In its first game since suffering a last-minute meltdown against Charlotte Friday, the Virginia men's soccer team nearly stumbled down the stretch again, but held on to 4-3 win against Radford.
Junior forward Will Bates starred last night, scoring four goals during the opening 20 minutes of the game to put the Cavaliers (5-3-0) comfortably ahead from the outset. Bates, who leads Virginia with nine goals overall, continued his recent hot streak as Radford (3-3-0) repeatedly struggled to match up with Virginia's athleticism and size advantage.
The opening goal came less than four minutes after kickoff when Bates buried an easy finish from eight yards out set up by freshman midfielder Eric Bird. Bird dribbled straight through the heart of the Radford defense and slotted a through pass ahead to Bates who outran a hopelessly beaten defender to the ball.
"We talked in practice about coming out and getting a good start," Bates said. "We have to knock teams out of the game."
Less than two minutes later, Bates received a nearly identical pass from freshman midfielder Calvin Rezende for another one-on-one opportunity with redshirt junior goalkeeper Ryan Taylor. Rezende - making his first career start - created open space in the center of the field and flashed his speed as he turned toward goal and burst through the defense to find Bates for the second tally of the game.
Rezende contributed to the next goal as well when the Highlanders' defense - wary of his speed - committed a foul before Rezende could enter the 18-yard box. The Cavaliers were awarded a free kick and capitalized yet again. Bates hooked a ball around the right side of the wall catching the keeper off-guard.
Up 3-0, the Cavaliers continued to press forward and scored what turned out to be a crucial goal in the 20th minute. Sophomore forward Brian Span crossed the ball from deep in the right corner and placed a perfect pass for a waiting Bates in the box. Bates outmuscled an overmatched defender and headed in his fourth goal of the game.
Just as it seemed that Virginia would run away with the match, the Highlanders managed to get on the board before halftime and begin to turn the momentum in their favor. Sophomore midfielder Luis Grande made a run into the box and collided with Virginia redshirt senior defender Greg Monaco. The referee immediately called Monaco for a contested foul and awarded Radford a penalty kick.
Radford's senior forward Iyiola Awosinka struck a low shot to the left side of the net past freshman goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita.
"I think giving [Radford] the goal at the end of the first half got them mentally back into it," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said.
During the second half, the toll of several injuries incurred during recent games became evident as the Cavaliers played sloppily at times, ceding possession on offense and lapsing defensively. The starting defense, which included redshirt junior Sean Hiller - playing in his first game of the year after battling injuries and falling on the depth chart - and freshman Ryan Zinkhan - normally a forward - showed its vulnerability when the offense stopped dominating possession.
During the 60th minute, Awosika broke in behind the Cavaliers and shot the ball into the left corner of the net to close the gap to 4-2. Grande then triggered memories of Friday's blown lead when he redirected a loose ball from the middle of the goal area into the net, pulling Radford within one.
Bird, however, made a big impact on the game not only with his attacking influence but also with his toughness, returning from a first-half injury which required seven stitches in his forehead. The injury-depleted Cavaliers relied on Bird in the central midfield and missed his presence while he received treatment after banging his head with an opponent while going up for a header.
"I literally have no idea [how it happened]," Bird said. "I think I clonked heads with the guy ... I was kind of timid when I got back into the game, but then I settled in again."
Up one goal, the Cavaliers sweated out the remaining 29 minutes to hang on for the narrow margin of victory. During the 85th minute, a Radford player struck a shot from nearly midfield, hitting the post and putting a final scare into the home team. The shot caught LaCivita off guard, forcing him to retreat toward the goal to stave off the shot, but the ball deflected harmlessly away from the goal and Virginia clung to its 4-3 victory.
"It's good to get a result tonight," Bates said. "After a two-game skid [at home], the main goal was to get the win. It was a little rocky there in the second half and towards the end of the first half, but the important thing is we got the job done"
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