When freshman Tony Tchani’s penalty kick in the 17th minute caught Central Connecticut State goalkeeper Paul Armstrong guessing left as it went in the lower right corner, the last thing on anyone’s mind was Virginia’s 2-0 early cushion.
Only moments earlier, freshman Chris Agorsor had been carted off the field and loaded into an ambulance after he was tripped in the box by a Blue Devil defender, which led to the penalty. The Cavaliers went on to win 4-0, but the questions concerning Agorsor were equal in number to those regarding the team’s stellar performance against a legitimate Central Connecticut squad.
“We don’t know yet [about Agorsor’s status],” Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. “We’re going to go to the hospital and see how he’s doing.”
Agorsor, who is the squad’s second-leading scorer with four goals this season, lay on the field for more than 20 minutes before he was finally loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Freshman Brian Ownby, who came in for Agorsor following the injury, said the team visit would likely not have occurred last night, since Agorsor was in the emergency room.
That injury aside, Virginia (4-3, 1-0 ACC) rebounded off its 5-0 dismantling of N.C. State Friday with an equally dominant performance against the Blue Devils (4-2-1). After struggling to finish at the beginning of the season, the Cavaliers have scored nine goals in their last two games.
“In every game we’ve created chances just like the ones we did tonight,” Gelnovatch said. “The last two games, we’ve just started getting comfortable with ourselves.”
Central Connecticut State, on the other hand, was not quite as comfortable. The Blue Devils were overpowered on both ends of the field, as they were outshot 20-4. Tchani in particular found holes throughout the evening; in addition to the penalty kick, he ripped a shot from 15 yards out in front of the net in the sixth minute for Virginia’s opening goal. Then, in the 32nd minute, Tchani found junior Ross LaBauex just past midfield; LaBauex put a beautiful touch to the inside to beat the Blue Devils’ lone defender and easily beat the sliding Armstrong for goal number three.
Ownby’s second goal of the year iced the Blue Devils just 17 seconds into the second half as he finished on the ground from 12 yards away after being launched on a long ball by senior Matt Poole.
While Virginia often sees opponents in the middle of the week who are simply not in its league, Central Connecticut State was not necessarily one of them. The Blue Devils were ranked in the top 25 in the preseason and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
Of course, the Northeast Conference is not the ACC.
“They definitely had a lot more pace,” said Central Connecticut State sophomore Collin Nicholas, an Arlington, Va. native, “They weren’t really bigger, but definitely faster, quicker, more agility to what we’re playing up in our conference.”
Of course, Nicholas said, arriving in Charlottesville at 1 a.m. after a 12-hour bus ride didn’t help his team’s cause.
“It was just ridiculous — 12-hour bus ride, and it’s only supposed to be nine,” Nicholas said. “We got in, got up this morning, had a little session here at 9 or 10, then went out and got some lunch. It was rough.”
Whether the Blue Devils were affected by the bus ride or simply overcome by a Virginia team that is hitting its stride, they were in for a shock come game-time.
“Honestly I don’t think we were ready for what was coming at us,” Nicholas said. “I just don’t think we were prepared mentally. There were just too many breakdowns.”
Throughout the game, the difference in the speed of play between the two teams was apparent, as the Blue Devils simply could not catch up with Virginia’s quick one and two-touch passing.
“It was pretty quick,” Nicholas said. “From what we’ve been playing, the pace was definitely a lot faster.”
With Agorsor’s status for the remainder of the season in question, however, it remains to be seen whether this pace can stay at quite the same level as Virginia hits the meat of its conference schedule.
Read More
Cavaliers collapse, lose 3-2 in walkoff to North Carolina
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayVirginia will head to the loser's bracket Sunday after a disappointing loss to North Carolina.
Gertrude out for season after scooter accident
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayThe hype around his second season will have to wait.
Tony Bennett’s contract extended to 2030
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayWith the legendary coach secured in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers can focus on returning to a standard of postseason success.
