In its second to last game of the regular season, the NC State women’s soccer team lost its second straight game, falling to the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers by a score of 4-0.

The powerful Cavalier (12-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC) squad overwhelmed a Wolfpack (7-7-4, 2-6-1 ACC) team that hasn’t seen the win column since September. Virginia showed domination in every facet of the game, firing a barrage of shots on offense and pitching a shutout on defense.

After the Pack’s ninth scoreless game of the season, the squad falls to 0-4-1 in the month of October. The red-and-white desperately tried to get back on track against one of the best teams in the country, but the Cavaliers had none of it.

Virginia imposed its dominance as soon as the first whistle sounded, scoring a goal in the third minute to gain a 1-0 lead before fans even settled into their seats. The Cavs weren’t done yet, however, scoring again less than 10 minutes later.

After its opponents jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, NC State was able to ward off the Cavalier attack for the remainder of the first half but couldn’t find any traction on offense, putting up just two shots in the period, seven less than Virginia.

NC State didn’t fare much better in the second half and was once again outshot by seven. Despite the nine total shots in the match, only three were on goal, making it a relatively easy day for the Virginia defense.

The Cavaliers, however, just kept on rolling after the intermission, netting two more goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half. Similar to their first half scoring spree, the Cavs’ lightning-fast attack shut down the Pack’s hopes of getting back into the game.

The final few minutes saw desperation shots from NC State, with senior forwards Jameese Joseph and Alexis Strickland leading the offensive effort. But it was too little, too late as the Cavs exited the game with an unscathed 4-0 victory.

With its final game of the season on the horizon, the red-and-white has one more opportunity to earn a win in the 2022 regular season. NC State has the ability to do so, but with the current rut the Wolfpack is in, a win at Syracuse might be the most important one of the season if the Pack can get it done.

NC State’s final game of the season is set for Thursday, Oct. 27, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.