Miami is a really poor team. Like really bad. They did manage one really great moment this season, winning their game against Boston College on the final second of the game. But that’s it for the season. It’s one thing to lose 5 – 0 to a hot Notre Dame or even Florida State. But to lose 5 – 0 to Virginia Tech as Miami did midweek? Well, the Hurricanes have opened the floodgates….
Virginia        6
Miami      1
Let’s just dispense with the goals. This game was over in the 2nd minute when Haley Hopkins stole the ball in the box and finished off a nice all-three-forwards shredding of the Miami defense.
- 2nd minute: Haley Hopkins
- 11th minute: Alexa Spaanstra
- 13th minute: Diana Ordonez
- 21st minute: Haley Hopkins
- 22nd minute: Taryn Torres
- 28th minute: Diana Ordonez
Six goals in 28 minutes. Two pairs of goals scored two minutes apart. This was Virginia playing a junior varsity squad. Miami was even called for an illegal throw in, which is a kink even my middle school girls have finally worked out. The game announcers stated that Miami keeper Melissa Dagenais was second in the ACC in saves. That’s a dubious distinction, to be sure.
A flood of six goals in 26 minute span, a win on Senior Day and a locked-up share of the ACC regular season title, @UVAWomenSoccer continues to deliver https://t.co/9JMa9Nb7Ey pic.twitter.com/XlMPh6JYgS
— CBS19 Sports (@CBS19Sports) October 25, 2021
Miami did have one highlight on the day, a nice goal by Katarina Molina who spun Claire Constant after Constant had inexplicably placed her back onsides. It was a pretty goal and only the 2nd shot that the Hurricanes had attempted on Laurel Ivory in four meetings over her career. Yikes!
Senior Day: Virginia honored Taryn Torres, Lauren Hinton, Laurel Ivory, Diana Ordonez, Lizzie Sieracki and Sydney Zandi. In Steve Swanson’s most touching move, he started Hinton at left back and played her just over 60 minutes. For reference, Hinton has played just 175 minutes over her entire UVa career. She acquitted herself well on the day, constantly snuffing out the right side of the Miami attack.
For the rest, Senior Night this year signifies a sea change for the program. Thanks to red-shirt years, Zandi and Torres have been on Grounds for five years, Ivory came back for her covid fifth year, and owing to both, Sieracki has played for six years. If Ordonez is graduating this year, then she follows Ashlynn Serepca in graduating in just seven semesters. A truly remarkable accomplishment. Diana, you’ve done Mr Jefferson proud. Congratulations.
Reading the Tea Leaves: Senior Night is a time to honor those departing and it is significant that fourth year seniors Claire Constant, Rebecca Jarrett, and Alexa Spaanstra were not so honored. Spaanstra and Constant have a year of covid eligibility remaining — while Jarrett also could probably red-shirt — and this might indicate that they are returning. Spaanstra and Jarrett certainly have professional prospects and have played with many of the youth national teams. I don’t know if the same is true for Constant. Maybe the trio wants to get their master’s degrees.
By the same token, this would indicate that Ordonez is off after this year.   She’s scored a ton of goals in her stay in Charlottesville, but it’s only been this year that I’ve felt that she has professional prospects. She’s a natural center forward and she could stand to get stronger if she wants to play professionally. Maybe she’s just a young woman in a hurry.
Injury Notes: For the second game Samar Guidry did not play. I scanned the few team shots on the broadcast, but didn’t see her.
Up Next: The Big One. Virginia travels to Tallahassee to take on Florida State on Thursday, October 28th. The Seminoles had a rough trip to the state of North Carolina, drawing with UNC midweek and losing to Duke over the weekend. Virginia is now a full game ahead of FSU in the race to the regular season title and only need a draw to secure the title. I will again venture Behind-The-Lines with FSU writer Prince Akeem Joffer as we preview the game. Should be out by Wednesday.