The No. 22 Virginia men's soccer team didn't need a Ralph Friedgen pep talk to protect their house Saturday as they won their fifth of five home matches with a 2-1 victory over the Wolfpack of N.C. State at Klöckner Stadium.
Virginia (7-2, 2-1 ACC) dominated both defensively and offensively from the start and saw many early opportunities sail wide as the midfield settled in and N.C. State's defense looked jittery at best. Sophomore forward Adam Cristman continued his impressive start to the season when in the 16th minute he rose above the Wolfpack defense to meet a cross from freshman midfielder Nico Colaluca, giving the Cavaliers the lead.
The goal was Cristman's fifth of the season, leaving him three goals shy of his entire haul last season only nine games into the current campaign. Virginia piled on the pressure, but Jorge Gonzalez in the N.C. State goal made crucial saves on one-on-one situations to keep his team in the game.
"We should have been up by about two goals at the half," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "In this league you have to try to put teams away whenever you can".
After going ahead, the Cavaliers found it increasingly difficult to penetrate N.C. State's defense as the Wolfpack slowly increased their offensive production and kept possession for longer periods.
The second half began on the same note as the first period ended. N.C. State penned the Cavaliers in their own half of the field, enjoying a greater share of possession. They even had a goal disallowed for an offside penalty after a good offensive series produced a pair of saves from Ryan Burke in Virginia's goal. N.C. State's efforts were finally rewarded four minutes into the half when a Rami Ghanayem free kick about 25 yards from Virginia's goal found its way through a packed Virginia wall and was deflected past Burke.
"It was kind of a shady goal," senior defender Matt Oliver said. "It was a good shot, and it split our wall in half. They came out with a lot of the ball, and we just had to weather the storm a bit".
The goal seemed to be a perfect catalyst for a lethargic Virginia team, and they immediately went into attack with Cristman seeing more of the ball and running more at the Pack defense.
"I have to give my guys credit for not panicking, not losing it," Gelnovatch said. "And in the end, they strung a lot of passes and prevented [N.C. State's] midfield from getting the ball."
Virginia went ahead in the 75thminute when Hunter Freeman, registering his fourth consecutive point in as many games, guided an Ian Holder cross for Colaluca to nod home.
"Adam whipped in a good ball, and Hunter Freeman did well to keep the ball alive, got a head on it, and the ball came to me," Colaluca said.
With the game on a knife's edge, Virginia pressed for a crucial third goal to make the match safe but had to deal with the heroics of Gonzalez, who would finish with a game-high six saves.
The match took an ugly turn when the stellar Gonzalez, coming off a fine save, shoved a Virginia player to the ground and was given a red card, effectively ending any hopes the Wolfpack had to level the match. N.C. State, reduced to 10 players on the field after Gonzalez's red card, was forced to sit back and defend, but almost got a bizarre equalizer in the dying minutes. Confusion in the Virginia defense resulted in an N.C. State forward getting a free crack at what was essentially an empty goal with only four seconds left on the clock. His effort sailed just wide, clipping the post on the way, preserving the Cavaliers' lead and handing them their second ACC win of the season.
Virginia continues its schedule with a home game against the Liberty Flames on Wednesday.
Read More
Analyzing women’s soccer’s chances under the national spotlight
By Sam Chun , Peter Kratz and Anderson Kim | 3 hours agoThree beat writers analyze what Virginia needs to fix, and how this super talented squad can return to the College Cup for the first time since 2021.
A look back at 10 of the most notable of Coach Steve Swanson’s 500 wins
By Peter Kratz | 7 hours agoWith an Oct. 30 win against Boston College, Swanson reached 500 wins.
Four women’s tennis players to participate in NCAA Individual Championships
By Thomas Baxter | 21 hours agoThis year, Virginia will send four competitors to Orlando — two of its top singles players and both of its leading doubles pairings.
