COLLEGE PARK, Md.-Virginia men's soccer capped off a perfect ACC season by defeating Maryland, 3-0, on Sunday at Ludwig Field. The victory, Virginia's eighth shutout win in 2001, puts the Cavaliers at 15-0-1, with an unblemished 6-0 ACC record.
Virginia junior Ryan Gibbs led off the scoring in the 20th minute. Senior Steve Totten also scored in the first half and sophomore Jacob LeBlanc tallied Virginia's third goal 50 seconds into the second period.
The game began with both teams aggressively pushing forward and using quick counterattacks. Maryland (8-7-1, 0-4-1 ACC) had the first golden opportunity 13 minutes into the match. A long ball over the Virginia defense found Terrapins' striker Seth Stammler, who barely reached the ball before charging Virginia goalkeeper David Comfort. Stammler chipped the ball over Comfort and appeared to have a goal, but the ball took a high bounce and sailed over the crossbar.
The Cavaliers opened up the scoring seven minutes later. LeBlanc chipped the ball over the Maryland defense to Gibbs, who simply outran the Terrapins' defense. Gibbs connected on a shot from 15 yards out that deflected off the left post and into the net.
Gibbs "is a handful," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "He's got to be the most athletic forward in the country, there's no question about it. He can get behind defenses, he's strong as an ox. I feel sorry for defenders that have to deal with him 90 minutes."
Maryland had a solid chance to equalize only four minutes later. A Maryland long ball forced Comfort to come out of the penalty box and head the ball away from oncoming Terrapin attackers. The header went right to Stammler, who tried another chip shot into the open net. This time, his attempt bounced wide left.
Virginia widened its lead in the 26th minute, when freshman Alecko Eskandarian's through ball hit Steve Totten in stride about 18 yards from the goal. Totten showed the Maryland side how to do a proper chip shot by sending the ball over Maryland keeper Noah Palmer and into the top of the Maryland net. The game went into the half with Virginia leading, 2-0.
The Cavaliers immediately set the tone for the second period with a quick strike from LeBlanc less than a minute out of halftime. Eskandarian took a blistering shot from 20 yards out, which was barely saved by a diving Palmer. Gibbs collected the rebound and fed LeBlanc, who tapped it into an open net from point-blank range. The goal took the heart out of the Maryland side, and Virginia was able to rest many of its starters in an uneventful second half.
"We don't depend on anybody, and therefore the other team can't key on anybody," Totten said. "We're good enough that if anybody on this team gets open, we're going to finish some of our chances."
Virginia has one more regular season game, against James Madison on Friday at Klockner Stadium. After that, it will go into the ACC tournament with a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The Cavaliers outscored all six of their ACC opponents by a combined 11-0 margin.
"When we stepped on the field [at the beginning of the season for the] first game against Wake, our captains said right there and then, we want the bye in the first round of the ACC," Gelnovatch said. "To do that, we would probably have to go 6-0, and step-by-step we accomplished that goal"
Read More
Virginia baseball falters, drops series to NC State
By Jacob Tisdale | YesterdayVirginia dropped a crucial ACC series, endangering a top seed in the conference tournament.
Women’s lacrosse upset in season-ending defeat against Florida
By Matthew Ryeom | YesterdayThe Cavaliers kept it close until the fourth quarter, where they ultimately came up short.
No. 6 men’s lacrosse trumps Saint Joseph’s 17-11 as Cormier breaks NCAA scoring record
By Ben Istvan | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers snapped their four-game losing streak with a comfortable win over the Hawks.
