Men’s Soccer: Hoos upset top-seeded Pitt in ACC Quarterfinals, 2-0

By Colin Moore
JerryRatcliffe.com correspondent

After coming from behind against NC State — scoring two goals in 22 seconds — in the first round of the ACC Championship, Virginia battled with top-seeded Pitt in a very competitive match on Sunday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field, and did the unthinkable yet again.

The ninth-seeded Cavaliers again struck twice in less than 30 seconds in the quarterfinals Sunday, winning 2-0 in a defensive-heavy match for both teams, as the scoring opportunities came very few and far between.

The Wahoos (10-5-3, 4-3-2 ACC) were able to capitalize twice on their chances and unfortunately for the Panthers (12-5, 6-3), they were not able to dial in that last pass or shot.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The first half was very defensive-dominant, as neither offense got in a great rhythm. The Cavaliers only registered one shot in the half, which came from the foot of Albin Gashi. His shot was taken from just outside the 18-yard box, but was ultimately blocked by a Panther defender.

Pitt controlled the possession in the first half, allowing them to take four shots and five corners, which slightly threatened the Hoos. The Cavaliers’ defensive change of playing five defenders opposed to their normal three allowed them to prevent dangerous opportunities for the threatening Panthers attackers.

The Cavaliers continue to perform their best in the second halves of matches. Virginia was able to withstand a few Panthers attacks, including one great save by Tom Miles on a Pitt corner. Moments later in the 67th minute, the Cavaliers earned a corner of their own. Paul Wiese decided to play the ball quick and short to Daniel Mangarov. Mangarov then whipped a driven ball to the back post, where Umberto Pelà timed his run to perfection and headed home his first goal of the season. It was another great set-piece goal, this time catching the defense off guard.

Twenty-seven seconds later, the Hoos struck again off the ensuing kickoff. The Panthers played the ball directly to their back line, where one of the defenders took a heavy touch. Substitute AJ Smith stole the ball, took a few touches towards goal before calmly passing the ball past Cabral Carter for the Cavaliers’ second goal of the match. It was Smith’s first goal of the season.

The Hoos had to battle defensively for the remaining 20 minutes of the match, as the Panthers began sending numbers trying to generate scoring opportunities. The Cavaliers defended together for the full 90 minutes and locked up the Panthers, allowing them to advance to the ACC semifinals.

GOALS
UVA: 68’ – Umberto Pelà (Daniel Mangarov, Paul Wiese)
UVA: 68’ – AJ Smith

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The No. 1 seed hasn’t won the ACC tournament since 2017 (Wake Forest)
• George Gelnovach picked up his 381st win
• This was Virginia’s 10th straight game with a second-half goal
• It was also UVA’s second straight game scoring two goals in under 30 seconds
• The Hoos have won 8 of their last 9 matches

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers take on No. 5 seed Wake Forest in the ACC semifinals on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Cary, N.C. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network.