Virginia Tech Takes on Virginia in Commonwealth Clash

Topher Wagner

February 27, 2021

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Coming off a blowout win against Longwood, No. 15 Virginia Tech looks to continue its hot streak in a matchup against rival No. 12 Virginia.

After losing its first ACC game of the season to Duke, Virginia Tech bounced back with a statement win versus Longwood. The Hokies came out strong and never looked back on Wednesday afternoon, thrashing the Lancers 18-3.

Virginia Tech dominated on the offensive side of the ball, outshooting the Lancers 28-2 in the first half en route to an early 9-1 lead. The Hokies didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half as Whitney Liebler’s five goals paced Tech’s offense in the huge win.

On the other side of the Commonwealth Clash, the No. 12 Cavaliers continued their strong start to the season with a 15-9 win over No. 14 Richmond on Friday afternoon. UVA improved to 2-0 on the year behind a balanced scoring attack with seven players getting in on the action, including three goals each from Ashlyn McGovern and Annie Dyson.

UVA made the most of its opportunities against the Spiders, putting up 15 goals despite only outshooting Richmond by one. The Cavaliers were able to hang on, even though they played a sloppy game, turning the ball over 17 times.

There is a lot on the line in this historic rivalry. UVA and Virginia Tech are both ranked and have legitimate ACC title aspirations as the season gets underway. Their matchup will be the 26th all-time meeting, with the Hokies winning just two of the contests. Virginia has a potent home-field advantage as it is a perfect 13-0 all-time at home against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech Key to the Game: Win the Turnover Battle

The Hokies started fast against Longwood and took an early lead in large part to an aggressive defense that forced 17 turnovers, including 12 in the first half.

Tech appears to match up well against Virginia with its strong defense. The Cavaliers showed that they are susceptible to giving the ball away against Richmond, as they lost the turnover battle 17-13.

If Virginia Tech can replicate its previous defensive performance, it’ll have a chance of pulling off the upset.

Virginia Key to the Game: Finish Strong

In its win over Richmond, the Cavaliers started hot, jumping out to an early 11-3 lead before the Spiders scored four straight goals. Virginia’s offense put the game away late with four goals, but as a team, played much tighter during Richmond’s attempted comeback.

Facing a Hokies’ offense that has a tendency to score in bursts, UVA will have to keep control from start to finish in order to put Tech away.

Virginia Tech Player to Watch: Whitney Liebler

In the Hokies’ blowout win over Longwood, Liebler was outstanding, scoring five goals on six shots to lead the Tech offense. In her second collegiate game, Liebler was arguably Tech’s best player as Longwood had no answers for the breakout freshman.

For Tech to pull off the upset, she will need to have another strong game against a superior defense.

Virginia Player to Watch: Ashlyn McGovern

For the Cavaliers, McGovern has been dominant, putting up seven goals in her first two games as the main catalyst of Virginia’s offense. The junior is coming off a year where she put up 15 goals and has kept that momentum going to start the 2021 season.

To beat Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers need McGovern to continue to dominate on offense.

Score Prediction: Virginia 10, Virginia Tech 7

In what will be one of the most important matchups in recent memory, both Virginia Tech and Virginia have reasons to be optimistic about winning. Both offenses have already demonstrated their potency this year and have plenty of young stars with potential to make standout plays in big moments.

However, Virginia’s defense has already shown its ability to lockdown in crunch time against Richmond, while Virginia Tech has been susceptible to ceding offensive spurts to its opponents, which was seen in its earlier loss to Duke. This should be a close game throughout as both teams like to play aggressive and scrappy, but Virginia Tech will fail to convert on enough of its scoring opportunities as the Hokies fall, 10-7.