Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW): The regular season is rapidly nearing its end in ACC play for most UVA sports teams this fall.  With winter sports, mainly Basketball, tantalizingly close, and the decorated Swim & Dive program, fresh off its stellar Olympic showing, getting their season underway, what kind of week did we see in UVA Athletics across the midpoint of October?  There were plenty of impressive and positive results to discuss, a few rough days, and some that were…right in the middle.  Let’s break it down.   

Tempting as it may be to bemoan the result of UVA Football’s Saturday trip to Clemson, it may not serve much of a purpose.  The #10 ranked Clemson Tigers went into the game favorites to beat a Cavalier coming off a tough home defeat at Louisville last week, and they achieved the predicted victory, putting up 48 points in the process.  Less predictable was that Virginia put up 31 points in an impressive display of their talent on the offensive side of the ball.  21 of Virginia’s points came in the 4th quarter, 14 of which came by way of two passing touchdowns from QB2 Tony Muskett.  Virginia struggled in the “middle 8”, midway through the second and throughout the third quarters, surrendering 35 to Clemson QB Cade Klubnik and his high-flying offense.   Neither defense had a particularly stellar day, only the Clemson front seven, who held Virginia to 68 rushing yards on the day, could leave the field with their heads held high.  Overall, I would contend Virginia’s main goal was to enter and leave “Death Valley” with its confidence intact.  From the standpoint of that goal, Saturday was mission accomplished.  They have not lost much ground in the ACC standings, and two more wins over the course of the next five games will send the Cavaliers to a bowl game.  One of those wins, many in the fanbase believe, will come against a North Carolina team having a season to forget in 2024.  They will come to Scott Stadium the underdogs against UVA on family weekend.  Saturday’s kickoff is at noon, and will be televised on The CW.  The Heels are 3-4 on the year, losing last time out to the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets 41-34. 

Only just hanging on to their place in the Top 25, UVA Women’s soccer took to the road to try and earn some valuable points against the #22 Florida State Seminoles on Friday.  Sadly, from the off something was right with the Hoos, and the Noles put four past the Hoos to hand them a crushing defeat.  You can read my full recap of that match HERE.  One final home game remains for the Hoos, and their opponents will be the Clemson Tigers in the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game at Klockner.  Kickoff is this Friday at 7:00 PM on ACCNX.   The Tigers are 6-7-1 on the year, and lost a heartbreaker last time out, falling 1-0 to the NC State Wolfpack.   

Conversely, UVA Men’s soccer has found a form sorely lacking them early in the season.  After a win on Tuesday against American, which you can read about HERE, they looked to extend their winning streak to five against the Syracuse Orange at home.  A victory on Senior Night would net them seven total on the year, riding momentum at just the right time barreling towards the ACC playoffs.  The start of the match could only be described one way, a dream for the Hoos.  Just past the 10’ minute mark, the speed and long-range shooting abilities of second-year attacker Victor Akoum put UVA 1-0 up, after he sprinted onto the end of a through ball and picked out the top corner of the near post with startling accuracy.  Moments later, UVA’s passing specialist, right back Paul Wiese played in Danny Mangarov in behind the Syracuse line, a perfect Managarov cross found Joaquin Brizuela who slotted home a doubled advantage for UVA.  Joey Batrouni and the UVA backline stayed well-drilled, moving and communicating as one, ready for everything the Orange sent at them.  The veteran keeper made seven saves across the length of the game, allowing the attack to flow freely at the other end, frustrating the Orange defense to a degree that saw them lose their cool.  One defender, Sam Layton saw his play catch up to him after being shown a pair of yellows in 20 minutes.  The second yellow left Syracuse down one player for the remainder of the game, forcing them back in defense and all but neutralizing their attack. The third and final goal of the game came courtesy of UVA’s leading goal scorer.  Defender Nick Dang was, once again, at the right place, with a stellar run off the back of a Danny Mangarov free kick.  His attacking instincts allowed him to place a perfect strike into the back of the Syracuse net from inside the six-yard box to put the game away.   This emphatic victory puts the Hoos in great position to close ACC play with a good result next week against Pittsburgh on the road, before finishing the regular season with a battle against Mary Washington at home.  Next week’s match is on Friday at 7:00 PM on ACCNX.  The Panthers beat #7 UNC last time out by a score of 2-1, and sit at a record of 11-3 on the year. 

The #4 ranked UVA Field Hockey team has seen a pair of stumbles during their last few matches in what has otherwise been a flawless season.  They came home for a pair of important matches against the #12 ranked Syracuse Orange and a Senior Night battle with Miami University.  The Orange were up first this past Friday, and at the end of a back and forth first half, they found the back of the net first, courtesy of Hattie Madden teeing up a well-taken shot by Berber Bakermans.  Down 1-0, the Hoos hit the pitch after the interval with their feet on the gas, winning four straight corners.  The pressure eventually brought joy, as even though the corners led to nothing, Emma Watchila caught the Syracuse defense napping, and swiftly tied the game 1-1 with her sixth goal of the year. Towards the end of the third, Bo Kempen got on the other end of a Syracuse corner to take the advantage back for the visitors.  With their backs against the wall, the Hoos were once again faced with an opportunity to gamble.  The last time Tyler Kennedy was pulled for an extra attacker the remainder of the match did not go their way.  Head Coach Ole Keugsen rolled the dice again however, and this time, Jans Croon vindicated her Coach’s faith, tying the game with just over three minutes left in regulation to force overtime.  Two overtime periods and five shootout rounds later, the opportunity to take the lead for the home team came for Mia Abello.  The UVA attacker, is an instantly iconic moment, cracked a smile at Syracuse keeper Louise Pert.  One slight hesitation from Pert and Abello slapped in her fourth goal of the year, giving UVA their 11th victory of the year.  On Sunday, eight seniors were honored for their contributions to the program, looking to send off their final regular season on Grounds with a home victory.  The match that followed was a low scoring affair, senior keeper Tyler Kennedy kept a clean sheet against a Miami team that has struggled for goals in MAC conference play, Sunday was no exception.  At the other end, Wahoo attackers took eight shots, and earned four corners, and netted only one goal in the first half, and that courtesy of Friday’s hero, Mia Abello.     Nine shots and six corners later in the second half, the match was over. Miami keeper Nicky Sjouken put in one of her best performances of the 2024 season, with five saves over the course of the game, and only letting in one goal, that from the penalty conceded to Abello.  On the edge of the ACC postseason, UVA has its biggest test of the year waiting in Chapel Hill this weekend, as they take on their archrivals, #1 ranked North Carolina, at 5:00 PM on Friday.  The Heels have not lost a match all season long and are coming off their 12th victory of the year, sending the Old Dominion Monarchs packing.  The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.   

UVA Volleyball, off to their best start since their 16-0 season in 2003, welcomed two Carolina teams to Memorial Gymnasium over the weekend.  Duke took to the court on Friday night.  The Devils have struggled mightily this year, and Friday was not an exception.  Set One began evenly enough, before a 6-0 run from Virginia brought the score to 20-15.  Duke managed to get as close as 22-19, but the Hoos put the set away for their first set victory of the night, 25-20.  Duke took an early 7-5 lead, but the resilient Hoos stormed over the top, scoring 10 of the final 14 points to win the second set, 25-18.  UVA swept Duke out in the final set, in which UVA never relinquished the lead.  The score was identical to set two, 25-18.  Elayna Duprey and Kate Dean continue to have career years powering the Hoos to victory.  The pair put in ten kills across the three sets in the rout of Duke.  On Sunday, twelve kills two more stars of the 2024 Hoos, Brooklyn Borum and Abby Tadder, along with five aces from Kate Johnson substantially contributed to the home team’s offensive output.  Sometimes though, a team performance of the highest caliber does not win you a match.  The Heels ran away with set one without losing the lead, ending it 25-16.  The Hoos answered with an equally dominant performance in set two, breaking away quickly to knot the match up with a set two victory, 25-16.  Set three saw the Hoos up 19-13, in prime position to take the lead of the match.  However, an incredible 12-3 run from the Heels saw them swipe the set from under the home team’s noses, 25-22.  The Hoos got off the mat again with a pair of well-timed 7-0 runs at the tail end of set four to steal the set from the Heels 25-22.  Unfortunately, it fell apart for UVA in set five.  After a staggering six different ties across the set, a 4-0 run from UNC put the match away for good, winning set five 25-22, and the match, three sets to two.  Even after the defeat, the Hoos are still off to their best start since 2003, and are poised to make noise in the impending postseason in a year when they were expected to do anything but.  They head to Syracuse on Wednesday for a match with the Orange, and then to Massachusetts for a battle with Boston College on Sunday.   The Syracuse match will air this Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM on the ACC Network, while the Sunday match with BC will air at 1:00 PM on ACCNX.   Syracuse is coming off a sweep at the hands of Florida State, but are 12-8 on the year. 

The #1 UVA Swim & Dive team, featuring several Olympic medalists for Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, took to the short course pool on Grounds to battle #3 ranked Florida.  Both the women and men got their seasons off to roaring starts, but no one shone brighter than Gretchen Walsh.  Walsh, after a stellar Olympic campaign, set five records across the meet with Florida.  She set American records in the 50m backstroke, the 200m medley relay (during her leadoff leg), the 100m backstroke, and her speciality, the 50m freestyle.  Walsh even set a world record as well, in a 100m medley time trial in a blistering 55.98.  That mark saw her smash a time set earlier that day by her Paris Olympic teammate and UVA alumna Kate Douglas, who ran the event in Shanghai at 56.99, and the world mark of 56.17.   Elsewhere on the UVA women’s roster, second-year transfer Claire Curzan won both the 100m butterfly and 200m backstroke, freshman Anna Moesch earned a race victory on her UVA debut in the 100m freestyle, and Aimee Canny won both the 200m freestyle and 200m breaststroke.  The UVA women won all but two races in their meet, rolling to a 181-119 victory.  The men were not so lucky, with only one race win, courtesy of grad-student Noah Nichols in the 200m breaststroke.  They fell to the Gators, 231-69.  Swim & Dive is back in action on November 1st for their first conference meet of the year against the UNC Tar Heels.   

Across the remainder of athletics action, UVA Rowing sent both its Varsity Four and Varsity Eight to the Head of The Charles Regatta in Massachusetts over the weekend.  In the premier collegiate fall regatta, the V4 placed third overall, and the V8 11th overall.   Men’s Golf placed third as a team at 19 under during the Georgia Collegiate Golf Tournament, Hoos Josh Duangmanee and Bryan Lee both shot 8 under to tie for second place individually.  Women’s Golf placed fourth as a team with 3 over par at the Stanford Collegiate, and their highest individual finish was 10th, belonging to Jaclyn LaHa who shot 4 under par.  Men’s and Women’s Cross Country were at home at Panorma Farms here in Charlottesville, and both finished strong in the team standings thanks to two emotional individual victories.  Gary Martin won the 8K for the men with a time of (22:58.9), the fifth fastest mark ever on the Panorama Farms course, and the only mark under 23 minutes on the day.  Notching 47 points, they finished just behind Wake Forest, who scored 38 points as a team.  For the Women, Jenny Schilling took the win in the 6K with a (20:29.7).  Schilling was joined by Sophie Atkinson in second, Tatum David in fourth, Camryn Menninger in fifth, Cate Desousa in eighth, and Sarah Peer in ninth.  With so many runners in the top ten, the UVA Women earned first overall as a team with ease, with just 17 points as a team, and beating Virginia Tech in second place with 70 points.  ITA Atlantic Regional Finals action continues for Women’s Tennis this week on Tuesday, followed by the Tennessee Invitational this weekend.  Both Wrestling and Baseball will also both be in exhibition action this weekend.   

 That concludes your weekly Wahoo Rundown, take every opportunity you can to support UVA Athletics!  Go Hoos!