In their first ACC matchup of the 2015 season, the fifth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers men’s soccer team battled for 110 minutes in Durham, N.C. to draw a stingy Duke Blue Devils team in two overtimes and remain unbeaten.
Though unable to capture the road win, Virginia’s (2-0-2, 0-0-1 ACC) offense was dynamic once again, matching Duke’s (4-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) effort in the 2-2 draw. In the 22nd minute, the Blue Devils jumped out ahead when sophomore defender Markus Fjørtoft — the Norwegian international — converted a corner kick from senior midfielder Ryan Thompson for his second goal of the season.
While the Cavaliers countered with a barrage of shots and opportunities in the following minutes, they could not convert until the early stages of the second half, when junior midfielder Riggs Lennon’s shot was deflected to the feet of sophomore midfielder Pablo Aguilar, who slotted in his first goal of the season just 46 seconds into the second half.
Although evening the score was important, the reigning College Cup Champions were hungry for more, and were able to take the lead six minutes later. Sophomore midfielder Jake Rozhansky — who missed time due to an injury earlier this season — sliced his way through the Duke defense for a clinical far-post finish to put Virginia ahead 2-1 with just under 40 minutes to play.
The Cavaliers lead, however, was short lived. After Blue Devils’ graduate transfer defender Jared Rist’s header attempt hit the crossbar, sophomore forward Jeremy Ebobisse’s one-time strike from 10 yards out found the upper-90 to tie the game at two. Ebobisse’s goal, his fifth of the year, puts him in a tie for fourth nationally in goals scored thus far.
From that point on, both teams’ goalkeepers locked down, keeping the game knotted at two through the rest of regulation and both overtime periods. At times dynamic and fast paced, Friday’s matchup featured eight yellow cards and was rough throughout, with 32 fouls called. Though Virginia has already played tough opponents, the game against Duke was a glimpse of what the Cavaliers can expect from ACC play this season: fast-paced, challenging, and unforgiving.
With two games this week — James Madison Tuesday and NC State Friday — the Cavaliers do not have much time to recover, and thus must quickly refocus so as not to slip up in their midweek out-of-conference matchup.
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