“Survive and advance” is a phrase that goes hand in hand with the ACC men’s soccer tournament. No. 9 seed Virginia indeed survived a first-round thriller Wednesday against No. 8 seed NC State. The Cavaliers came from behind to win 2-1 partly thanks to junior defender Nick Dang’s erasing of a potential last-second Wolfpack equalizer. With the quarterfinal approaching Sunday night, Virginia will get a second chance against No. 1 seed Pittsburgh at Ambrose Urbanic Field, where the Panthers obliterated the Cavaliers 4-1 just last month.
Virginia rode a five-game winning streak into the first meeting between the two teams but was quickly humbled by the ACC’s top outfit, who scored three times in three minutes in the first half. The loss shattered the Cavaliers’ hopes of hosting an opening-round tournament match and is part of the reason they have to travel to Pittsburgh once again.
However, since the loss, Virginia is 2-0 and has been rebuilt with confidence after wins over Division III program Mary Washington as well as NC State. On the other side of the grass, while the Panthers’ most recent match was a loss against Syracuse, they had already clinched the ACC Tournament’s top-overall seed and a first-round bye.
Between the two teams, the Cavaliers have had their way against Pittsburgh throughout history as they pose a 10-5-2 record in the head-to-head series. The last ACC Tournament game between the opponents was in 2022 — also in the quarterfinals — when Virginia pulled off a 1-0 win at Klöckner Stadium as the higher seed.
With the tables turned two years later, and the Cavaliers in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row, Virginia will bank on its playoff experience to try and edge out a formidable Pittsburgh squad. Some of that experience that played in the match two years ago includes senior defender Paul Wiese and graduate midfielder Daniel Mangarov. The two are Virginia’s most dynamic playmakers and have combined to produce assists for 14 out of Virginia’s 30 goals this season.
Creativity will have to be on full display throughout the Cavalier squad Sunday evening, as the Pittsburgh defense held Virginia’s attack to only five shot attempts in their most recent duel. Keeping a short-term memory and focusing on what comes next is what the team has preached moving forward.
“It’s just shaking it off, man,” Wiese said this week, prior to the start of the tournament. “Learn from the mistakes we made and move on as a team. This can be a catalyst for us to just be better, be more concentrated.”
Concentration will also be key in breaking the stifling defense that Pittsburgh holds — the Panthers have not conceded more than two goals in a game in 2024. It is worth noting, though, that Sunday’s hosts have not kept a clean sheet since Oct. 7 against Denver. Pittsburgh’s six conceded goals in its last five contests match its total through the first 11 games of the season, indicating there may be hope for the Cavalier forwards to make some noise.
Freshman forward JoaquÃn Brizuela, who scored the lone goal against Pittsburgh two weeks ago, figures to be key in that task. His four goals, all of which came late in the season, rank second on the team, behind only Dang. He may be new to the postseason, but his mentality will remain the same Sunday.
“The mindset always is giving our best, trying to win, trying to be competitive and give it all we have,” Brizuela said.
On the defensive side, the Cavaliers’ scheme took a blow when senior goalkeeper Joey Batrouni exited at halftime during the match against NC State with an apparent head injury. In a pleasant surprise, though, graduate goalkeeper Tom Miles stepped up in his place and delivered a second-half shutout that included several important saves.
Batrouni’s status, and thus Virginia’s goalkeeper Sunday night, is still uncertain. But whoever ends up between the sticks will have a mammoth task stopping the rampant Pittsburgh attack.
The underdog role may be unfamiliar for the Cavaliers, but they will have to embrace it with a place in the ACC semifinals on the line. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCN.
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