The Virginia men’s soccer team lost its second-straight match Saturday when the No. 2 Cavaliers (4-3-1, 1-1-1 ACC) fell against No. 18 Syracuse (8-1-0, 2-1-0 ACC), 1-0.
Both Virginia and the Orange battled in a physical match which included a total of 23 fouls. Still, Syracuse left victorious after senior defender Skylar Thomas tallied his first goal of the season from a header off a corner kick in the 31st minute. The Orange took eight corners to Virginia’s three, including a 5-1 edge in the first half.
Each team took 13 shots, with Syracuse winning the shots on goal battle, 6-4. Virginia senior goalkeeper Calle Brown recorded five saves, while Syracuse stopped four shots.
Junior forward Darius Madison — making his second start of the season — led the Cavalier offense by taking four shots, including one on goal. Freshman midfielder Jake Rozhansky’s shots were both on goal.
For Syracuse, the victory marked the program’s first win against a top-five opponent since 2000. The Orange extended their current win streak to four games, with their only loss on the season a 1-0 defeat against No. 3 Notre Dame.
The Cavaliers will look to rebound Tuesday night against James Madison (4-3-2). The programs last met in 2010 — a 0-0 draw after two overtimes — though Virginia holds a 16-4-2 series lead.
The Dukes have impressed against ranked teams this season, tying No. 7 Penn State, 1-1, and No. 22 Furman, 0-0, last Friday. Tuesday will feature a battle of low scoring teams, with Virginia and JMU netting only seven and 10 goals on the season, respectively.
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