The Virginia men’s soccer team stumbled late against longtime rival Maryland in the ACC Championship game Sunday, losing 1-0 in Germantown, Md. The No. 12 Cavaliers ceded an own-goal in the 88th minute off the leg of senior defender Kevin McBride to hand the No. 4 Terrapins the title after keeping the score level for nearly two full halves.
Virginia (10-5-5, 4-3-4 ACC) missed a chance to capture the program’s 11th ACC Championship despite outshooting Maryland, 6-5. The top-seeded Terrapins put two shots on goal to the Cavaliers’ one and had a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Virginia and Maryland faced one another in the ACC Championship for the seventh and final time since the postseason tournament’s inception in 1987. The two programs have now combined for 16 conference championships as the Terrapins earned their second consecutive title in their last year before leaving the ACC for the Big Ten.
Virginia advanced to the conference final Friday night in thrilling fashion by overcoming a two-goal deficit in the last 10 minutes of regulation against No. 1 Notre Dame. Virginia went on to win in a penalty shootout for a 4-3 win. Sophomore midfielder Marcus Salandy-Defour sealed the victory on the last of the 10 penalty kicks to keep the Cavaliers’ championship hopes alive.
Virginia trailed Notre Dame 2-0 at halftime and 3-1 after Irish senior defender Andrew O’Malley scored on a rebound goal in the 80th minute. Salandy-Defour halved the Virginia deficit four minutes later, and freshman forward Nicko Corriveau notched the tying goal off Salandy-Defour’s helper in the 86th minute.
Sophomore defender Scott Thomsen, sophomore forward Darius Madison, freshman forward Riggs Lennon and Salandy-Defour all found the back of the net for Virginia in the shootout against the Fighting Irish.
The NCAA selection committee will announce the tournament bracket Monday at noon. The Cavaliers are expected to receive an at-large bid and open NCAA Tournament play Thursday.
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