Any writer who wants to write, and then file, his story immediately after the game, has to be composing and writing as the game is going on. In other words, the writer has to come up with the overarching narrative pretty quickly; knowing full well that the game is 90 minutes long. I’m thankful that I have never been under that kind of deadline because that narrative changed three times over the course of the game.
The first narrative would have been Virginia’s scoring woes: in Virginia’s first three road games, the women have failed to score a single time. Just 90 seconds in, a wide (and I do mean wide open) Sophia Bradley received a lovely cross from Addison Halpern at the edge of the six-yard box. Seriously, there wasn’t anyone within five yards of her. The ball was a little low and Bradley had to duck her head to make contact, but in so doing, the ball struck the top of her head and the ball skied over the goal post. Spurning chances all year long has been a theme for Virginia, and this was just more profligacy from the Hoos.
I was expecting that it was going to be a recurring theme for the Cavaliers, especially when four minutes later Halpern hit the corner of the goal post. Then a great Jordyn Hardeman corner found Ella Carter amidst the trees for a decent header that just eclipsed the crossbar. Gio Canali, in a crowded box, caught the keeper out but dragged the ball just wide.
It looked like it was going to be a long day. For both teams. Virginia was running SMU, firmly in control, but then, Virginia had done much the same to Georgetown and Notre Dame and had failed to score in those games. Virginia would have nine shots in the first 20 minutes alone.
Liv Rademaker broke the streak with a lovely, left-footed blast (and I’ve only recently learned that she is, in fact, right footed) fifteen minutes in. Nice feed from Halpern, glorious rocket from Rademaker and Virginia was up 1 - 0.
A minute and a half later, Bradley atoned for her embarrassing muff to start the game. Finishing an intricate give-and-go with Canali, Bradley buried the ball in the right corner for the 2 - 0 lead. Canali and Bradley are becoming ever more dangerous playing the ball through the lines in tight spaces. Against Notre Dame it was a deft Canali-to-Bradley-to-Canali give-and-go that afforded Canali what should have been the game winner. This time it was Bradley who was on the receiving end and she made no mistake.
(Credit to Steve Swanson for reading my column post Notre Dame where I opined that Bradley ought to be starting. LOL Swanson, in his defense, was just making the obvious adjustment.)
Virginia kept pushing – SMU’s keeper, Audrey Bowen, singlehandedly kept SMU in the game with an all-world save off a Gio Canali strike, and a solid save of an Addie Halpern penalty – and Virginia would hit the cross bar two more times.
SMU eventually clawed their way back into the game over the last 15 minutes. A saved PK will do that for a team. Steve Swanson, perhaps sensing an easier game, brought in lots of second-teamers, and SMU made a technical change, moving Ella DeMott into the back line, where she immediately solidified the defense.
Virginia would enter halftime with that 2 - 0 lead and the prospect of playing with the wind at their back and the sun in SMU’s eyes. Virginia fans were feeling pretty confident. And then the second half got underway.
Last season it was Steve Swanson who was giving the inspirational halftime talks and having his team roar out of the gates. On this day, he was upstaged by Nicole Nelson, and SMU came out smoking. Ninety seconds in, a brilliant SMU counter led to a point blank shot and the Mustangs were back in the game. Yep, on the only decent chance they had, SMU converted. I was expecting the worst, and for the next 20 minutes, it was SMU’s game. SMU hit the crossbar and Kamiyah Beck, who had delivered the cross on their goal, had a wide open goal and pushed the ball just wide. It should have been 2 - 2.
And this is where the narrative-as-the-game-goes method would have done me wrong. As SMU was getting just inches away from knotting up the score, Virginia won a free kick maybe 25 yards out. Both Carter and Hardeman stood over the ball, with both the wind and sun advantage, and both fully capable of burying the ball from there. Instead, they pushed the ball short to Halpern, who might not really have been expecting it. Certainly there was no training ground play in place. Halpern tried to juke her defender, but failed and the ball was cleared.
If I was writing as I go along, I would have written how this play, or lack thereof, was emblematic of the Cavaliers’ season. So much impotence from a season that had once been brimming with promise.
No one told the players that this writer was trying to come up with metaphors for a failed season, most notably Carrie Helfrich. With eight minutes remaining, and the game still in doubt, she found Allie Ross at the top of the box. Ross was felled and Virginia was awarded a second penalty kick. This time Hardeman grabbed the ball and slotted home perfectly. Virginia had the 3 - 1 lead, and in the process, found their penalty taker. Halpern has taken on this season a pair of PKs. Both were decent takes (and I have seen my share of really crappy PKs from Virginia over the years) and one was saved. Hardeman has taken two and the only difference between the two was the degree between awesome and rocket. Hardeman is just better at this.
And then, just like the Syracuse game, the flood gates opened. Carrie Helfrich still wasn’t done. She stole the ball deep, willed her way past her defender and slipped the ball to an onrushing Aniyah Collier who hit the ball early and found the far corner. With two and a half minutes left, Mackenzie Mize headed from a really nice Hardeman corner. According to the game announcers, it seems that Swanson has upped his opinion of Hardeman, saying that she is the best ball striker he has ever had. Swanson has 500 career wins. High praise indeed.
So, Virginia walks away with the 5 - 1 victory. Virginia was four goals better – and they could have been up three- or four-nothing at the half – but SMU, for their part, was just two inches away from having tied up the game, a game that, yes, they could have been down by four. And that’s just life in the ACC.
Player Notes: It is hard not to love Addie Halpern’s game. I draw the line at calling her a great finisher – she’s not – but she’s the best carrying midfielder I have seen since, well, since Lia Godfrey. Any time she gets the ball, Virginia is potentially on the counter.
SMU joining the ACC may prove to be especially beneficial for Steve Swanson as he has long had a pipeline to the Longhorn State, from Taryn Torres and Diana Ordonez to now, Tatum Galvin, Jordyn Hardeman and Mackenzie Mize. It is a powerful recruiting tool to be able to promise a recruit’s family that there will be a local game for them to come see their daughter. Even over the broadcast, you could hear the families of Jordyn and Mackenzie when they scored.
The Verdict: Virginia controlled this game and the five goals is indicative of the talent gulf between the two squads. And yet SMU could easily have tied this game when they were on the front foot. When was the last time you saw a team that was fortunate to have won 5 - 1?
Up Next: Virginia travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech on Friday, October 16th. Gametime is 7:00 and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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