ATHENS, Ga. --- On Friday night at the UGA Soccer Stadium, the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers pushed a relentless offensive attack against the Georgia Bulldogs and held on to win 1-0 in front of nearly 1,900 fans.
In total, Virginia’s offensive attack got off 24 shots five shy the record of 29 shots by an opposing team, which Tennessee set back in 2000 but only one could ripple the twine. It came off a corner kick in the 69th minute, when Caitlin Miskel bent a corner kick from the far side into the box where Kelly Quinn headed the ball past Georgia keeper Michelle Betos for the only score of the game.
The No. 22 Bulldogs (2-2) defense allowed a significant number of shots on goal, they allowed a staggering 14 corner kicks, one shy of the all-time record of 15 by an opposing team, which was set in 1996 by Alabama. Virginia had nine in the first half, even a span of three consecutive corner kicks, and an additional five in the following halftime.
The Virginia defense was as stingy as its offense was relentless. Georgia could not get much offense going during any part of the game, getting off only four shots during the course of the game. One of those shots was on goal, the first shot on goal allowed by the Virginia (4-0) defense all season.
Broken down by half, Virginia had 10 shots to Georgia’s two in the first half and 14 compared to two in the second half.
“They are really good in the back,” said sophomore Marah Falle, who scored two goals in Georgia’s 2-1 win against Utah Sunday. “They are a top 10 team for a reason so we were expecting that. We had some chances but just couldn’t take advantage of them.”
Although pleased with the overall effort of his squad, coach Patrick Baker admitted that when a team is given as many opportunities to organize itself as Virginia had, it’s tough to keep them off the scoreboard
“Tonight we played a very good team in Virginia and they executed better than we did,” Baker said. “They created a number of chances and for awhile we bent, but did not break. We defended with a purpose and gave ourselves a chance in the second half, but when you give a team that many corner kicks, with free service into the box, something is bound to go in.”
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to .500 for the first time since Oct. 6, 2006, when they were 6-6 en route to a 10-9 season.
The Bulldogs will have an opportunity to turn their fortunes around. On Sunday, Georgia will get another shot at a top 10 squad, this time facing No. 10 Stanford who defeated Auburn, 3-0, earlier Friday.
“The road doesn’t get any easier when we face a very talented Stanford, Sunday,” Baker said. “We must defend better and once possession is won, we have to keep the ball for ourselves.”
Kickoff of the Auburn/Virginia game is set for 11 a.m., while the Bulldogs will host the Cardinal at 1:30 p.m.
