Sept. 11, 1997

UVa Women's Soccer Heads West

The Road Ahead

The Cavaliers will head to Portland, Ore., this weekend, to take part in the adidas Invitational. Virginia will face Washington on Saturday, Sept. 13, and then face third-ranked Portland on Sunday, Sept. 14. This will mark only the third time the Cavaliers have ever played on the West Coast. In 1991UVa downed Stanford 1-0 in overtime and lost to Stanford 2-0. In 1995, the Cavaliers defeated California 3-2 and tied UCLA 1-1 in overtime. Virginia has never faced either Portland or Washington before this weekend.

The Old Dominion Recap

The Cavaliers improved their record to 2-0-1 on Tuesday evening with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Old Dominion at Kloeckner Stadium. The Monarchs grabbed an early lead, when Paula Beaudette knocked home a pass from Jennifer Gillespie in the fourth minute. Old Dominion held the 1-0 advantage until the 53:10 mark when Kelly McLaughlin headed in a Lindsay Ritter corner kick to tie up the score. Angela Hucles then scored the game-winning goal in the 84th minute, taking a pass from Jill Maxwell and scoring from 15 yards out in the right center. Cavalier goalkeeper Megan Boehm came off the bench to play a scoreless second half and make three saves, while Old Dominion's Sharon McLellan had nine saves. UVa outshot the Monarchs 28-5 on the evening.

Hucles Climbs Career Goal Chart

In only her second year with the Cavaliers, forward Angela Hucles has already moved into the UVa career top 10 for goals scored. With her goal against Old Dominion on Tuesday, Hucles now has 19 goals to rank in a tie for ninth place all-time at UVa. She also stands in a tie for sixth place all-time in game-winning goals with seven. Andrea Rubio (1989-92) holds the Cavalier career records for both goals (36) and game-winning goals (17).

Cavaliers In The Rankings

Once again this season, Virginia is among the top ranked teams in the nation. Heading into the adidas Invitational, the Cavaliers are ranked No. 9 in the Soccer America and Soccer News polls, while coming in at No. 8 in both the NSCAA and Soccer Times polls and No. 7 in Soccer Buzz. Washington is currently unranked, while Portland stands third in every poll except Soccer Buzz (where the Pilots are ranked fourth).

Balancing Out The Load

Virginia has balanced out its scoring attack so far this season, with six different players scoring goals. Angela Hucles leads the team with two goals, while junior defender Liz Botta, freshman midfielder Tracey Lache, junior forward Jill Maxwell, senior defender Kelly McLaughlin and freshman midfielder Katie Tracy have one goal each. Sophomore midfielder Lindsay Ritter leads the Cavaliers in assists with two, while Maxwell has the only other assist.

Scouting The Opposition

Washington enters the adidas Invitational with an overall record of 0-3-0. The Huskies' poor record may be a bit deceiving, as all of their games have come against opponents ranked in the top five (Notre Dame, Portland and Santa Clara). Sophomore forward Jana Wilson has Washington's only goal so far this season, coming against Notre Dame. Portland comes into the weekend with a mark of 2-1-0. The Pilots have shutout victories over Washington and UC Irvine, while falling to Notre Dame 1-0. Senior forward Wynne McIntosh leads Portland in scoring with three goals, while senior midfielder Justi Baumgardt has one goal and three assists.

Looking Ahead

Following the adidas Invitational, the Cavaliers will then return home to play in yet another tournament, as the Coca-Cola Classic comes to Kloeckner Stadium on Sept. 19-20. On the opening day of the tournament, VCU plays Princeton at 5:00 p.m. and Virginia will take on Kansas at 7:00 p.m. On the second day, VCU squares off with Kansas in the opener and the Cavaliers will face Princeton at 7:00 p.m. UVa will then remain at home for a contest against George Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 23.