CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Virginia men’s soccer continued its homestand this week, drawing 11 with No. 23 Oregon State on Tuesday before defeating Liberty 3-2 on Saturday.

The Beavers took an early 1-0 lead 28 minutes into the match with a short-range strike from Wyatt Borso, but Virginia found its way into the match as it wore on. The Cavaliers’ pressure paid dividends when Brendan Lambe knocked in a Marco Dos Santos layoff to tie the match at 1-1, which stood as the final score

Against the Flames, the Cavaliers fell behind 1-0 six minutes into the match, but goals from Prince Abanfo and a brace from AJ Smith gave Virginia a 3-1 cushion as the second half wound down.  Despite conceding another goal late and going down to ten men, Virginia saw off Liberty 3-2.   

Next, the Cavaliers head to Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept 19 to open their ACC slate.

No. 10 women’s soccer made its visit to Wake Forest on Thursday to battle the No. 3 Demon Deacons.  Despite Virginia taking control in the second half and peppering the Wake Forest goal with eleven shots, a 36th minute goal from the Deacs was all they needed to hand the Cavaliers their first loss of the season.   

Virginia will look to bounce back when it hosts Miami on Thursday at 7 p.m. 

Cross Country  

The ‘Hoos got off the line in 2026 with a pair of Top 3 team finishes for both the men’s and women’s squads at the Panorama Farms Invitational in Charlottesville.  

The women’s squad took second place on the team scoreboard, thanks to a 16:54.8 second place individual finish from Stella Kermes.  Tatum Olsen was close behind her in third, with Cate Desousa in sixth, Carly Wilkes in seventh, and Katie Payne in tenth to round out Virginia’s best finishers.   

Luke Hnatt, Henry Acorn and Sean Gray finished in tenth, eleventh, and twelfth respectively for the Cavaliers on the men’s side, giving Virginia a third-place team finish.   

Next, Virginia will head to Chicago on Sept. 25 for the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational. 

Field Hockey   

No.11 Virginia took on No. 13 Liberty on Friday in Lynchburg, and despite conceding one goal and facing pressure from the Flames, goals from Mia Abello, Caitlin Connell put the Cavaliers over the top 2-1.  

“Our level of effort and execution of details was good today,” head coach Ole Keugsen said in UVA’s press release. “On top of that, we defended well as a team today and Caitlin Connell decided the game with an incredible run and goal.” 

The Cavalier came home for an I-64 rivalry matchup with James Madison at home Sunday afternoon.  Six different goal scorers, including a brace from Connell, sent the Dukes packing while keeping them completely out of the goal for a 7-0 shutout victory. 

Virginia will take the North Carolina road trip this weekend, facing Duke on Friday then UNC on Sunday. 

Golf 

Women’s golf finished sixth at the Annika Intercollegiate last week in Minnesota.  Zoe Cusack was the best finisher for the ‘Hoos, finishing two under par in joint-fifth position.  Virginia as a team was tied with UCLA for a team finish of three-over-par. 

Men’s golf is still in action in Toledo, Ohio, at the Inverness Intercollegiate.  The Cavalier began in 16th position on Monday. 

Volleyball 

Back at the Aquatics and Fitness Center on Grounds after taking two wins at the VCU Invitational, the Cavaliers battled Alabama for the Shriner’s Children’s Showdown at the Net on Wednesday.  The Crimson Tide took three sets of four against the ‘Hoos, seeing them off 3-1 and handing them their second loss of the campaign.  Virginia’s third loss came on Saturday against UCF 3-0.   

This week, the Cavaliers will host George Washington on Tuesday at 5 p.m., then will host Ohio State in a two-match series, first on Friday at 6 p.m. then again on Saturday 2 p.m.

Tennis 

Men’s and women’s tennis got their seasons started last week.  The men’s team hosted the Orange and Blue Classic in Charlottesville, while the women’s team went to Chapel Hill for the Kitty Harrison Invitational. Both squads will face ITA All-American Championships Pre-Qualifying this week.

UVA tennis alumna Emma Navarro was also in action during the U..S Open last week.  The former Wahoo won three matches, including an upset of Karolina Muchova, but fell in the quarterfinals to fellow American Jessica Pegula.