In the final minutes of a fall night Tuesday at Klöckner Stadium, No. 9 Virginia had a chance to put the game away. Playing a man up against No. 19 UNC Greensboro, the Cavaliers (7-1-4, 3-0-3 ACC) applied continuous pressure but could not pierce the Spartans’ (8-2-3, 1-1 SoCon) back line, forcing them to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Earlier in the night, Virginia had asserted control, exploiting Spartan miscommunication to the tune of four corner kick opportunities within the first 10 minutes. It was during this onslaught that the ball in the 11th minute found graduate student Sebastian Pop, who drove home the Cavaliers’ first and only goal of the night. Coach George Gelnovatch had great praise for Pop, who played all 90 minutes Tuesday night, as he has in every game this season.
“I think he’s the best center back in our league,” Gelnovatch said. “He’s been outstanding. He’s one of the guys that makes us go.”
For the rest of the first half, however, UNCG applied most of the pressure. Virginia remained staunch defensively, shutting down many shots before they had a chance to reach graduate goalkeeper Casper Mols, who made two saves on the night.
The Virginia offense saw fewer and fewer opportunities as the half went on, with the forward duo of freshman Nick Simmonds and junior AJ Smith struggling to get on the ball and combining for just one shot in the first half.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half, however, the Cavaliers seemed to be entirely reinvigorated in their attacking.
“We got more pressure, and I think we were able to assert ourselves more like we did in the first 20 minutes of the game,” junior midfielder Marcos Dos Santos said.
Despite Virginia making the correct adjustments, and maintaining control for much of the second half, it was UNCG that managed to capitalize on a defensive mistake. In the 56th minute, the ball rocketed around the Cavalier penalty box like a pinball machine. The third shot on goal within four seconds found the back of the net for a Spartan score.
After a UNCG red card following a physical foul with just eight minutes left in the game, the Spartans pulled into a heavy back line, ready to make a last stand playing a man down.
Virginia scratched and clawed, mustering four shots in those final eight minutes. But it was ultimately unsuccessful in avenging its sole blemish on the night. The fans vacated the stands, and the team huddled on the field, frustrated but not deterred.
Gelnovatch is confident the team will get over the emerging issue of letting opponents back into games late. With 13 first-half goals on the year compared to seven in the second half, the Cavaliers often find themselves in the driver’s seat in the second half, but recently they have seen that control slip into late game draws, as they did by conceding in the 86th minute Friday for a 1-1 draw against Notre Dame. Gelnovatch says the solution is straightforward.
“We need to make more big plays, and big plays are scoring goals and preventing goals,” Gelnovatch said. “We’ll make it better.”
The night was not entirely unsuccessful for the Cavaliers, as they maintained their nine-game unbeaten streak, one that has now lasted six weeks.
Assisting on the only Virginia goal were Dos Santos and senior midfielder Umberto Pelà. Dos Santos has stepped up as Virginia’s best facilitator. With 8 assists on the season, he is tied for the most in the ACC and is second in the country.
“It feels great,” Dos Santos said. “I want to provide for my teammates, win as many games as possible. Just keep the streak going.”
And keeping the undefeated streak going will stay an important objective with the ACC Tournament looming in just three weeks.
Gelnovatch noted the significance of this game and the Cavaliers’ final non-conference test Sunday: building momentum toward tournament play and preparing for the challenge of facing high-quality out-of-conference opponents.
“These games mean something,” Gelnovatch said. “They’re not conference games where you’re getting points and you’re trying to win the conference, but they have meaning on a bigger scale for the NCAA Tournament.”
Virginia will not have it easy, with a home game against Denver at home at 5 p.m. Sunday, followed by two ACC opponents to close the season. It is getting to be crunch time for the Cavaliers.
“Every single game we go into we’re expecting to win,” Dos Santos said.
Read More
No. 3 field hockey comes out on top in third consecutive single-goal game
By Eleanor Buchanan | 6 hours ago“Coming off of a loss we really wanted to capitalize on today,” Nemec said.
Dissecting Virginia football’s status mid-season
By Xander Tilock , Ben McNiff , Theo Moll and Ryan Weiner | 7 hours agoBeat writers discuss key storylines.
Men’s tennis sweeps titles at ITA Atlantic Regional in Blacksburg
By Uswa Tariq | 18 hours agoSophomore Keegan Rice won the singles crown, and the pairing of senior Mans Dahlberg and junior Dylan Dietrich captured the doubles title.
