The Virginia men’s soccer team, playing its seventh match in the last 22 days, sputtered to a 2-0 home loss against ACC rival Clemson on a rain-soaked field Friday night.
The Cavaliers (5-4-1, 1-2-0 ACC) were unable to carry over momentum from their exciting 1-0 overtime victory at Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday night as they struggled to find any rhythm offensively in the early stages of Friday’s game. Virginia’s demanding schedule seemed to finally catch up to them as the Cavaliers appeared lethargic early and were unable to fight back after conceding an early goal.
“I think [the fatigue] is cumulative for us right now,” coach George Gelnovatch said. “We were completely a different team in terms of how heavy our legs were. The legs got heavy and then we stopped thinking and stopped having game intelligence.”
The Tigers (3-5-2, 2-1-1 ACC) — who were coming off six days of rest after an upset win against then-No. 17 NC State — controlled play and possession early in the contest, out-shooting the Cavaliers 5-1 and racking up four corner kicks in the opening half.
Clemson took the lead in the 27th minute after an attempted Cavalier clearance inadvertently deflected off a referee on Virginia’s side of the pitch, setting up an easy counterattack for the Tigers.
After the auspicious bounce for Clemson, the ball found redshirt sophomore midfielder Manolo Sanchez, who continued his run all the way down the right flank. Sanchez then turned and fired a low, hard cross through the box. The ball squeezed past a diving sophomore goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita and reached the foot of sophomore Ara Amirkhanian. Standing alone at the back post, the midfielder easily slipped the ball in the back of the net for his second goal of the season and the game’s opening tally.
The Tigers came close to adding to their lead late in the first period after a series of tight, accurate passes in the box led to a clean look for freshman midfielder Richard Robinson. Standing alone at the top of the box, Robinson fired toward goal, but his attempt ricocheted off the top crossbar and was eventually cleared by the Cavaliers.
“For periods [in the first half], we were moving the ball okay,” tri-captain senior forward Will Bates said. “But when it got into their attacking third, we lacked the vision, the mind was a little off and the decision making wasn’t the best.”
After the break, though, Virginia opened with a more concerted plan of attack in a persistent effort to tie the score. The Cavaliers totaled 10 shots in the second half — including a remarkable eight shots in the first twenty minutes of the second period alone — yet were unable to equalize.
“I got on them a little bit, and [told them] the way to get through the physical part is to be really sharp up here,” Gelnovatch said, pointing toward his head. “And I think they responded in terms of that. And then as we pushed and pushed and pushed, I thought we should have had an equalizer.”
In the 55th minute, freshman forward Marcus Salandy-Defour created a prime scoring opportunity after he showcased his blazing speed and found free space on the left wing. As he neared the box, a Clemson defender pulled him down from behind, drawing demands for a penalty kick from the crowd. Instead, the Cavaliers received a free kick from inches outside the box, and Bates sent the shot soaring over the target.
Just minutes later, Cavalier freshman defender Scott Thomsen sent a free kick into the box, creating a scramble that nearly resulted in a goal. The ball eventually settled near freshman defender Zach Carroll, who returned to the Cavalier starting lineup after missing the team’s last five games with an injury. Carroll put his shot on target, but the attempt was easily corralled by Clemson redshirt freshman goalkeeper Chris Glodack.
The Cavaliers’ best chance to even the game came in the 64th minute when sophomore midfielder Eric Bird sent a gorgeous through ball across the field, setting up Salandy-Defour on the left flank. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Salandy-Defour attempted to sneak the ball through the near side, but he ended up beating the post as well.
Clemson ended the suspenseful comeback bid with a clinching goal in the 75th minute. With Virginia pushing forward in the desperate hopes of tying the score, Sanchez notched his second assist of the game as his cross into the box gave senior forward Austin Savage an easy score.
After an arduous stretch of games, the Cavaliers will get some much-needed rest before they visit No. 1 Maryland Friday.
“We need a week off,” Gelnovatch said. “We need some time to rest.”
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