Virginia Men’s Soccer Struggles in 1-1 Draw with Boston College

Last season, the Cavaliers were 3-0-2 on the road. This season, through four road games, Virginia is 0-2-2 following a 1-1 draw with Boston College on Friday night in Newton, Massachusetts. Through the first half, the Cavaliers dominated possession but only mustered one shot on goal. In the second half, the Eagles clawed back with counter-attacking play that eventually produced a goal.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Cavaliers came to life with a goal from Stephen Annor. After that, Virginia produced a multitude of chances in the final moments. Despite the strong play at the end, the Hoos would have to settle for a draw as they were unable to find the back of the net for a second time.

The first chance from the Cavaliers came after four minutes with a give-and-go between Mouhameth Thiam and Paul Wiese, but the shot was blocked. Minutes later, Wiese awarded Boston College a free kick to the left of the Virginia 18-yard box. The ensuing free-kick forced Joey Batrouni to make a point-blank save on Ted Cargill to keep the game level.

After that, both teams began to settle in, but struggled to create decent opportunities. The Eagles have yet to score a goal in ACC play through four matches, something the Cavaliers aimed to continue.

Offensively, Virginia attempted multiple long balls to Stephen Annor, utilizing his speed to try and sneak past the stout Boston College defense. As the half continued, Virginia slowly pressured the Eagles, which included long-range shots from Pela Umberto and Albin Gashi, but neither could find the target.

With 16 minutes left in the half, Umberto fired another shot before the Cavaliers earned themselves a free kick. On the set piece, Axel Ahlander had a chance to create but failed to redirect the header towards the goal. Minutes later, Wiese picked out Annor on a set piece, but his header was off target.

After that, the Cavaliers failed to find the net, entering the half scoreless 0-0, despite outshooting the Eagles 5-2 and dominating possession.

To open the second half, the Virginia pressure continued but struggled to find shots on goal and test Brennan Klein. In response, Boston College tested the Virginia press, which resulted in a yellow card being issued to Umberto to halt the Eagles counterattack.

With 30 minutes left, Virginia earned its first corner kick of the game. The corner was indicative of the night as it sailed far as the Cavaliers continued to fail to produce a threatening shot to test Klein.

Comparatively, the Eagles began to meticulously create chances with three second-half corners and a shot by Augustine Boadi that caught the top woodwork. Then, CJ Williams picked up the deflection and fired it past Batrouni to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

With 25 minutes left, the Cavaliers continued to possess the ball in search of an equalizer. Three minutes later, Ahlander fired a goal for the Cavaliers, but his goal was called off for offsides after a pass from Kome Ubogu left him with just the goalie to beat.

Minutes later, Kome Ubogu earned the Cavaliers a free kick, but not even a shot was produced. After that, the Eagles began to amplify their attack in search of a second goal.

In response, the Cavaliers fired back with a fierce counterattack that ended with Wiese picking out Annor in the box, who glanced his header into the top left corner to bring the Cavaliers level. The goal is Annor’s seventh of the season, making him tied for second in the ACC.

The goal gave Virginia life, as the Cavaliers pounced in search of a winner with 15 minutes left. Then, with seven minutes left, a cross fell to Thiam whose shot was blocked by Klein, denying the game-winner.

With three minutes left, Reese Miller forced Klein to make a diving save. Then, with 90 seconds left, the Cavaliers cleared two Boston College corners as the clock melted away. With 20 seconds left, the Cavaliers made one last chance, but it would not be enough as the Hoos left Boston with a 1-1 draw.

Virginia (6-3-3, 2-2-1 ACC) continues ACC play against Pittsburgh on Friday, October 13th, back under the lights of Klockner Stadium, where the Cavaliers have thrived this season. 

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