As junior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva slipped behind the American defense unnoticed and threaded the ball past the diving goalkeeper and into the top left corner of the net to give Virginia a decisive 4-1 lead, the Cavalier faithful breathed a sigh of relief.
The Virginia men’s soccer team (9-5-1, 5-2 ACC) finally found its footing last night following a three-game winless streak, prevailing 4-2 against the Eagles (7-6-2) at home, and perhaps gaining some confidence as they head into their final two home-conference matchups of the regular season.
“We’ve had a three-game stretch where we haven’t gotten the results,” Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. “I feel like, going into the last games of the ACC, we all knew this was important for a lot of reasons — for momentum and just for confidence.”
Overcoming the elements on a chilly and blustery night at Klöckner Stadium, Virginia managed to capitalize early on its offensive opportunities, something the squad struggled to do in its three-game skid. In close losses to Boston College and Duke and a tie with non-conference opponent Longwood, the Cavaliers outshot opponents 37-30 but managed to net only four goals.
Against the Eagles, however, Virginia put the ball away with ease. In just the seventh minute of action, freshman forward Brian Ownby put a dazzling move to beat two American defenders down the left side to the endline, drew out American freshman goalkeeper Matt Makowski and connected with Villanueva in the penalty area. Villanueva left the ball for junior forward Matt Mitchell, who scored on the empty net to give the Cavaliers an early 1-0 edge. After some back-and-forth play and a few missed chances by both sides — including a shot by Virginia sophomore forward Chase Neinken that banged off the crossbar — the Cavaliers again found the back of the net in the 33rd minute, when Ownby found the low corner after he was launched by a long ball from Villanueva.
“I think it was really important to get that early first goal, and the second goal was even bigger at halftime,” Gelnovatch said.
Although Ownby finished with a goal and an assist on the day, perhaps the Cavaliers’ biggest spark on offense came from Villanueva. A former U.S. under-20 Men’s National Team member as well as an ACC All-Freshman Team player in his first season at Virginia, he struggled as a sophomore, scoring just two goals and tallying only six assists on the year. The floodgates opened for him against the Eagles, however, as the junior midfielder was in on each of the four goals and scored his first two goals of the season. After he was credited for two assists on Virginia’s first two goals, Villanueva converted on a header in the 48th minute to give the Cavaliers a decisive 3-0 lead and scored again about 15 minutes later to put the final touches on the Virginia victory.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Villanueva said. “It’s finally good to get the monkey off my back.”
If Villanueva’s production continues, it could be especially important for the injury-ridden Cavaliers, who are in search of an offensive threat following the recent loss of freshman midfielder Tony Tchani. The squad’s leading scorer with nine goals on the year, Tchani suffered a partial ACL tear in last week’s tie with Longwood, and while his status for the season remains uncertain, the injury will require surgery at some point. Tchani’s injury followed a season-ending injury to fellow standout freshman Chris Agorsor, who tore his ACL Sept. 23 against Central Connecticut State.
Villanueva acknowledged that both Tchani’s and Agorsor’s absences have been physical and emotional losses for the team.
“Everyone on the team has to step up and take a little more leadership,” Villanueva said.
Without Tchani for the just the second time this season, the Cavaliers were not perfect last night; they allowed two American goals by freshman forward Jack Scott in a six-minute span of the second half. Overall, however, the win serves as a confidence-booster for Virginia heading into Friday night’s crucial ACC matchup against No. 6 Maryland.
“We scored some great goals, we managed the game, we moved the ball well,” Gelnovatch said. “Obviously I’m not happy with the two — what I think are — soft goals, but at this point, we’re just going to take the victory and get ready for Maryland.”
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