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OCTOBER 2022 31 cavalier profile TALIA STAUDE Fourth-Year • Soccer When asked about Virginia women's soc- cer, one of the first things that comes to mind is the quality of the team defense and individual defenders the Cavaliers have con- sistently put on the field. Over the years — and especially recently — the Cavaliers have produced a bevy of defensive talent that populates the rosters of the U.S. Women's National Team, profes- sional teams and even international rosters across all levels of U.S. Youth National Teams. Names like Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Son- nett, Kristen McNabb and Courtney Petersen are just some of those that quickly come to mind for fans of the Virginia program. And now Cavalier fans have had another name that has helped continue that tradition — Talia Staude. A fourth-year who has started more than 60 games in her career and logged nearly 6,000 minutes despite still being early in the 2022 campaign, Staude brings a lot to the back line for her team in terms of in- game performance and work ethic on and off the field. "There are so many things that Talia does for our team that might go unnoticed to someone who isn't close to our program," Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said. "She helps set our build up, helps coordi- nate our defensive transition, wins balls in the air, helps limit opposition entries in our defensive box and is a world-class passer of the ball — especially over distance. "She also has worked really hard on improving her individual defense and com- munication. We feel strongly that she is one of the best center backs in the country." That work has attracted notice from those paying attention around the ACC and across the nation in the last two seasons after helping the Hoos post 40 shutouts across her career and advance to the College Cup in the 2020-21 extended COVID season. She garnered all-region honors a year ago and was named to the all-tournament team at the ACC Championship. Staude also was named National Player of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer after helping the Hoos post a shutout of No. 2 Duke, and she hit the game-winning goal in the 90th minute a few days later at North Carolina State. That profile continues to rise this season with Staude collecting ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors after the third week of play. She helped the Hoos post five shut- outs in the first six games — including clean sheets against a pair of nationally ranked foes in Georgetown and Memphis. — Bill Bunting • Photo courtesy UVA