The Virginia men's soccer team traveled to Clemson, S.C., Friday and came away with a much-needed 2-0 victory. The Cavaliers (6-4-0, 2-1-0) earned their second road victory against a conference opponent via shutout and dealt a blow to the Tigers (3-5-0, 1-3-0) at a time when teams are seeking to improve their standings in the rugged ACC.
The top four teams in the conference earn the right to host a first-round game during the ACC tournament, and the Cavaliers moved into fourth place with the win.
Virginia went ahead during the 16th minute on freshman forward Ryan Zinkhan's first career goal. Zinkhan took a through pass from sophomore midfielder Brian Span and buried his shot after being rejected at point-blank range during the game's early-going.
In addition to his team-leading fourth assist of the season, Span also tallied his third goal of the year on a solo effort during the 75th minute which put him one-on-one with the goalie for a tap-in.
Virginia held the possession advantage and took 15 shots while holding Clemson to two. Freshman goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita made two saves to pick up his third shutout.
The Cavaliers return home Friday to host No. 2 Maryland, which recently topped then-No. 2 Creighton 1-0.\n
-compiled by Ian Rappaport