Virginia men’s soccer topped Notre Dame Sunday afternoon at Klockner Stadium in dramatic fashion, winning 1-0 in overtime. Following a scoreless 90 minutes of action, sophomore midfielder Jeremy Verley scored a golden goal from distance to end the game and give the Cavaliers (5-4-1, 1-0 ACC) a win over the visiting Fighting Irish (6-5, 0-1 ACC).
With the win Sunday, Virginia captured its 200th ACC win, becoming the first ACC school to reach that milestone. The Cavaliers also avenged their loss to the Fighting Irish back in October when Notre Dame defeated Virginia 2-1 in double overtime.
Both teams had limited opportunities on goal in the first half. Virginia’s best scoring opportunity came in the seventh minute, when sophomore forward/midfielder Kevin Ogudugu found himself one-on-one with senior goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin, who was able to make the save and keep the game scoreless.
Notre Dame later responded with a scoring chance of its own in the 27th minute when junior forward Jack Lynn fired a shot at goal from the six-yard box. Senior forward Irakoze Donasiyano made a terrific defensive effort, sliding to stop Lynn’s shot and keeping the game level.
The second half saw the continuation of the defensive battle between the two teams. Notre Dame recorded two shot attempts in the second half but both missed the goal. The Virginia defense did not allow a single shot on goal throughout the entire match. On offense, the Cavaliers outshot the Fighting Irish but could not find the back of the net during regulation.
With the score tied at 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes, the game headed into sudden death overtime. Early in the overtime period, the Cavaliers won a free kick near midfield after Notre Dame’s sophomore midfielder Michael Pellegrino was issued a yellow card. Verley stepped up to take the kick and served the ball into the box, where it bounced once before finding the back of the net to end the game. The goal was Verley’s first as a Cavalier and his third point in the last two games.
“For both teams that game was really important and a really important three points [for us],” Coach George Gelnovatch said. “It was well deserved and I do think we deserved to win the game. I don’t know the last time that we played a Notre Dame team that didn’t register a shot on goal so there’s a lot to be said for not just the guys in the back but the whole team. It was a great team performance, and a lot of good individual performances by some young guys.”
Dating back to the fall season, the Cavaliers have had five out of 10 games decided in overtime. With its win over Notre Dame, Virginia improves its record this season in overtime games to 2-2-1. The Cavaliers also recorded their second straight shutout and third on the season.
The Cavaliers continue conference play Saturday when they travel to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Dorrance Field and the match will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
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