For the first time since Oct. 2 of last year, the Virginia men's soccer team lost a match. Wake Forest sophomore forward Andy Lubahn capitalized on a Cavalier mistake during the 64th minute to score a goal that proved to be all the difference in the 1-0 Virginia loss against the Demon Deacons.
"They picked us off in our own half and the ball took a little bit of a deflection to go in the goal," coach George Gelnovatch said.
The Demon Deacon goal precipitated a frantic 25-minute span to close the game, as the No. 2 Cavaliers (3-1-1) sent waves of offensive pressure into the Wake Forest half. Opposing redshirt senior goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald was forced into a total of seven saves, including several down the stretch that denied Virginia an equalizer.
The Cavaliers saw the better of the chances before and after the goal, outshooting the No. 14 Demon Deacons (2-2-1) 14 to 10.
"It's kind of natural to push forward once you're down a goal," redshirt junior midfielder Jimmy Simpson said. "Everything opens up."
This aggressive style of play translated into six yellow cards between the two teams after the Demon Deacon goal. Simpson was at the center of much of the tough back-and-forth play at the end of the match and received a yellow card during the 65th minute for a hard tackle.
"That's par for the course," Gelnovatch said of the aggressive play.
After the match, Simpson did not attribute any blame to the officiating. Rather, he said the 90-minute grind was just part of playing in the ACC.
The Cavaliers knocked off the Demon Deacons in the semifinals of the College Cup last season with a 2-1 overtime victory. It took two overtime periods to eliminate the pesky Wake squad during the semifinals of the ACC tournament a month prior to that. Saturday's victory marks the first time the Deacons have prevailed against Virginia since 2008.
"Of course they're going to come here with everything they have," Simpson said, alluding to the recent history between the teams.
Virginia does not have much time to dwell on the defeat. The Cavaliers return to Kl
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