CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — On a wet and windy afternoon in Charlottesville, the Notre Dame women’s soccer team dropped a hard fought battle to No. 1 Virginia 3-0 at Klockner Stadium.
The Cavaliers (12-0-3, 4-0-3) picked up a goal in the first half and two in the second to extend their unbeaten streak to 15 games. The Irish (9-5-1, 3-3-1) were short-handed due to injuries and ultimately they did not produce enough offensive opportunities to level the score.
How it Happened
Given the weather conditions at the start of the game, neither team had many opportunities over the game’s first 30 minutes. Virginia had the edge in possession but the Irish were able to thwart their offensive chances.
The Cavaliers broke through in the waning minutes of the first half. After an intercepted pass on the left sideline, Virginia brought the ball up into the attacking third. Courtney Petersen played it up to Meghan McCool and she took the ball into the box. McCool sent a low shot past Littman for the game’s first goal just before halftime. It was the first goal allowed by the Irish in 313:35 minutes of game time.
In the second half, Virginia took advantage of an early opportunity to double its lead.
McCool started it with a cross towards the left side of the box for Alexa Spaanstra. She headed the ball back towards the middle of the box where Diana Ordonez volleyed it into the back of the net for the Cavalier goal.
The final Cavalier goal was an unlucky break for the Irish in the 69th minute. Littman made a great save on Rebecca Jarrett but the rebound went right back out to Jarrett. She quickly got another shot off and Littman was able to deflect the shot but it still found its way to the back of the net for the goal.
Coming Up Next
The Irish will head back to campus for a few days before going out on the road again for their final road weekend swing of the regular season. Notre Dame will square off with No. 9 Duke Thursday night in Durham before taking on NC State on Sunday to wrap up the trip. Thursday’s matchup is set for a 7 p.m. ET start and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Irish women’s soccer program, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and @NDWSoccer on Instagram. For tickets to a Notre Dame women’s soccer match, click here.
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