[ad_1]
Coming off an upset over No. 3 Syracuse on the road on Sept. 24, Virginia once again gets a chance to make a statement for itself and the rest of the ACC. The Knights (7-3-0, 3-1 ACC) moved into second place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 3-1 win over No. 10 Pittsburgh (5-3-1, 2-2 ACC) on Friday night. The rest of the assembly on notice.
The Cavaliers wasted no time in the first minute when junior forward Philip Horton fired a shot into the top left corner from point blank range.
The goal was set up by junior forward Leo Afonso, who made a good move to the left side of the box and fed the ball. The ball fell into the hands of young midfielder Daniel Mangarov, who beat a sea of ​​defenders and was finally saved by Van Der Sar. The ball fell right to Horton, who punched it in for the Cavaliers’ lead.
A little later, the Panthers got a chance to score in the third minute. Junior midfielder Filip Mirkovic attempted a shot from distance, but the ball went off the crossbar to keep the score at 1-0.
Virginia’s best chance to go up 2-0 came in the 14th minute when sophomore defender Paul Wise found himself near the top of the box on the right side. Wiese curled a shot into the bottom left corner, but it went just wide and out of bounds.
In 25 minutes, the Knights scored four goals and held the Panthers to zero goals themselves.
In the 27th minute, Pittsburgh senior midfielder Valentin Noel headed unguarded into the box and fired a shot past junior goalkeeper Holden Brown down the right side. The shot was perfectly placed and ignited the Pittsburgh crowd, bringing the game back to the Panthers at 1-1.
After 10 minutes of slow play, sophomore striker Kome Ubogu dribbled down the left and was awarded a free kick that was deemed fouled by graduate student defender Henrik Gallina. Afonso steps up to take the free kick and clears the cross. The ball came back into play and Wiese headed it wide.
The game remained tied at 1-1 at halftime, and Pittsburgh appeared to have regained momentum after a missed penalty and some good scoring opportunities.
However, the second half was a different story and Virginia struggled to get the win. Pittsburgh went ahead after several chances in the 61st minute.
Horton came down the right side of the field and slipped the ball to Afonso, who delicately flicked the ball past freshman defender Reese Miller. Miller struck the ball off the outside of his left foot and into the back of the right corner to give the Knights the lead again. It came as Miller’s first career goal, and it came at the right time.
Virginia silenced the crowd as Pittsburgh controlled the ball until the Knights’ goal.
As the second half continued, Virginia’s defense continued to deal with the whirlwind that was Pittsburgh’s offense. The Panthers won six corner kicks in the second half and the Cavaliers failed to capitalize on any. However, Virginia’s defense stood.
Still, the Knights’ offense wasn’t done yet, as Horton’s third goal came in the 73rd minute. Milefaud, who was beaten by Afonso in midfield, turned to his own net and fired a high pass between two Pittsburgh defenders. Horton made a smart break toward the ball and calmly slotted the ball into the net to put Virginia up 3-1.
Horton was the key player at Virginia on Friday night, scoring five points with two goals and an assist on Miller’s goal.
Pittsburgh tried to mount a comeback but couldn’t get past Brown, who had six saves on the night.
The Panthers’ best chance to come back came in the 80th minute when Brown made an emotional save that headed into the top right corner. Mirkovic danced around the ball and fired a shot from the top of the box to cut the deficit to one, but Brown reached out and got a piece of the ball and headed the ball into the corner.
With their seventh win of the year, Virginia matched the Cavaliers’ win total from last season when they went 6-9-3.
Virginia has won back-to-back road games for the first time since 2019, and also has a three-game winning streak dating back to 2019. He fell to North Carolina.
Coach George Jelnovac praised his team after the big win.
“This team’s last two results have come against some of the best competition they’ve ever had,” Gelnovach said. “I’m really proud of our guys and the way they keep fighting.”
Virginia has some rest as the Cavaliers face No. 13 Denver on Tuesday in Charlottesville. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACCNX
[ad_2]
Source link
