By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE — They were mainstays in the University of Virginia women’s soccer program for years, and head coach Steve Swanson will need a little time to adjust to the departures of such players as Rebecca Jarrett, Alexa Spaanstra, Claire Constant, Haley Hopkins, Michaela Moran and Sarah Clark.
Their college careers ended last weekend in Los Angeles, where UCLA edged UVA 2-1 in overtime to advance to the College Cup, the NCAA’s tournament’s final four.
“Between all of them, they brought, obviously, a certain talent and certain skill sets to their positions and to our team,” Swanson said, “but I think in the end their competitiveness and their will to win will define this group more than anything.”
Swanson flashed back to two monumental comebacks. The first took place on Sept. 17 in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Virginia rallied, after falling behind 2-0, to stun host North Carolina 3-2. Never before in the Tar Heels’ storied history had they lost in regulation after building a two-goal lead.
And then there was UVA’s Nov. 20 game against Penn State in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet Sixteen. The Cavaliers trailed 1-0 at halftime and 2-1 with less than four minutes left in the second half. But they tied the game in the 88th minute and then prevailed in overtime on a Hopkins goal.
Even against UCLA, which led for most of regulation, there was “a refusal to bow and a refusal to quit,” Swanson said. “If [the departing players] leave any sort of legacy that I hope the team really takes hold of, it’s that one: No matter what, you have to compete to the final whistle and you have to believe and you have to keep working. Just their sheer determination was something to really watch. I think all of us on the coaching staff were blessed to see it every single day. They came to practice, they worked extremely hard, and they wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best.
“It was just an effort that was second to none. I believe all of them can go play at the next level, so it’s exciting, and my hope is their careers are just starting if they continue to play.”
The Hoos, who finished with a 16-4-3 record, will never know how far they might have advanced with a healthy Jarrett. A second-team All-ACC selection in 2020-21, she played in only four games last season before suffering a major knee injury. Jarrett rehabbed diligently and returned to the field this season, only…