Despite a halftime deficit to an excited in-state rival, the Virginia men's soccer team (9-5) defeated a very scrappy Old Dominion Monarch team 3-2 last night at Klöckner Stadium.
Old Dominion (6-6) started the scoring 37 minutes into the game when sophomore defender Brian Kluckman finished off the rebound from a Monarch corner kick. Virginia junior goalie David Comfort lost control of the ball in the air, dropping the ball into the middle of a crowd, where Kluckman scored.
A strong first-half performance from the Virginia defense, led by junior defender Matt Oliver, kept the game a 1-0 affair in Old Dominion's favor.
The second half brought out a different team from the Virginia locker room. In the second minute of the second half, senior forward Ryan Gibbs sparked the Virginia comeback by gathering a loose ball and finding the back of the net. Gibbs dribbled straight toward the opposing goalie, who deflected the shot far left of the goal.
Gibbs then recovered the ball and shot it over a defender's head into the net -- at what seemed to be an impossible angle -- tying the game at 1-1.
"I just wanted to strike it cleanly, and thank God I did," Gibbs said.
Gibbs admitted that the shot was a tough angle even for him, but said he made sure it ended up in the right place. Gibbs started the Cavalier comeback with his goal, creating a deadlock at a goal apiece but the even score would not last long.
It took Virginia 18 more minutes to finally take its first lead of the game. Junior forward Alecko Eskandarian received a cross from Gibbs and took care of the rest, dribbling through the Monarch defense and unleashing a rifling shot that the keeper had no chance of saving.
But the Monarchs would not quit. Old Dominion quickly responded to the Virginia goal in the 68th minute. Junior forward Attila Vendegh collected a pass through the Virginia defense after a costly turnover by the Cavaliers. Vendegh then one-timed the shot into the lower corner of the net past a sprawling Comfort.
The Cavaliers put the game out of reach for the Monarchs in the 74th minute, when senior defender Jonathan Cole headed in the game winner off a corner kick from junior midfielder Jacob LeBlanc.
Cole said it "was just a matter of beating my man to the spot."
Gelnovatch sees improvement in his team, but knows it still has the desire to win after the comeback victory.
"The second half was much better," Gelnovatch said.
Gelnovatch was happy with the outcome of the game, but still acknowledged that the team had problems that needed to be addressed.
When asked whether or not he was concerned about the number of missed scoring opportunities, Gelnovatch said he had a strong idea of what needed to be done.
"I'm more concerned about giving up goals," Gelnovatch said.
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