The Virginia men’s soccer team earned a crucial point in the standings Friday, playing No. 22 Boston College to a scoreless draw in Newton, Massachusetts.
The tie guarantees the Cavaliers (8-6-2, 2-4-1 ACC) a .500 or better record for the 32nd consecutive season and in doing so fulfills a major benchmark for the NCAA Tournament selection process.
Both teams had dangerous scoring opportunities in the first period. Cavalier sophomore goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita had to fully extend to stop a threatening strike from Eagle (8-4-4, 3-1-3 ACC) freshman midfielder Dylan Pritchard in the 17th minute — one of LaCivita’s two saves on the night. The ensuing rebound bounced back to Pritchard, and his second attempt on goal was blocked at the goal line by an astutely placed Virginia defender.
The Cavaliers best chance to score in the opening period came on a free kick from roughly 25 yards out in the 33rd minute. Freshman defender Scott Thomsen placed the kick accurately into the box and freshman defender Zach Carroll sent the subsequent header narrowly over the top bar.
The second half and both overtime periods proved rather insipid as neither team came close to hitting pay-dirt. In the final three periods, the teams combined for only two shots on goal. For the game, Virginia outshot Boston College 12-9 and earned six corner kicks compared to just two for the Eagles, but the Cavaliers could not capitalize.
Virginia will be on the road again Thursday when the team travels to North Carolina State to conclude its regular season schedule.