No. 9 Virginia hosted Davidson Monday night in a game that surprised everyone with its excitement. The matchup, which was not touted with the same fervor as some of the surrounding ACC battles, ended with late game heroics for the Cavaliers (6-1-1, 1-1-1 ACC) in a 2-1 victory.
Virginia junior midfielder Jean-Christophe Koffi picked up the game-winning goal in the last possible moments. He found the back of the net in the 89th minute with just a second left in the game, just after a scramble led to multiple late Virginia shots and deflections.
Things looked bleak for the Cavaliers heading into the final 20 minutes, after conceding the first goal of the contest to the Wildcats (5-2-1). It took a colossal comeback effort to end things before overtime, starting with some penalty kick magic from junior defender Sergi Nus, who picked up his fourth goal of the season.
A scrappy contest throughout, tensions culminated with a near fight and red cards handed out to Davidson in the 76th and 81st minutes. The advantage allowed the Cavaliers to press heavily in the closing nine minutes, leading to the Koffi put-back with an assist credited to senior midfielder Pablo Aguilar
The Cavaliers are no strangers to extra soccer, with four of their opening contests going into overtime, but saw the importance of finishing the opponent in order to conserve energy for the most pivotal matchup of the season.
Virginia heads to South Bend, Ind. Friday to face off against No. 1 Notre Dame. The 7:30 p.m. game will provide a true litmus test for a team with National Championship aspirations. The Cavaliers will have to continue the goal scoring form they returned to against the Wildcats to have any chance of upsetting the number one seed on their home turf.
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