The sixth-seeded Virginia men’s soccer team Tuesday earned a 2-2 upset victory against third-seeded Wake Forest on penalty kicks, 5-3, to advance to Friday’s ACC tournament semifinal matchup against No. 2 seed North Carolina.
In a game with little reprieve in action, the Cavaliers (10-6-2, 4-4-1 ACC) overcame two separate deficits to force overtime.
The Demon Deacons (11-4-4, 4-2-3) took the early lead in the 22nd minute when sophomore forward Sean Okoli fed freshman forward Michael Gamble a through ball that Gamble promptly slipped into the corner of the goal.
Virginia responded quickly, earning the equalizer in the 33rd minute off a long free kick from freshman midfielder Scott Thomsen. Thomsen served the ball into the Cavaliers’ box from the opposite side of the half-line for freshman defender Zach Carroll to finish the play by winning a scuffle in front of net. The goal marked Thomsen’s sixth assist of the year.
At halftime Wake Forest held a 9-7 shot advantage, but Virginia’s strong pace and form was evident in the team’s 5-1 corner advantage.
Just six minutes into the second period, Wake Forest reclaimed the lead when junior defender Chris Duvall hooked a cross into the box from the right flank. Okoli met the ball with his head and redirected it past sophomore goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita for a 2-1 lead.
In the 56th minute the Cavaliers again demonstrated their resilience by tying the game 2-2. Freshman winger Marcus Salandy-Defour finished his speedy run down the left line by firing a low, hard cross in front of goal. Sophomore midfielder Eric Bird came streaking in from the top of the box and, while fighting off a defender, managed to careen the ball off the left crossbar and into the net.
The teams ended regulation knotted at 2-2 and failed to convert several opportunities in the two sudden-death overtime periods before the penalty shootout began.
Senior forward Will Bates commenced the penalty kick period by placing his shot perfectly in the upper-left corner, which kicked off a series of seven consecutive successful penalties.
As the Cavaliers held a 4-3 advantage in penalties, Demon Deacon sophomore Teddy Mullin attempted a nifty hesitation move on his approach and pushed his shot just to the left of goal, the first and only miss.
Redshirt junior defender Shane Cooke then put away the fifth and decisive penalty for Virginia, sending the players pouring onto the field and the team on to the next round in the ACC tournament.
The Cavaliers play North Carolina 5:30 p.m. Friday in Germantown, Md.
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