UVA Women Shutout Illinois, 3-0

MAPLE CITY, Mich. – The Virginia women’s soccer team concluded its week of preseason training in Michigan with a 3-0 victory over Illinois in an exhibition contest at Myles Kimberly Park on Friday. Danielle Colaprico (Freehold, N.J.) scored twice for the Cavaliers, while Mary Morgan (Norfolk, Va.) added a goal and an assist and Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) had a pair of assists.

The game was played in three 30-minute periods. Midway through the first period the Cavaliers took a 1-0 lead as Colaprico scored off an assist from Doniak. The second period was scoreless as Virginia held its 1-0 advantage heading into the final 30 minutes.

Two UVA Women's Players Earn Preseason Honors

The college soccer season is fast approaching and that means it's time for preseason awards.

Two members of the Virginia women’s soccer team were honored Wednesday (July 31) as TopDrawerSoccer.com announced its Preseason Best XI teams. Junior midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) was named to the first team and senior defender Annie Steinlage (Grand Haven, Mich.) was named to the third team. 

ACC Champion Virginia Women's Soccer Release 2013 Schedule

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The reigning ACC Champion Virginia women’s soccer team announced its 2013 schedule today, which includes 13 home games at Klöckner Stadium and 12 contests against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams.

“This is about as challenging of a schedule as we could hope for this season, which will not only help bring out the best in our team, but should also be extremely exciting for our fans,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “We have some great non-conference teams coming to Klöckner in 2013 and when you add an expanded, even stronger ACC, the atmosphere at each and every game should be electric.”

UVA Women's Soccer add six players to 2013 Class

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s soccer program has announced that six players will join the Cavalier program for the 2013 season. Tori Hanway (Washington, D.C.), Nicole Johnson (McLean, Va.), Morgan Reuther (Chantilly, Va.), Alexis Shaffer (Cary, N.C.) and Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) will make up the Cavaliers’ first-year class this fall. They are joined by Annie Steinlage (Grand Haven, Mich.), who transferred to Virginia after three seasons at Michigan State.

UVA's Caroline Miller Named Finalist for MAC Hermann Trophy

Senior forward becomes the first finalist in program history

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Virginia senior forward Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) was named one of the three women’s finalists for the 2012 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced on Thursday. Miller is the first Cavalier women’s player to be named a finalist for the award, which is the most prestigious accolade in collegiate soccer.

Miller joins Crystal Dunn of North Carolina and Christine Nairn of Penn State as this year’s women’s finalists. Ryan Finley of Notre Dame, Jose Gomez of Creighton and Patrick Mullins of Maryland are the three men’s finalists.

The finalists will be honored and the men’s and women’s winners will be announced at the Hermann Trophy banquet on January 11 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

The 2012 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Miller set single-season school records with 20 goals and 47 points this season. The conference leader in goals and points in 2012, she is one of just four players nationally to reach the 20-goal mark this season, and the first from the ACC in four years to accomplish the feat. A 2012 NSCAA first-team All-American, Miller ended her season on a school-record eight-game goal scoring streak, tallying 11 goals against those eight opponents, all of which made the NCAA Tournament. A two-time ACC Player of the Week, she was named first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive season and was selected to the ACC All-Tournament team as Virginia won the 2012 ACC Championship.

The Hermann Trophy is voted upon by NCAA Division I coaches who are NSCAA members. In addition, this season marked the first time an online fan vote contributed to the selection process. Miller received the most votes in the online fan balloting, which took place over the last week.

UVA's Caroline Miller named Hermann Trophy semifinalist

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia senior forward Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) was named a semifinalist for the 2012 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college soccer. Miller is one of 15 candidates announced Wednesday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The 2012 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Miller set single-season school records with 20 goals and 47 points this season. The conference leader in goals and points in 2012, she is one of just four players nationally to reach the 20-goal mark this season, and the first from the ACC in four years to accomplish the feat. Miller ended her season on a school-record eight-game goal scoring streak, tallying 11 goals against those eight opponents, all of which made the NCAA Tournament. A two-time ACC Player of the Week, she was named first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive season and was selected to the ACC All-Tournament Team as Virginia won the 2012 ACC Championship.

This year, fans will be able to vote for the award along with NSCAA member coaches. Fans can make their choice by visiting http://machermanntrophy.lockerdome.com. The three finalists for the award will be announced on December 6. The winners will be announced at the awards banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on January 11.

On Wednesday, Miller was also recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com as that website announced its 2012 Team of the Season awards. Miller and sophomore midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) were named to the 2nd Team, while forward Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) was named to the Freshman 1st Team. 

UVA Women Face Rutgers in NCAA 2nd Round

Virginia and Rutgers Meet in NCAA 2nd Round Friday
ACC Champion Cavaliers look for eighth consecutive trip to NCAA Round of 16

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The ACC Champion Virginia women's soccer team will host a doubleheader of second round NCAA Tournament games on Friday at Klöckner Stadium. Duke and Miami (Ohio) will meet in the first game at 4 p.m. and the Cavaliers will face Rutgers in the second game at 7 p.m. 

Tickets for the doubleheader are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the tournament online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets will also be available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play.

On Friday, cash parking will be available for $5 in the University Hall, McCue Center and John Paul Jones Arena lots, and free parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage.

This season marks the 15th time in the past 19 years that the Cavaliers have hosted NCAA Tournament play at Klöckner Stadium. Overall, Virginia has a 20-10-3 record in home NCAA Tournament games.

Virginia is making its 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th overall appearance. Only North Carolina and Notre Dame have longer active streaks of tournament appearances.

The Cavaliers are 17-4-1 this season after a 4-1 first-round win over La Salle last week. Virginia has advanced past the first round every year since the tournament went to 64 teams in 2001, joining North Carolina, Portland, Texas A&M and UCLA as the only teams to accomplish that feat. With a win against the Scarlet Knights, Virginia would match the school record for wins in a season with 18, and would advance to the NCAA Round of 16 for the eighth consecutive year.

Rutgers is 13-7-1 and reached the second round after a 1-0 win at Colgate last week in the opening round. The Scarlet Knights are looking to reach the NCAA Round of 16 for the fourth time in school history (1987, 2001, 2008).

Friday’s game is the fifth all-time meeting between Virginia and Rutgers, but the first in 17 years. The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series 3-1. The first three meetings, all at neutral sites, were won by Rutgers from 1986-88 before the Cavaliers won the last meeting, 1-0, in 1995 at Klöckner Stadium.

The Virginia-Rutgers winner will meet the Duke-Miami (Ohio) winner in the third round. That game is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.

No. 2 UVA Women open NCAA First Round against No. 21 La Salle

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The ACC Champion Virginia women's soccer team will open play in the 2012 NCAA Tournament on Friday as it hosts Atlantic 10 Champion La Salle. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is set for 6 p.m. The matchup of the No. 2 Cavaliers and No. 21 Explorers is the only NCAA first round match between two teams ranked in the Soccer America Top 25.

2012 NCAA DI Women's Tournament Bracket

Tickets for the game are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the tournament online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play.

Free public parking will be available in the University Hall lot and the Emmet/Ivy Garage. The Virginia women's basketball team hosts James Madison at 7 p.m. on Friday, so the John Paul Jones Arena west lot is reserved for women's basketball permit holders.

This season marks the 15th time in the past 19 years that the Cavaliers have hosted NCAA Tournament play at Klöckner Stadium. Overall, Virginia has a 19-10-3 record in home NCAA Tournament games.

Virginia is making its 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th overall appearance. Only North Carolina and Notre Dame have longer active streaks of tournament appearances. Last year Virginia advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Long Island, Washington State and Virginia Tech at home before falling at Florida State.

The Cavaliers are 16-4-1 this season and received an automatic selection to the tournament after winning the ACC Tournament last week. Virginia moved up to No. 2 in the Soccer America rankings this week, its highest place in the poll since 2004, after the school’s first ACC title. The Cavaliers enter the game on a five-game winning streak, all against ranked opposition, outscoring foes 19-3 in those contests.

La Salle is 17-4-1 and won the program’s first Atlantic 10 Championship last week. After starting the season 3-3-0, the Explorers are 14-1-1 since mid-September. La Salle is in the field of 64 for the second consecutive year after losing its NCAA debut 5-1 at Maryland last year.

Friday’s game is the first-ever meeting between Virginia and La Salle. It marks the fifth consecutive year that the Cavaliers have met a first-time opponent in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Virginia-La Salle winner will meet the Rutgers-Colgate winner in the second round. That game will be played on Friday, Nov. 16.  

Virginia Receives a No. 2 Seed in NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The ACC Champion Virginia women's soccer team received a No. 2 seed in the 2012 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament and will open play at home on Friday as it hosts LaSalle. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is set for 6 p.m.

"It is always an honor to be in the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament," said head coach Steve Swanson. "We are excited for the tournament to begin. It is a tough tournament and whoever you get matched up against is going to be a strong opponent. We didn’t have an easy draw in the ACC Tournament and were able to rise to that challenge. We are happy to be opening the tournament at home and be able to play in front of our great fans that support us every game at Klöckner."

This season marks the 15th time in the past 19 years that the Cavaliers have hosted NCAA Tournament play at Klöckner Stadium. Overall, Virginia has a 19-10-3 record in home NCAA Tournament games.

Virginia is making its 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th overall appearance. Only North Carolina and Notre Dame have longer active streaks of tournament appearances. Last year Virginia advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Long Island, Washington State and Virginia Tech at home before falling at Florida State.

The Cavaliers are 16-4-1 this season and received an automatic selection to the tournament after winning the ACC Tournament last week. Virginia is a No. 2 seed in the tournament for the third consecutive year and for the fourth time in the past five years. LaSalle is 17-4-1 and champions of the Atlantic-10 Conference. The Explorers are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after making their NCAA debut last season.

Tickets for the game are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the tournament online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play.

Free public parking will be available in the University Hall lot. The Virginia women's basketball team hosts James Madison at 7 p.m. on Friday, so the John Paul Jones Arena west lot is reserved for women's basketball permit holders.

VIDEO: Virginia Claims 2012 ACC Women's Soccer Championship

via ACCDigitalNetwork YouTube:

The No. 8 Virginia women's soccer team captured the 2012 ACC Championship with a 4-0 win over No. 7 Maryland in Sunday's final at the WakeMed Soccer Park. Morgan Brian and Caroline Miller each had a goal and an assist, while Gloria Douglas and Makenzy Doniak also scored for the Cavaliers.

UVA Women Beat FSU, Advance to ACC Final

Cavaliers Down Seminoles 4-2 to Reach ACC Final

Virginia reaches the fourth ACC final in school history

CARY, N.C. – The No. 8 Virginia women’s soccer team reached the fourth ACC Tournament final in school history, the first since 2005, with a 4-2 semifinal win over second-ranked Florida State on Friday night at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Cavaliers improve to 15-4-1 overall with the win, while the ACC regular season champion Seminoles fall to 16-3 on the season.

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) led the way for Virginia with a two-goal, one-assist performance. Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) and Erica Hollenberg (Fairfax Station, Va.) also scored for the Cavaliers, who had their highest-scoring game in the ACC Tournament since an 8-0 rout of Virginia Tech in the 2004 quarterfinals.    

“We are absolutely excited to be moving on to the final,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “That was a good team we beat tonight. It is not often they give up four goals. It was a great effort by our team and we are looking forward to the next one on Sunday.”

The Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead during a wild first 12 minutes of the game. Virginia struck first in the fifth minute on Miller’s 15th goal of the season. She received the ball at the top of the box from Gloria Douglas (Fayetteville, N.C.), made a move and fired home a shot just inside the far post. It marked the fourth consecutive game Miller has found the back of the net as she became just the third Cavalier in history to reach the 40 career goal mark.

Virginia doubled its lead five minutes later. Hollenberg threaded a through ball to Brian, who finished the chance for her first goal of the season.

Florida State cut the advantage in half in the 12th minute. After a corner kick, the ball bounced around the box until it fell to Dagny Brynjarsdottir, and the Icelandic international finished her seventh goal of the season.

After that initial scoring flurry, the game settled down for the remainder of the first half and the Cavaliers took the 2-1 advantage into intermission.

Early in the second half the Cavaliers nearly doubled their lead just two minutes after the break. Kate Norbo (Roanoke, Va.) got in behind the Seminole defense, but her shot was pushed just wide on a fingertip save by FSU keeper Kelsey Wys.

The Seminoles drew even in the 63rd minute as Tiffany McCarty headed in a long cross from Casey Short. It was McCarty’s 10 goal of the season.

The game didn’t remain tied for long as six minutes later the Cavaliers exploded for two goals in a 104-second span. Virginia retook the lead in the 69th minute as Brian beat a defender on the end line and dribbled inside the 6-yard box where she found Hollenberg, who tapped in her second goal of the season.

The Cavaliers doubled their lead again in the 70th minute on Brian’s second goal of the night. After Douglas was fouled about 25 yards out, Julia Roberts (Frederick, Md.) sent a free kick into the box that Brian redirected into the corner of the goal on a diving header.

“I thought we had a great start, thanks to Caroline and Morgan scoring a couple of outstanding goals,” said Swanson. “We were a little disappointed to give up the goals that we did, but Florida State is the type of team that isn’t going to quit. I thought our players responded really well after they tied it up, creating a lot of chances and finished those two goals to put us back ahead.”

The five-point (two goals, one assist) night for Brian gave her more points on Friday than she had over her first 10 games of the season (four points). 

“When we first got back from Japan, I was just trying to rejoin the team in the middle of the season,” said Brian, who missed the first nine games of the year due to international duty at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. “My teammates have helped me come in and play better soccer with them. It felt good to get that first goal of the season, not because I care about stats, but because it gave our team a two-goal lead in an ACC semifinal.”

The Cavaliers outshot the Seminoles 17-8 in the game, but Florida State had a 6-3 corner kick edge. Danielle DeLisle (Baltimore, Md.) made three saves in goal for Virginia, while Wys made six at the other end for Florida State.

Virginia will look to win its second ACC Championship on Sunday. The Cavaliers captured the 2004 title, downing North Carolina in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

The Cavaliers will play either Maryland or Wake Forest in Sunday’s final. The championship game will start at 1 p.m. at the WakeMed Soccer Park and will air on live on ESPNU.

#8 Virginia 4, #2 Florida State 2

#8 Virginia (15-4-1)                        2            2     -            4
#2 Florida State (16-3)            1            1     -            2

Scoring Summary

1. UVa. Caroline Miller 15 (Gloria Douglas 2) 5’
2. UVa. Morgan Brian 1 (Erica Hollenberg 6) 10’
3. FSU. Dagny Brynjarsdottir 7 (Tiffany McCarty 4, Kristen Grubka 4) 12’
4. FSU. Tiffany McCarty 10 (Casey Short 2) 63’
5. UVa. Erica Hollenberg 2 (Morgan Brian 5) 69’
6. UVa. Morgan Brian 2 (Julia Roberts 4) 70’

Shots: UVa 17, FSU 8

Corners: UVa 3, FSU 6

Saves: UVa 3 (Danielle DeLisle 3), FSU 6 (Kelsey Wys 6)

Fouls: UVa 2, FSU 7

UVA's Brian, Miller Named to All-ACC First Team

2012 All-ACC Women’s Soccer Teams Announced

Virginia’s Miller; North Carolina’s Dunn named players of the year;

Florida State’s Krikorian named coach of the year; Duke’s Pecht top freshman

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia senior Caroline Miller and North Carolina junior Crystal Dunn highlight the 2012 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Team, announced today by Commissioner John Swofford.

Miller was selected as the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Dunn was named the Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own players. Duke’s Cassie Pecht received Freshman of the Year honors, while Florida State’s Mark Krikorian was voted the Coach of the Year.

Miller and Dunn were both named to the All-ACC first team, while Pecht was a second-team selection. Dunn is one of three three-time All-ACC first-team selections on this year’s list, while Miller is a two-time All-ACC First Team honoree. Wake Forest’s Katie Stengel and Boston College’s Kristen Mewis join Dunn as three-time All-ACC First Team selections.

Miller, a midfielder from Rockville, Md., is the second Virginia student-athlete to be named Offensive Player of the Year since the league split the player of the year award into offensive and defensive categories in 2004. She led the league with 23 points in ACC games on a conference-best 10 goals and three assists, while starting in all 10 games. For the season, Miller owns 32 points on 14 goals and four assists.

Dunn, a defender from Rockville Centre, N.Y., is the only player in ACC history to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors twice. After returning to Chapel Hill from helping the United States to the 2012 FIFA Under-20 World Cup gold medal, Dunn started the next 11 games and helped the Tar Heel defense to three shutouts, all in ACC action, and yield a 0.71 goals against average. While leading the defense, Dunn also integrated herself on offense and registered three assists. 

Duke’s Pecht established herself as one of the top rookies in the country in 2012. The midfielder from Mechanicsburg, Pa., has started in all 19 games and is tied for the league assists leader in overall games with 11 and posted the second-highest assists total in ACC games with five in 10 games. Pecht is third on Duke’s points list scoring five goals to go along with her 11 assists.

Florida State’s Krikorian guided the Seminoles to their first outright regular season ACC Championship, second overall, and first since 2009 with an 8-2-0 league mark. The eight ACC wins tie the most in program history. Florida State, which stands 16-2-0, started the season with a program-best 14 straight wins. The Seminoles were the consensus No. 1 team in the nation for six weeks and ranked No. 1 in at least one national poll three additional weeks for a school record nine straight weeks. Krikorian earned his 300^th career win, a 1-0 victory at Arkansas on Sept. 9. It is Krikorian’s third ACC Coach of the Year honor of his career. He also earned the honor in 2005 and 2009.

The 2012 ACC Women’s Soccer Championship continues on Friday, Nov. 2 with a pair of semifinal matches. No. 1 seed Florida State will play No. 5 seed Virginia in the first semifinal at 5 p.m., while No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 3 seed Wake Forest will meet in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3.

The complete 2012 All-ACC Women’s Soccer Team and All-Freshman Team are listed below.

All-ACC First Team

Morgan Brian, So., M, Virginia 

Amber Brooks, Sr., M, North Carolina 

Crystal Dunn, Jr., D, North Carolina

Ines Jaurena, Sr., D, Florida State,

Kassey Kallman, Jr., D Florida State

Kristen Mewis, Sr., M, Boston College

Caroline Miller, Sr., F, Virginia

Kealia Ohai, Jr., F, North Carolina

Katie Stengel, Jr., F, Wake Forest

Laura Weinberg, Jr., F, Duke

Kelsey Wys, Jr., GK, Florida State

All-ACC Second Team

Natahsa Anasi, Jr., D, Duke

Aubrey Bledsoe, Jr., GK, Wake Forest

Hayley Brock, Jr., F, Maryland

Dagny Brynjarsdottir, So., M, Florida State

Kim DeCesare, Jr., F, Duke

Becky Kaplan, Sr., F, Maryland

Stephanie McCaffrey, So., F, Boston College

Tiffany McCarty, Sr., F, Florida State

Ashley Meier, Fr., M, Virginia Tech

Cassie Pecht, Fr., M, Duke

Casey Short, Sr., D, Florida State

ACC All-Freshman Team

Makenzy Doniak, F, Virginia,

Hannah Gardner, D, North Carolina,

Summer Green, F, North Carolina

McKenzie Meehan, F, Boston College

Ashley Meier, M, Virginia Tech

Jasmine Paterson, F, Miami

Cassie Pecht, M, Duke

Carson Pickett, M, Florida State

Isabella Schmid, M, Florida State

Emily Sonnett, D, Virginia

Ashley Spivey, M, Maryland

Offensive Player of the Year

Caroline Miller, Sr., F, Virginia

Defensive Player of the Year

Crystal Dunn, Jr., D, North Carolina

Freshman of the Year

Cassie Pecht, Fr., M, Duke

Coach of the Year

Mark Krikorian, Florida State

UVA's Caroline Miller Named ACC Women's Soccer Player of the Week

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia women’s soccer senior forward Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) was named the ACC Women’s Soccer Player of the Week conference officials announced Tuesday. It was the second consecutive week that Miller was honored by the league.

Miller was honored for the final week of the regular season as she led Virginia to a 5-1 win over No. 22 Boston College on Thursday. She had a goal and an assist in the Cavaliers’ five-goal second-half explosion after trailing 1-0 at halftime. The goal was her 10th of the season in conference play, making her the first player in four years to score double-digit goals during the ACC regular season.

Miller continued her strong play on Sunday as postseason play began. She scored the goal in Virginia’s 1-0 win at No. 8 North Carolina in the ACC Quarterfinals.

The award is Miller’s fifth career ACC Player of the Week honor, setting a new record for a Virginia player. Miller had been tied with Angela Hucles (1996-99) and Meghan Lenczyk (2007-10), who both had four career awards.  

The Cavaliers (14-4-1) continue play in the ACC Tournament on Friday with a semifinal matchup with Florida State (16-2). Game time at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. is 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast online by ESPN3.

No. 10 UVA Women host No. 22 B.C. on Senior Night

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 10 Virginia women’s soccer team concludes the regular season Thursday as it hosts No. 22 Boston College at Klöckner Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m., and the game will be available to watch online through Cavaliers Live (subscription required).

Tickets are $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth, senior and faculty/staff general admission. Group tickets (20 or more) are $4.

Prior to the game there will be a ceremony to honor the four Cavalier seniors playing their final regular season game at Klöckner Stadium. Forward/midfielder Erica Hollenberg (Fairfax Station, Va.), forward Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.), midfielder Julia Roberts (Frederick, Md.) and goalkeeper Carrie Wisman (Bristol, Va.) will be recognized in the ceremony.

Virginia enters the regular season finale with a 12-4-1 overall record and a 5-3-1 conference mark. The Cavaliers are coming off a 5-0 win at then-No. 22 Virginia Tech on Sunday, their most lopsided win over a ranked opponent since a 5-0 win over No. 13 UNC Greensboro to open the 1988 season. Miller scored the first three goals of the evening for her second career hat trick and was honored as ACC Co-Player of the Week.

Boston College is 10-5-3 overall and 4-4-1 in the ACC. The Eagles upset top-ranked Florida State 3-2 and tied Miami 0-0 in their final two home games of the season last week. BC is led by midfielder Kristen Mewis, the ACC’s leading scorer with 13 goals and 11 assists this season.  

Boston College leads the all-time series 7-2-2, but Virginia has won two of the three previous meetings in Charlottesville. The Eagles won last year’s meeting 2-0 in Newton, Mass. In the last meeting at Klöckner Stadium in 2010, Virginia downed top-ranked Boston College 3-2 in overtime for the first win over a No. 1 team in school history.

The ACC Tournament will begin on Sunday with quarterfinal games hosted by the top four seeds. The Cavaliers can finish anywhere from fourth to seventh depending on the results of the final regular season games. The tournament pairings will be announced by the league following the conclusion of Thursday’s games. 

Virginia Head Coach Steve Swanson makes shortlist for FIFA World Coach of the Year

ZURICH, Switzerland – Virginia women’s soccer head coach Steve Swanson, who led the United States to the U-20 Women’s World Cup championship last month, was named to the shortlist for FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football the organization announced Thursday. Swanson is one of ten coaches named to the list.

Joining Swanson on the shortlist are Bruno Bini (France national team), John Herdman (Canada national team), Patrice Lair (Olympique Lyonnais), Maren Meinert (Germany U-20 national team), Silvia Neid (Germany national team), Hope Powell (England national team), Norio Sasaki (Japan national team), Pia Sundhage (USA national team) and Hiroshi Yoshida (Japan U-20/U-17 national teams).

The list of 10 coaches has been drawn up by experts from the FIFA Football Committee, the Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as by a group of experts from France Football magazine.

On November 29 FIFA will announce the three finalists for the award. The winner of the award will be announced at FIFA’s awards gala in Zurich on January 7, 2013.

VIDEO: UVA Women's Goalkeeper, Carrie Wisman Q&A

via virginiaathletics on YouTube:
Senior goalkeeper Carrie Wisman talked to VirginiaSports.com to preview senior day on Thursday against Boston College and look ahead to the postseason.

NSCAA Women's National Rankings, UVA 14, Va Tech 22

The latest NSCAA Women's National Rankings are out and UVA dropped one spot from 13 to 14 while Virginiat Tech slipped from 19 to 22.

See full women's national rankings: CLICK HERE

No. 9 UVA Women Lose to No. 1 Florida State on PK

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The top-ranked Florida State women’s soccer team took advantage of a penalty kick midway through the first overtime to top No. 9 Virginia 1-0 on Sunday at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The Seminoles (14-0, 7-0 ACC) remained the nation’s only unbeaten and untied team, while the Cavaliers fell to 11-4-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the ACC.

“It was disappointing the way we lost,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “I thought we fought really hard the entire game and we put ourselves in position to get a result on the road against the No. 1 team in the nation. It just didn’t go our way today. We need to keep working on some things because I still think we can get much better as a team. That will be our focus this week as we get ready for these final two regular season games.”

The teams traded possession throughout the first half with neither side creating many quality scoring chances. Virginia had the best opportunity of the first half with four minutes remaining. Kate Norbo (Roanoke, Va.) took advantage of a give-away by the Florida State defense and had a shot of the top of the area that was deflected just wide. The game remained scoreless at intermission as the Cavaliers had three of the four shots tallied in the first half.

Neither side could find a goal in the second half either, as each keeper was forced to come up with a big save to keep the game scoreless. Seminole goalie Kelsey Wys tipped wide a blast from Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) in the 64th minute after a turnover by the FSU defense. On a late Florida State corner kick, Danielle DeLisle (Baltimore, Md.) stopped a header from Kassey Kallman

The Seminoles scored the game winner midway through the first overtime as Ines Jaurena converted a penalty kick after a trip was ruled on the Cavaliers in the box.

The Cavaliers were the first team this season to take the Seminoles to overtime, but ended up suffering their first shutout of the season.

Virginia outshot 12-11 as each team had five corner kicks. DeLisle made three saves in goal for the Cavaliers, while Wys made four at the other end for the Seminoles.

The Cavaliers will have a week off before concluding their road trip next Sunday at Virginia Tech. Game time in Blacksburg is 5 p.m. Virginia will conclude the regular season on Oct. 25 by hosting Boston College.

#1 Florida State 1, #9 Virginia 0 (OT)

#9 Virginia (11-4-1, 4-3-1)                        0            0            0     -            0
#1 Florida State (14-0, 7-0)                        0            0            1    -            1

Scoring Summary

1. FSU. Ines Jaurena (penalty kick) 96’

Shots: UVa 12, FSU 11

Corners: UVa 5, FSU 5

Saves: UVa 3 (Danielle DeLisle 3), FSU 4 (Kelsey Wys 4)

Fouls: UVa 4, FSU 8

Attendance: 1379

Video: UVA Sophomore Kaili Torres Talks Miami, Florida State

Cavalier sophomore forward, and Florida native, Kaili Torres discusses the team's trip to Miami and Florida State.

UVA Women Shutout Miami, 3-0

Virginia Opens Road Trip By Blanking Miami 3-0

Caroline Miller has her third multi-goal game of the season

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 9 Virginia women’s soccer team opened its three-game road trip with a 3-0 victory over Miami on Thursday night at Cobb Stadium. Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) scored twice and Kate Norbo (Roanoke, Va.) added a goal as the Cavaliers improved to 11-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in the ACC. The Hurricanes fell to 7-6-2 overall and 2-4 in the conference.

“It was extremely important to start this road trip with a good result,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “To come down here, which is a very difficult place to play, and get three points was huge. I thought we did a good job of scoring early and managing the game. We didn’t get that many chances, but they were quality chances that we were able to finish them tonight. That is something we can build on and hopefully carry into our next game.”

Virginia dominated possession in the early part of the game and it paid off with the night’s first goal in the 20th minute. Miller received a ball near the top of the box, made several moves to create space before hiring a shot into the far upper corner for her eighth goal of the season. The Cavaliers doubled their advantage in the 39th minute. Danielle Colaprico (Freehold, N.J.) threaded a through-ball that Norbo got to and slotted home her fourth goal of the season. Virginia held that 2-0 advantage at the break.

The Cavaliers struck again early in the second half on Miller’s second goal of the night. Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) worked her way down the left side, dribbling through several defenders, before serving a cross that Miller one-timed into the net for her ninth goal of the season.

It was Miller’s ninth career multi-goal game and her third this season. Six of those nine multi-goal performances have come against ACC competition. She also moved into a seventh place tie on Virginia’s career goal list with 34, matching Gayle Smith (1986-89).

Virginia outshot Miami 13-9 and had a 4-3 corner-kick advantage. Danielle DeLisle (Baltimore, Md.) made three saves in goal for Virginia to post her fourth shutout of the year. Emily Lillard made six saves at the other end for the Hurricanes.

The Cavaliers continue their three-game road trip on Sunday as they visit top-ranked Florida State. Game time at the Seminole Soccer Complex is 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast online by ESPN3.