After notching what may be the biggest win in the program’s history in winning its first-ever NCAA tournament game last Friday, the University of North Carolina Wilmington women’s soccer team has its next big test Friday, Nov. 20, when it faces the University of Virginia at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the game for free at VirginiaSports.com at this link.
The game just isn’t a tough test for the Seahawks, its also a rematch of a punishing loss to start the season when UNCW fell 8-0 to the Cavaliers on the road test on Aug. 23. At the time, the Seahawks were 0-2. Since then, the team has won 15 of its next 20 games, earning the third seed in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and a surprise at-large invite to the NCAA tournament, where they made program history with its first win.
“We’ve changed a lot, we’ve grown a lot, since then,” said senior defender Morgan Leyble.
By defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 2-0 in the NCAA opening round on Nov. 13, the Seahawks advanced to the second round of 32 teams. The Seahawks came into the NCAA tournament with a power rating ranking of 42 before knocking off the 26th power ranked Gamecocks. UNCW were one of three teams from the CAA to win and were the only team of 16 that played on the road Friday night to win. The Seahawks now sport a record of 15-6-1 — the most wins in team history.
And with their win, they have another opportunity against the University of Virginia, which this season has proved to be one of the top teams in the country. While NCAA power rankings put the Cavaliers at third in the country, the team was ranked No.1 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and senior defender Emily Sonnett was named player of the year by the ESPNW website, which covers women’s sports.
“It was definitely the worst loss I’ve ever experienced playing here,” said senior forward Maddie McCormick on the early-season loss to the Cavaliers. “It was a little discouraging but it was also motivation for us to never want to go to that point again. It’s a good thing we can play them again and show them how much we’ve grown as a team.”
Seahawks head coach Paul Cairney said the Cavaliers will be facing a Seahawk team that has improved greatly from the drubbing it took in August.
“We have improved confidence, different players, a different system,” Cairney said. “UVa is a good possession team. You have to defend well against them.”
Senior forward Katrina Guillou said the Seahawks are coming into Charlottesville on a mission.
“We’re more confident with the lineup we have now,” she said. “We’re looking for a way to prove we are a better team now.”
For Cairney, the team already proved not just how good they have become, but how good the conference is, with the win over the Gamecocks last Friday.
“There are 330 Division I teams in the country in women’s soccer. There’s only 32 teams left after this weekend and we’re one of them. That’s going to take a while to sink in,” he stated in a UNCW press release. “Before the game, we talked about what this means to our alumni. I’ve been the head coach for 20 years at UNCW. We lost a lot of games in those early first five or six years by 12-0 and 15-0, so this is awesome.”
The Seahawks were an underdog against the Gamecocks and will be again against the Cavaliers, which is something for which Cairney is preparing his team.
“We can enjoy playing our role as the underdog,” he said. “I want our team to really enjoy this experience.”
In defeating the Gamecocks, UNCW used an early first-half score, made some key defensive plays and scored again late in the second half to keep the game out of reach.
Guillou scored in the 12th minute on an assist from McCormick. Junior goalkeeper Carolyn Huddy made three saves, including one late in the first half. With just five minutes left in the game, junior defender Lauren Nalevaiko scored her first goal of the season to give the Seahawks the 2-0 margin of victory.
email [email protected]
