On the final day of the regular season, the Virginia men's soccer team had a lot at stake. With a win against Maryland, the Cavaliers would claim the ACC regular season championship; but with a loss, the team would drop its first game at Klöckner Stadium as well as suffer back-to-back defeats for the first time this year.
In an extremely hard fought, back-and-forth contest, the Cavaliers fell to the Terrapins 1-0 on a goal by Jason Arnold with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Arnold one-timed a cross from teammate Jason Garey past a diving Ryan Burke to put the Terrapins ahead for good.
"I thought that game would be a one-play game, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "It was two good teams knowing what was at stake and not wanting to make a mistake. And whether it was overtime or regulation, it was going to be something like that, and you just hope that you are on the winning end of it."
The defeat dropped the Cavaliers to 14-4 (4-3 ACC) on the season, while Maryland improved to 13-4-1 (4-2-1 ACC) with the win.
While Maryland was able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity late in the game, the Cavaliers were not as successful, as they had many good scoring chances turned away by the Terrapins. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Maryland defender Kenney Bertz saved a sure goal for Virginia when he kicked the ball off the goal line after the ball got past Terrapin goalie Noah Palmer.
"They were just a little more fortunate down the stretch," Gelnovatch said, "I thought that was a goal they saved off the line."
In an extremely physical match, typical of the ACC this year, there were 26 fouls committed, 15 by Virginia and 11 by Maryland. The game, which was played before a massive crowd at Klöckner Stadium, had more of the feel of a postseason contest than a regular season game.
"It felt like a postseason game," Cavalier goalkeeper Ryan Burke said. "We didn't get our breaks today, and I'm glad we didn't get them because you only have so many of them. Why waste them on a game that is relatively meaningless when you compare it to a game like an ACC tournament game?"
Although the game may have seemed like a postseason contest to the players and fans, the loss to Maryland didn't have the same effect as a defeat in the ACC or NCAA tournament would have.
"I told our guys that it feels like a season-ending playoff loss, but it's not," Gelnovatch said. "The postseason is just starting, and we'll be better."
As far as postseason play is concerned, the Cavaliers begin play in the ACC tournament on Wednesday in Cary, N.C. If Virginia is going to advance in the ACC tournament and, more importantly, in the NCAA tournament, the team will need to rebound from its first losing streak of the year and create a winning streak of its own. If the Cavaliers are able to start and maintain such a winning streak, the postseason could end on a far brighter note for the Cavaliers than their regular season ended on Friday night.
Read More
Wrestling gets blown out 34-9 on long road trip to Stanford
By Ryan Weiner | 10 hours agoSolid performances from its most reliable trio were not enough for Virginia.
Freshman excellence powers No. 5 men’s tennis past Boise State, No. 19 Alabama
By Thomas Baxter | 18 hours agoVirginia, unlike many other regional hosts, held serve as its quartet's top seed.
No. 1 women’s swimming and diving destroys No. 2 Texas
By Xander Tilock | 21 hours agoOnce again, Virginia has proven to be head and shoulders above other top programs.
