, 6 goals, 15 assists
Key Defenders:
Emily Sonnett, Junior, 3 goals, 2 assists
Kristen McNabb, Sophomore, 3 goals, 1 assist
Key Goalkeepers:
Morgan Stearns, Sophomore, 0.65 goals against average, .732 save percentage, 5 shutouts
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 3.50 (2nd in nation, 1st in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 0.667 (28, 4)
Shutout Percentage: .444 (61, 5)
Save Percentage: .667 (301, 13)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 First Round Defeated St. Francis (PA)
2013 Second Round Defeated Georgetown
2013 Third Round Defeated Wake Forest
2013 Quarterfinals Defeated Michigan
2013 Semifinals Lost to UCLA
2012 First Round Defeated La Salle
2012 Second Round Defeated Rutgers
2012 Third Round Lost to Duke
2011 First Round Defeated LIU-Brooklyn
2011 Second Round Defeated Washington State
2011 Third Round Defeated Virginia Tech
2011 Quarterfinals Lost to Florida State
2010 First Round Defeated Lehigh
2010 Second Round Defeated South Carolina
2010 Third Round Lost to Ohio State
2009 First Round Defeated St. John's
2009 Second Round Defeated Penn State
2009 Third Round Lost to UCLA
2008 First Round Defeated Army
2008 Second Round Defeated West Virginia
2008 Third Round Lost to Duke
2007 First Round Defeated Loyola (MD)
2007 Second Round Defeated William & Mary
2007 Third Round Lost to UCLA
*all team stats through 11/2
See All Women’s Soccer Postseason Capsules
