Fans who were looking for a competitive soccer game last night likely were disappointed. Virginia easily took care of Liberty by handing the Flames a 3-0 loss at Klöckner Stadium.
Sophomore midfielder Jimmy Simpson led Virginia with two goals, and freshman midfielder Tony Tchani extended his team-leading goal total with one, which gives the freshman nine goals on the season. Junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo recorded his second straight shutout while adding four saves. With the win Virginia improves to 7-3 (3-0 ACC) overall and extends its current winning streak to five games.
Though Virginia has a history of winning against Liberty, the win nevertheless demonstrated that Virginia continues to evolve and improve as a team. Virginia wrapped up the result in the first 20 minutes with early goals and held on throughout the game to maintain its three-goal advantage. The Cavaliers posted their fourth shutout of the season and were able to capitalize on early scoring opportunities in the contest, which was an area of concern in the opening part of the season.
“I’m cautious about whether we’ve found ourselves or not,” Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. “But I will say that we’re doing something right and we’re feeling great.”
Both teams opened the game looking flat; neither was able to establish early momentum or consistency. Through the first 10 minutes of the opening half, neither Virginia nor Liberty generated any real scoring opportunities. Virginia, however, quickly reversed that trend with a flurry of goals. Simpson got things started for Virginia when he scored the first goal of the game in the 14th minute. Tchani created the scoring opportunity by feeding a pass to sophomore forward Chase Neinken, who quickly one-timed a shot off Liberty goalkeeper Paul Gilbert. Simpson collected the rebound and drilled it into the empty net to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.
Less than five minutes later, Simpson added his second goal of the game off a trap-and-shoot play. After receiving a centering pass from junior forward Matt Mitchell, Simpson played the ball off his body and then blasted a shot past Gilbert.
Not long after Simpson’s tally, Tchani made the game 3-0 by neatly lofting the ball over the head of an unsuspecting Liberty goalkeeper. Tchani created the scoring opportunity with a turnover, collecting the ball and outrunning every defender to loft the ball over Gilbert. Tchani’s goal — which came in the 21st minute — would prove to be the final goal of the half.
The second half started in much the same way as the first, with little action. Virginia remained scoreless well into the half, as did Liberty. Both teams, it seemed, settled down from Virginia’s early offensive outburst and played rather evenly over most of the second period. Virginia out-shot Liberty 14-3 in the game but came out behind in corner kicks, five to two.
After the game, Virginia players and coaches were happy with the win. They were, however, careful not to make too much of the victory, especially with a big game against Clemson looming. When asked about the result, freshman defender Howard Turk gave a quick and simple response: “It always makes it much easier when the offense scores a couple of early goals.”
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