Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW):  Move in is in the books at the University of Virginia, and the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year is right around the corner.  Here’s a look at all the sports action around Grounds in the first week of the 2024 NCAA Fall Sports Season.   

Be sure to check back every Monday for recaps of the weekend’s events and a preview of the week ahead for all your favorite teams! 

 First, hats off to former Hoos Kate Kelly and Zoe Tekeian who won silver medals representing Team USA at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Canada!  Current Hoos Paula Lutz and Teagan Orth were on international duty as well during that time for Germany and Canada respectively.  Also, well done to Madison Alaimo for representing Team USA in Hong Kong as part of a Women’s Lacrosse that team that won 7 games, all by more than 10 goals, on their way to a dominant gold medal at the U20 Women’s Lacrosse World Championships!   

 Last Thursday, UVA Men’s Soccer got their season started at home vs the Broncs of Ryder, while the women looked to continue their stellar start on the road at No. 3 Penn State.  The women won a convincing victory in State College 2-1.   Maggie Cagle knocked in a pair of goals after the Hoos went down 1-0, and a stellar game from keeper Victoria Safradin sealed the win.  Back at Klöckner Stadium, 3 different Hoos found the back of the net for the Men’s team against Ryder, Daniel Mangarov, Kome Ubogu, and a debut goal from Nick Dang treated the home fans to a 3-0 victory.    

On Sunday, local soccer fans had the privilege to watch both UVA squads on the same day at Klöckner Stadium.  The Women’s team took the field first against Utah Valley and put on an offensive masterclass in front of the Wahoo faithful.  5 different Hoos scored against the unfortunate Wolverines, Allie Ross, Sophia Bradley, Alexis Theoret, Linda Mittermair, and Laughlin Ryan, who got her second goal of the year.  Meanwhile on defense, the Wolverines failed to force a save out of Victoria Safradin, as her defense kept a clean sheet on the way to a 5-0 victory. The men’s team kicked off that evening against Colgate University.  Regrettably, their game did not go as well for them.  The Hoos created plenty of chances, taking 15 shots, but only 4 of them were on goal.  Midfielder Umberto Pela was responsible for 3 of those 4 shots.  Colgate keeper Oliver Townsend handled everything the Hoos threw at him, making 8 saves throughout the game.  Jack Beerling’s goal was all the Raiders needed, the game ended in defeat for the home side, 1-0.   

Labor Day weekend will be a busy weekend for Virginia Athletics!  Men’s Soccer stays at Klöckner Stadium for a Thursday evening battle with St. Joe’s.  The Hawks had a tough year last year, only winning 4 matches last year, and did not start out this year well, dropping their first game to Merrimack 2-1.   The match will begin at 7:00 PM and a broadcast is available on ACCNX. 

Volleyball and Field Hockey, who both had exhibitions on Grounds last week, will both begin their seasons this weekend.  The Volleyball team heads to Old Dominion’s Quest for The Crown Invitational.  They will play three matches there, facing Marist on Friday at 4:30, William & Mary on Saturday at noon, and the hosts later that day at 6:00.  Field Hockey faces Penn State on the road on Friday at 4:00, on B1G+.  The Nittany Lions finished 9-8 last year, losing to Ohio State in the Big 10 Field Hockey Tournament in 2023.   

UVA Cross Country will also begin their season on Saturday at the Spider Alumni Open in Richmond.  Both the men’s and women’s teams will race that day, with the men starting at 9:15 AM, and the women at 9:50.  Interestingly, both squads placed 1st in last year’s Spider Alumni Open.   

Women’s Soccer will drive up I-81 to face off with the JMU Dukes on Sunday, September 1st, at 6PM on ESPN+.    The Dukes started the year strong with a 3-0 victory over the Villanova Wildcats on the road, but dropped points to Virginia Tech (L 0-2), La Salle (T 3-3), and Maryland (T 1-1).  They will face Kent State on Thursday before the match with UVA on Sunday.   

Lastly, the Football team takes the field in Scott Stadium this Saturday against the Richmond Spiders, kickoff at 6:00 PM on both ACCNX and ESPN+.   The anticipation has been palpable among the Wahoo faithful throughout the summer to see if the Hoos will be an improved outfit from last year.  It was a season of close but no cigar for UVA Football, coming out on the wrong end of several close games.  But the biggest question throughout camp is who will be the starting quarterback to face the Spiders on Saturday.  Both Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea have been scrutinized in extreme detail by the coaching staff over the summer.  On Saturday, Head Coach Tony Elliot announced that it will be sophomore Anthony Colandrea who will begin the season under center.  The Spiders won 9 games last year, losing to #5 UAlbany in the FCS Playoffs.