UVa comes up big in season finale

An ACC tournament without Virginia in it would have seemed a little odd.
Well, that won’t be happening now — not after the second-straight clutch performance by the Wahoos.
On Sunday afternoon, Virginia brought its ‘A’ game against Miami when it absolutely had to have it. Paced by a Sinead Farrelly goal in the 54th minute, UVa defeated the Hurricanes, 2-0, on a chilly, overcast day at Klockner Stadium.
With the win, Virginia advanced to the ACC tournament under coach Steve Swanson for the ninth straight year, and eliminated Miami in the process. UVa (9-5-4) will likely play Boston College in a first-round game on Wednesday in Cary, N.C.
If Virginia hadn’t beaten both Florida State and Miami this weekend, it would have very likely missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993 (in addition to the ACC tournament.)
“It was a great result for us,” said Swanson. “It was like an NCAA championship weekend for us. It was nice to get these two wins.
“We certainly helped our postseason chances, that’s for sure.”
Coming into the game, UVa needed a win or tie to qualify for the tournament, while Miami
(8-10-1, 3-6-1) needed a victory. That made for a pressure-packed atmosphere. Almost from the outset, Virginia was the aggressor. Miami, which had blown a game at Virginia Tech on Friday night, seemed a bit hesitant.
Virginia, meanwhile, buoyed by an upset win over No. 4-ranked FSU, appeared confident.
“It was really intense, especially at the end,” said Virginia senior Amanda Stewart. “I know both teams had a lot to play for. There was a lot of heart and emotion out there on the field for both teams.
“This was our season, so there was more to fight for. There was no second chance or something to bounce back from. I’m just happy we finished on the good end of it.”
In the first half, UVa outshot the visitors 13-1. Finally, in the 54th minute, Virginia broke through. Lauren Alwine zoomed up the left wing. After evading a Miami defender, Alwine blasted a shot off the near post that careened right to Farrelly near the top of the box.
Farrelly, who notched the game-winner in the win over FSU, drilled a shot past Hurricane goalie Vikki Alonzo to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.
“I was lucky I wasn’t marked, and I just placed it,” Farrelly said.
Swanson said Farrelly’s play has been more than luck.
“It’s one thing to be in the right spot, and it’s another thing to actually finish them,” Swanson said. “She’s just been clutch for us all season and honestly I haven’t seen a better player in the country. We’re very fortunate and the fans are lucky to have someone like Sinead they can watch day in and day out…that’s a great player.”
In the 81st minute, Alwine gave Virginia a much-needed insurance goal when she took a pass from Kika Toulouse and one-timed a shot past Alonzo from 12 yards out.
From there, Virginia, thanks to solid play in goal from Chantel Jones (two saves), churned out the victory. Jones made a beautiful stop of a Miami header from point-blank range in the 88th minute, which was essentially the Hurricane’s last gasp.
“Suddenly, everything has turned around — and it’s perfect timing,” Jones said. “I think other teams are kind of peaking right now, but we’re still on the rise.
“It’s really looking good for us right now.”