All the buildup went out the window as Virginia freshman forward Bacary Tandjigora weaved through the Virginia Tech defense, starting near midfield and cleaving the defenders. He reached the endline with the ball still glued to his foot and fired it across to freshman forward Nick Simmonds for a crowd-stunning equalizing tap-in.
The 79th minute silencer delivered the Cavaliers (3-1-1, 0-0-1 ACC) a 2-2 draw with the Hokies (2-0-2, 0-0-1 ACC). The storied rivalry of the in-state foes lived up to the hype, a heavyweight clash to open both programs’ conference slate.
The game was Virginia’s second on the road thus far this season. Their first, a 4-1 dismantling at the hands of George Mason, saw the Cavaliers fail to recover from an early deficit. This match went differently, deadlocked in more than just the score. The teams shared possession equally, 50 percent each. They took almost the same amount of shots, 14 for the visitors and 13 for the hosts.
The Cavaliers started striking those shots early, flirting with early chances from freshman midfielder Sami Oulouheu and graduate student Jesus De Vicente, in the sixth and ninth minute. The opportunities to open the scoring went missing.
“I thought it was an exciting game with a lot of chances for both teams,” Coach George Gelnovatch said. “I feel like if we had scored the two great chances that we had in the first half that it would have changed the complexion of the game.”
But a Virginia goal did come in the first half. Junior forward Marcos Dos Santos worked his way through to set up senior midfielder Umberto Pelà in the 27th minute, for Dos Santos’s team-leading fourth assist of the season. The connection had been on display earlier in the week, too, when Dos Santos assisted Pelà Monday against American. That time it had been the game's lone goal.
Friday there was more to be seen. Virginia Tech ultimately registered eight shots on goal to Virginia’s five, and it equalized two minutes later with senior forward Andy Sullins. Sullins, a Virginia player in 2022, added some flare to what already was a fiery match.
Moments before the halftime break, the Hokies struck again. Freshman defender Amir Ariely gave the Hokies a 2-1 lead.
It looked for a moment like the Hokies would run away with it. But Virginia graduate goalkeeper Casper Mols had other ideas.
Fending off four shots on goal in a span of 15 minutes, Mols kept the hopes of a Virginia comeback alive. His saves served as a reminder of why he was named a first-team All-American in 2022 in his freshman year at Kentucky.
The Hokie defense left the door open for the final equalizer. Simmonds knocked in his second goal of the season after Tandjigora’s heroics, and the result held from there. For the second straight season, an unranked Virginia team mustered a draw against a ranked Virginia Tech squad. The Hokies have not won the matchup since 2020.
“We ended up chasing the game in the second half, but we showed great spirit and resilience,” Gelnovatch said. “Baca made an amazing run to set up the game-tying goal and help us come away with a crucial point on the road.”
Virginia will continue ACC play at Louisville next Saturday at 7 p.m.
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