Men’s Soccer: UVA draws with No. 16 Hofstra, 1-1

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s soccer team was able to salvage a 1-1 draw against No. 16 Hofstra despite going down to 10 men, thanks to an equalizing goal from Mouhameth Thiam in a thrilling affair on Tuesday night at Klöckner Stadium.

GOALS (ASSISTS)
17’ Hofstra — Carmichael (FK)
58’ Virginia — Thiam (Singer)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia (6-3-2) dominated the flow of the match from the opening minute, pinning a Hofstra team with five at the back deep in its own end. Virginia recorded eight first-half attempts at goal compared to Hofstra’s two while commanding 66 percent of the possession.

Hofstra (8-1-3) would take an early advantage against the run of play. With just over a quarter of an hour gone, the Pride won a free kick just outside the Virginia penalty area. Ryan Carmichael curled his attempt around the edge of the Virginia wall and nestled it into the low corner to take the lead.

Virginia’s persistence was unwavering. The Cavaliers carried on taking the game to Hofstra while putting the ball in dangerous areas as Umberto Pelà and Will Citron forced the opposing goalkeeper into action.

One of Virginia’s most dangerous chances of the first half came off the foot of Thiam, who receiving the ball on the outskirts of the penalty area, turned on his left foot and fired a shot to the far post. His attempt was met by the goalkeeper and the Cavaliers went into the half trailing 1-0.

Virginia was facing an uphill battle that became far more challenging when 10 minutes into the second half, Daniel Mangarov was shown a straight red card. The Cavaliers would be down a man for the rest of the game.

Just two minutes later, the Cavaliers found themselves back on level terms. Thiam laid the ball off to Jack Singer at the top of the area and made a clever run to his right side. Receiving it back from Singer, Thiam fired a laser into the low corner to even the score and secure a 1-1 draw for Virginia.

ALL SQUARE AT KLÖCKNER!!!!!!

The Hoos pull one back with just 10 men 💥

UVA 1, Hofstra 1#GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/tQRxdfuxER

— Virginia Men’s Soccer (@UVAMenSoccer) October 4, 2023

FROM HEAD COACH GEORGE GELNOVATCH

“I’m super proud of the fight back after being down a man and scoring a goal against a team that was quite happy putting 10 field players behind the ball and making it really tough….I give our guys a ton of credit to score on that team and come out of here with a tie given the situation.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The match marks the first time Virginia has battled to earn a result from a losing position with 10 men since a 1-1 draw with Notre Dame (9/21/14)
• The Cavaliers have drawn both matches in which they’ve had a player sent off this season (JMU, 9/12/23)
• This marks the first match of the season in which Virginia earned a result after conceding the first goal
• Thiam scored his second goal of the campaign—Each of his goals have decided the outcome of games this season (GWG vs Maryland, 9/4/23)
• Singer recorded his first collegiate assist
• This marks the second-consecutive meeting between Virginia and Hofstra that has ended in a 1-1 draw (10/18/22) — Ryan Carmichael scored for Hofstra on both occasions
• Virginia is unbeaten in its last three matches, marking the longest unbeaten streak of the season
• The Cavaliers are now 6-1-1 at home this season and unbeaten in its last six home contests
• Joey Batrouni made four saves in his third consecutive start
• Virginia possessed the ball for 58 percent of the match
• The Cavaliers outshot Hofstra by a margin of 12-7 while placing five shots on frame

UP NEXT

Virginia hits the road for an ACC matchup with Boston College on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.