Friday night, the No. 7 Virginia men’s soccer team took on High Point at Klöckner Stadium in the second-ever match between the two teams.
The Panthers (1-2, 0-0 Big South) came into Charlottesville having split their previous two matches — defeating William & Mary and losing to then-No. 21 UNC-Charlotte. On the other hand, the Cavaliers (3-0, 0-0 ACC) entered the match on a two-game shutout streak, defeating both Pacific and then-No. 1 Maryland.
On the defensive end, the Cavaliers posted their third-straight shutout thanks to a defense anchored by junior center back Henry Kessler and freshman center back Andreas Ueland. Junior goalkeeper Colin Shutler was also outstanding, posting two crucial saves to keep High Point scoreless.
Offensively, the Cavaliers continued their aggressive style, recording 19 shots — six of which were on goal — as they peppered High Point senior goalkeeper Keegan Meyer.
Despite their aggressive play, the lone Virginia goal came off of free-kick from sophomore forward Daniel Steedman who calmly slotted the ball in the upper-right corner from just outside the 18-yard box.
“We’ve played three-straight NCAA Tournament teams from last year so given that, I told the team that this was another good win,” Coach George Gelnovatch said. “I give High Point credit — they made it tough for us, they had a good defensive posture and tried to catch us on counters.”
Next, Virginia will play yet another NCAA Tournament team in the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (4-0, 0-0 ACC) Sept. 13 in Durham, N.C. The match will be broadcasted live on ESPNU and is set to start at 6 p.m.
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