On another cool, damp night at Klöckner Stadium, the No. 7 Virginia men's soccer team (14-2-0) remained on fire as they extended their current winning streak to nine games with a convincing 4-1 victory over in-state rival, No. 24 Old Dominion (10-4-2).
The offensive catalyst once again for the Cavaliers was reigning ACC Player of the Week, junior defender Hunter Freeman. Freeman assisted on all three first-half goals, increasing his NCAA-leading assist total to 19. With last night's three assists, Freeman now sits only one assist shy of tying the single season Virginia assist record of 20.
"Hunter has always been good at serving the ball," coach George Gelnovatch said. "His confidence and his maturity are at an all-time high."
The Cavaliers' first goal came 9:37 into the game when Freeman found a streaking Ian Holder down the right flank. Holder proceeded to float the ball across the box to sophomore Adam Cristman, who headed the ball past Monarch goalkeeper John Connelly.
The Cavaliers maintained constant pressure on the Monarchs following their first goal, which ultimately resulted in a Jeremy Barlow tally, this second goal coming off a Freeman corner kick.
Matt Oliver, who would also score a penalty kick in the second half, extended the Cavalier lead to 3-0 a mere five minutes later, when he redirected a Freeman free kick past Connelly.
Virginia's second and third goals both came off set pieces, an area in which the Cavaliers have been very dangerous this year.
"Every restart we put in has been dangerous," Gelnovatch said. "If they are not set for us, we have something to throw at them on every occasion."
Last night's game marked the first time this season the Cavaliers have held a 3-0 lead as they entered the locker room at halftime.
"We are usually down a goal," Freeman said. "We scored three goals in the first half of the game, we have never done that."
Along with the offensive explosion in the first half, the Cavalier defense did a superb job of controlling Old Dominion's best offensive threat, senior midfielder Kevon Harris. Harris, who scored the game-winning goal in the Monarch's two previous contests, was held to zero shots on goal as a result of relentless defensive pressure.
After a dominating first half, the Cavaliers entered cruise control mode throughout the majority of the second half, controlling possession and limiting the Monarch's offensive attacks.
The Monarchs' lone goal came as a result of a penalty kick, a foul that occurred when Virginia goalkeeper Ryan Burke obstructed an Old Dominion player. Sophomore forward Ross Mackenzie finished the penalty kick for the Monarchs.
Virginia should use their success in last night's first half as a building block for their final two games of the season, both critical ACC contests against rivals Virginia Tech and Maryland.
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