Rice University
Virginia
Virginia Tops Rice Wednesday In Sweet 16
5/6/2021 12:56:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Owls' Historic Season Comes To An end
Atlantic Coast Conference power Virginia was quick, strong and possession minded, and able to apply steady offensive pressure. Rice refused to yield, however, and the game's lone goal for the first two-thirds of the contest was via a UVA penalty kick in the 37th minute.
It was a similar theme in the second stanza. Rice fended-off waves of attacks to keep the score at 1-0 until the 68th minute. Virginia was able to score off a corner kick to make it 2-0 and stretched the margin to 3-0 with a final score in the 82nd minute. Credit Diana Ordonez with scoring all three goals on five shots in 86 minutes of playing time.
Like the team's previous game in the round of 32 the Owls' shooting punch needed a boost. Virginia held a 16-2 advantage in shots with an 8-0 lead in corner kicks. Madison Kent's hard shot attempt in the 15th minute was saved, while Natalie Gorji's second half shot was just wide on the left. Owl junior goalkeeper Bella Killgore finished the night with three saves.
It was not the final outcome Rice head coach Brian Lee was looking for, but he had nothing but praise for the team's effort at the program's historic postseason run.
"Virginia is obviously very good and when you're playing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament the chances you're going to play a strong opponent from an elite conference is high," Coach Lee said. "They have one of the most talented rosters in the country and they are certainly a top-level team.
"I am super proud of our team," Lee said. "We needed to defend hard, and we hung in and did. It was 1-0, on a PK, for quite a while there. There is nothing to hang our head about. That is a really good team that beat us tonight."
Rice ends its season with a 14-3-1 record. Virginia, now 13-4-2, advances to the Elite Eight to face TCU on Sunday.
