At halftime of the ACC opener between the Cavaliers and the Demon Deacons, Virginia was lucky to be only one goal behind.
After No. 2 Wake Forest put one in the net five minutes into the rainy game, the No. 20 Cavaliers looked disorganized and slow on the wet field -- but after the break, it was a whole new ball game. Virginia (4-1, 1-0 ACC) scored a pair of late goals to earn a 2-1 comeback victory over the Deacons (3-1-1, 0-1 ACC).
"We got out of a little funk," sophomore forward Ian Holder said.
While the Cavaliers put significantly more pressure on the Deacons from the start of the second half, it was Holder's goal in the 61st minute of the game that gave the Cavaliers the jolt they needed. The crucial tying score came with the help of freshman midfielder Nico Colaluca, who split the Wake Forest defense, giving Holder the through ball he needed and his first goal of the season.
While Holder brought the match to a tie, his goal did not quell the tempers on the field. The match was interrupted by whistles 33 times, with 19 fouls being called against the Cavaliers and 14 against Wake Forest. In addition, six Virginia players were issued yellow cards.
While the slippery conditions may have exacerbated the players, the intense rivalry between the two teams was without a doubt the primary cause of the intense match.
The Cavaliers seemed intent on continuing their streak of wins against the Demon Deacons, and they got their wish at the hands of freshman forward Matt Ayotte. John Hartman got the assist, passing the ball to Ayotte, who found himself in a one-on-one with Wake Forest keeper Brian Edwards. Ayotte managed to slip the ball underneath the diving Edwards into the center of the net.
"It's probably the most important thing I've ever done in my life," the ecstatic Ayotte said.
But Ayotte's goal was not his only contribution, according to coach George Gelnovatch.
"Matt Ayotte made a big difference," Gelnovatch said. "He scored a goal, and he was able to hold the ball for us and let us come up and join him."
Gelnovatch also cited Mike Littlefield and Will Hall as substitutes who made a major difference in the second half.
"I've played more subs in the past five games than probably in my whole career coaching here," Gelnovatch said. "Every one of them is making it tough for me to get them off the field, and the result today was we just wore them down."
While Ayotte's goal was the eventual game winner, the final 20 minutes of the match were far from uneventful. The Demon Deacons looked as determined as the Cavaliers to come out on top as they pounded away at the Virginia defense in the final stretch.
Cavalier keeper Ryan Burke made five saves over the course of the game, but in the last minutes of play, many of Wake Forest's attempts went wide or were thwarted by members of the Virginia back line.
Virginia's muddy victory is significant on many levels. Most importantly, it shows the Cavaliers' ability to overcome a more highly ranked conference team on the road. And beating the Deacons at Spry Stadium is no small feat -- Wake Forest's last regular season home loss was more than three years ago.
"An ACC win on the road is huge," Gelnovatch said. "To get off on the road -- your first ACC game -- 1-0, it's just huge."
Virginia's next ACC game on Sunday will again take them to North Carolina, this time to face the Tar Heels next Sunday.
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