WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-In a game that can be best characterized as painfully boring, the second-seeded Virginia men's soccer team grabbed an early 1-0 lead and sat on it to beat seventh-seeded N.C. State yesterday in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
The contest at Wake Forest's rain-soaked Spry Stadium was decided in the first few minutes when the Wolfpack (3-12-3) scored an own goal. The rest of the match dragged on at an excruciatingly slow pace.
The only goal for No. 9 Virginia (14-4-1) came just three minutes into the game. Cavalier junior midfielder Marshall Leonard sent a cross from the left side right at N.C. State defender Tony Malcolm in front of the Wolfpack goal. Malcolm, under little Virginia pressure, inexplicably made a horrendous misplay and deflected the ball into the net for a 1-0 Virginia lead.
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The remainder of the match seemed to be played out in slow motion. The Cavs controlled the midfield, yet appeared content to merely maintain possession. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack played an extremely soft, conservative defense, waiting for Virginia to turn the ball over. As a result, much of the game consisted of the Cavaliers toying with the ball in the midfield while N.C. State looked on.
Virginia had the best scoring chances in the first half, including a trio of shots at relatively close range by freshman forward Alecko Eskandarian, who was named the ACC Rookie of the Year Wednesday. On the first two opportunities, Eskandarian received clever through balls, but he sent the shots wide left. Sophomore forward Ryan Gibbs also connected with Eskandarian on a low cross, but the freshman phenom's try sailed high.
"He's been our most reliable guy around the goal," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said about Eskandarian. "I think he would tell you he should have put away a chance or two today. It would have given us a little more of a cushion."
Added Martino: "Tonight he had rough luck on some of the shots. But I know that when it comes down to it, he's going to put it in."
Virginia maintained the same possession game in the second half. Its best chance came with 28 minutes to go in the game, when Cavalier sophomore defender Jonathan Cole got free down the right flank. His cross to the far post found Eskandarian, who headed the ball down in front of the goal where sophomore midfielder Eric Solomon sat wide open. Solomon, however, disappointed Virginia fans by blasting the seemingly easy shot high.
The final statistics proved total Cav domination. Virginia led 22-4 in shots, 7-1 in shots on goal and 13-2 in corner kicks. Yet the Cavaliers likely will need more goal-scoring tonight at 5:30 p.m., when they face third-seeded Duke, which beat Maryland in double overtime yesterday.
"I'm not going to dwell on it," Gelnovatch said. "I'm not even going to watch the film. We didn't execute a couple of chances. A couple of guys weren't as sharp as they usually are, and the result was it got a little sloppy. I don't think we're too concerned about it. We've just need to put it behind us, realizing that we've got to step out tomorrow and be a little sharper"
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