On a beautiful fall evening, Virginia kicked off midweek against T-No. 23 Oregon State looking to build on its 2-0 win Friday over Boston College and reinvigorate their season’s outlook after what has been undoubtedly a rough and unexpected start.
The Cavaliers (2-1-3, 1-0-0) drew the Beavers (2-1-2, 0-0-0) after a late equalizer.
“It’s progress,” Virginia Coach George Gelnovatch said. “This is a very good team, and in previous matches against good teams, when we’re tied 1-1 and 2-2, we’re giving up a goal and we’re actually losing.”
Both teams began as if they were stuck in the mud, with many back and forth clearances and choppy passages of play preventing either team from getting the ball down and settling into the game. Despite the decent crosses being put into the box from both sides, 15 minutes passed with only one shot attempted.
Then, out of nowhere, Oregon State opened the scoring in the 28th minute as a direct ball over the top was headed down in the box before being corralled and fired into the back of the net by senior forward Wyatt Borso.
From there, the Beavers played as they wanted for the remainder of the first half, looking incredibly sharp and like the best opponent Virginia has yet to play. Decisive and composed on the ball, Oregon State forced the Cavaliers to dig in until halftime. Aside from a few hopeful crosses and corners into the box, Virginia struggled to create anything of note or bypass the press, making it a first half in which Virginia really had nothing to show for.
Coming out for the second half, the Cavaliers looked like a far more fearless, daring and confident team, playing in a way which demonstrated their ability to compete with and dominate the best of the best.
“It’s the adjustments we made,” Gelnovatch said. “There’s no lack of energy. There’s no lack of enthusiasm. We had to make adjustments … We basically went to a man-to-man press, and they couldn’t deal with it.”
In the 62nd minute, the substitution of fifth-year defender Parker Sloan for third-year forward Luke Burns indicated Gelnovatch’s desire for a more aggressive and offensive approach as the team switched from a back five to something closer to a back four, allowing them to commit more men forward and press more compactly high up the pitch.
At one point, a lovely side volley from Oregon State junior goalkeeper John Nicolson connected with Borso over the top, completely beating Virginia’s defense and drawing a crucial save from fourth-year goalkeeper Caleb Tunks. Aside from this, Beaver touches in the Cavalier box, and half, for the most part, came few and far between.
Stacking up corners and dangerous crosses right in front of the face of goal, Virginia’s renewed confidence led to more intricate play, quick passing, and in the 75th minute, the equalizer.
Fourth-year midfielder Marcos Dos Santos slalomed down the right wing before bursting into the box and cutting it back for fourth-year midfielder Brendan Lambe, who neatly tucked it into the bottom corner.
Speaking on the goal and in reference to it being yet again a midfielder on another cutback, Gelnovatch said, “It’s one of the ways we get at teams … especially with our wingbacks.”
From here, the Cavaliers tried desperately to secure the winner, relentlessly flashing crosses across the box. With nobody on the other end to put it in the back of the net, the game would go on to end in a spirited 1-1 draw.
“I’m proud of the effort,” Gelnovatch said. “I’m proud of the football that we played. I mean, I know I sound like a broken record, but structurally and foundationally, fundamentally … it's solid.”
Virginia will turn its attention to a game Saturday against Liberty in the final game of this opening seven-game home streak. A win would give them momentum heading into the thick of the conference schedule and their first away games, at Wake Forest and Stanford.
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