The old saying goes, "To be the champ, you have to beat the champ."
Well the No. 4 Cavaliers did more than beat the defending national champion No. 2 Maryland Terrapins, humbling them 3-0 in Virginia's biggest victory of the season.
The Terrapins came into Klöckner Stadium on a seven-game winning streak. They had only given up six goals all year and had never been shutout.
They had a psychological edge as well. Last season, Maryland embarrassed the Cavaliers on its home field 3-0 and sent Virginia into a nosedive for the rest of the season. The Cavaliers were determined last night to turn the tables.
"We wanted to make them understand how it feels to lose 3-0 away," senior forward Adam Cristman said. "We really wanted to take it to them."
Maryland held the ball early on in the match with some tough physical play, but Virginia was able to counter later when a controversial foul on midfielder Ian Holder in the 16th minute rallied the team.
The Cavaliers then used their speed to dodge Maryland's big defensive line and sent a barrage of shots towards the goal.
In the 29th minute, after several close calls, a corner kick resulted in a header by sophomore forward Yannick Reyering, which freshman midfielder Jonathan Villanueva was able to catch off the deflection to score his second goal of the season, once again against the No. 2 team in the country.
"I tell [my teammates] I only score goals in big games," Villanueva said. "I'm trying to step up whenever I can and put the goal in the back of the net."
Reyering got a chance to knock in his eighth goal of the year moments later. A shot by Holder was deflected right to Reyering, outside of the box. He was able to skirt around two defenders and nailed a shot right past Maryland goalie Chris Seitz into the back left corner of the net.
It was the first time all season Virginia scored two goals in the same half.
With a comfortable margin, Virginia was able to play a superb game of ball control that frustrated Maryland.
The highlight of the second half came early in the 49th minute when a head-to-head collision sent Cristman to the ground, bleeding from just above his eyebrow. He returned with a large band aid and different jersey, but his stellar play remained the same.
In the 79th minute, Cristman's dedication was rewarded when junior midfielder Nico Colaluca sprinted past three Maryland defenders and crossed the ball right to Cristman at the top of the box. One flick of the ball by Cristman and Virginia tied for its largest scoring output of the season at three goals.
"[Cristman's effort] was warrior-like", Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "He's going to need stitches; he's a great leader and was inspirational for us. I hope he scores his goals down the stretch, I think he'll score a few more for us."
With the win, Virginia reclaims sole possession of the top spot in the ACC conference with a record of 12-2-0 (4-2-0 ACC).
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