Virginia men's soccer coach George Gelnovatch knows how important it is for his team to get an early lead. Saturday afternoon they scored first and dominated to the finish.
The Cavaliers (5-5-0, 2-1 ACC) defeated the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (3-5-0), 4-1, at Klöckner Stadium. The win broke their two-game losing skid and pulled their record back to .500 on the season.
"Statistically, when we score first this year, we win," Gelnovatch said. "We're much better, because we're still young, at not chasing the game."
Virginia got on the scoreboard first, 26:13 into the contest, with sophomore Paul Johnson's first goal of the season. Defender Hunter Freeman sent a free kick into the box, where teammate Mike Littlefield headed the ball for a shot. Littlefield's shot was deflected, but Johnson stayed on top of the play and chipped the ball into the goal for a 1-0 lead.
Virginia made the score 2-0 less than two minutes later when freshman Adam Cristman headed in a cross from midfielder Joe Vide for what would prove to be the deciding goal.
"There was a big gap in the middle, so I made a run and kind of came between the two backs, and [Vide] lobbed a good ball in," Cristman said.
Cristman's goal was his third of the season and also his third game-winning goal of the year.
The Cavaliers continued to control the game in the second half. They extended their lead to 3-0 early in the half on a Phillip Long free kick from about 20 yards out.
The Bulldogs scored their only goal of the game five minutes later. A&M's Keston Lewis took a shot, gathered his own rebound and beat Virginia goalkeeper Ryan Burke for the score.
But Virginia ensured the victory late in the second half. Forward Chris Megaloudis scored his first goal of the season on assists from John Hartman and Sean Hinkle.
The game was marked by aggressive play on both sides. The referees handed out six yellow cards, four of them to A&M. Bulldog defender Musa Gibba received a red card midway through the second half.
"I think it made us try to match their intensity level," senior defender Matt Oliver said. "You can't be passive with them. You're either going to have to match them or be more aggressive, and I think we did a good job with it."
The Virginia defense played a solid game, allowing A&M very little time in the offensive zone.
"Our back four has been one of the strong points of our team," Gelnovatch said. "Three of them are the same guys that were there last year, and they're doing a rock-solid job. The part that kept us in their half was the passing and our pressure."
Burke was making only his second career start and third appearance in goal for Virginia. He made three saves on four shots.
"His hands are really good, his feet are good," Oliver said. "I think he's doing really well."
The Cavaliers return to Klöckner again Saturday to host the Clemson Tigers in the second game of a three-game home stand. A win would raise Virginia's record to 3-1 in the ACC and put them in good position in the conference.
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