On a calm fall evening, with the season entering its final stretch, Virginia kicked off against California looking to set itself up for the final push toward the postseason. A ninth-minute strike from fourth-year midfielder Marco Dos Santos was all the Cavaliers needed as they held on for a 1-0 win at Klöckner Stadium and recorded just their third clean sheet of the season.
The Cavaliers (6-5-1, 3-2-0 ACC) handed the Golden Bears (4-4-3, 1-3-1 ACC) their third conference loss of the season.
“Most importantly, this was probably the most … complete game that we’ve been talking about in terms of all phases,” Coach George Gelnovatch said. “Transition, defending the box, shutout, chance creation.”
The Cavaliers got off to a sharp start, controlling possession and switching fields with two or three quick passes. A higher, man-to-man press kept Cal pinned in its own half, and it did not take long for the pressure to pay off.
In the eighth minute, fourth-year midfielder Brendan Lambe played a neat one-two with fourth-year forward AJ Smith before spreading the ball wide to fifth-year defender Parker Sloan, who drove forward and slipped a brilliant ball through for Dos Santos, who ran onto it and smashed into the back of the net. The goal was his sixth of the season, drawing him level with Smith for the team lead.
“Every game I just try to give my all, and if it ends in a goal, it ends in a goal,” Dos Santos said. “If it ends in no goals, it ends in no goals.”
From there, Dos Santos and Lambe bossed the middle of the park.
“Two of the best players in the conference, in the country,” Gelnovatch said of the duo. “They’re driving us.”
In the 30th minute, a hard Virginia foul on California junior midfielder Kieran Bracken Serra gave the visitors a free kick just outside the penalty area. With nearly the entire team in the Cavalier wall, rather than shooting, Bracken Serra played a cheeky pass through to a teammate, who toe-poked it off the crossbar. Fourth-year goalkeeper Caleb Tunks scrambled out to collect the rebound.
That was the closest Cal came in the first half, though the Bears caused some serious panic in the Virginia box. Their six first-half corners and a handful of set pieces had the Cavaliers throwing bodies in front of the ball. At the other end, Dos Santos met a loose ball at the top of the box on the half volley in the 40th minute. His shot drew a dive from the Cal keeper but whistled just wide.
The Cavaliers thought they had a penalty just 30 seconds into the second half when Dos Santos was dragged down in the box. VAR overturned the call. Dos Santos went down again in the 53rd minute, and the referee immediately waved off the shouts.
As the half wore on, Virginia’s fatigue began to show, and Cal took advantage, holding long spells of possession deep in the Cavalier half. Forced to dig in, Lambe was booked in the 67th minute for dragging down California sophomore midfielder Noe Morales after a lovely bit of skill. In the 73rd, senior forward Cesar Cordova, a transfer from Virginia, danced in and around the box before spinning and rifling a shot just wide.
Through it all, Sloan was a constant on the flank, flying up and down the wing and putting in a really solid defensive shift. A Virginia native in his fifth year with the program, he’s playing more minutes than ever.
“He’s Mr. Reliable,” Gelnovatch said. “He plays just about any position. He just brings stability and leadership.”
Virginia saw it out to secure a 1-0 win. In a season defined by goals conceded in the closing minutes, Gelnovatch said the week leading up to the match was spent on film and mentality, with the group drawing “a line in the sand to say no more.”
“Most of what’s plagued us is defending in the penalty area, and tonight that was excellent,” Gelnovatch said.
Dos Santos, one of Virginia’s three captains, said the mindset all week was that the worst-case scenario was a 0-0 draw.
“We know we can beat any team on any given night,” Dos Santos said.
The clean sheet came at an absolutely pivotal point in the season. Virginia is now in the middle of four games in 10 days, and Gelnovatch said he is taking it one game at a time.
“Whatever I have to do in that game to win, I’m gonna just do it,” Gelnovatch said.
With the result, all eyes turn to Tuesday, when the Cavaliers face Gardner-Webb in pursuit of a strong finish to the regular season.
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