Olympic Sports roundup: Beauvois’ late game-winner lifts UVA to 2-1 win at No. 18 Clemson

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Posted on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, 6:00 am

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

UVA first-year forward Triton Beauvois scored the game-winning goal against Clemson over the weekend. (Photo: UVA Athletics)

The Virginia men’s soccer team defeated the reigning national champions No. 18 Clemson on Saturday night at Historic Riggs Field thanks to a late game-winning goal from freshman Triton Beauvois.

Goals (Assists)
37’ – Virginia: Kome Ubogu (Leo Afonso)
68’ – Clemson: Mohamed Seye (Alvaro Gomez)
78’ – Virginia: Triton Beauvois (Paul Wiese)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Virginia (8-4-1, 4-1-1 ACC) spent the majority of the first half absorbing pressure from Clemson as the Tigers (9-3-1, 2-2-1) rallied off 10 shots compared to Virginia’s three in the first half an hour of play.

A pivotal moment occurred for Virginia with just over 30 minutes played. After Clemson won the ball in the midfield area, the break was on for the Tigers. Just as the ball entered the Virginia 18-yard box, senior captain Andreas Ueland snuffed out the chance with a trademarked sliding tackle executed to perfection.

Though the Cavaliers did not dominate the possession game in the first half, Virginia proved deadly on the counter-attack when in the 37th minute Albin Gashi won a ball in the midfield with nothing but space in front of him. Carrying the ball high up the field, Gashi released Leo Afonso down the right wing, Afonso rifled a shot on goal that was pushed aside by the Clemson goalkeeper, but a lurking Kome Ubogu tapped the rebound home to open the scoring against the run of play.

The second half looked like a different game entirely as Virginia grabbed a firm hold on the possession battle early. As Clemson looked to push forward and equalize, the game opened up and took on a frenetic pace with each team making runs deep into its attacking third.

The Cavaliers had an excellent chance to double their lead as Leo Afonso did well to get past his defender with a cut inside the penalty area from the left wing. With a powerful right-footed strike, Afonso thumped a shot hard off the crossbar to be cleared out by Clemson.

The game was then brought level when Clemson found an equalizing goal in the 68th minute of play off a free kick deep in Virginia’s defensive end. Clemson’s Mohamed Seye rose up to meet a high-arching ball and head it past Holden Brown to level the score.

The Cavaliers were not prepared to settle for a draw. Just before the 80-minute mark Paul Wiese collected a ball in midfield along the right touchline. After a quick cut inside, Wiese switched the field with a curling ball over the top to release freshman Triton Beauvois as the ball fell perfectly to his feet. With an extra touch inside, Beauvois calmly slotted the ball home to secure all three points for Virginia.

FROM HEAD COACH GEORGE GELNOVATCH

“With an early kickoff at 5:30 it was hot out here for both teams, and I think that caused the game to move a little bit slower early on. What stands out about this win is that this was not our sharpest performance of the season, but even though it may not have been our best game, we still found a way to be dangerous on the attack and do enough to win the game.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES

  • Ubogu’s goal is his sixth on the season making him the team’s leading goal scorer despite making each of his appearances this season as a substitute
  • Triton Beauvois scored the second goal of his career and his first game-winner
  • Beauvois becomes Virginia’s first freshman to record two goals this season
  • Leo Afonso recorded his third assist on the season while Paul Wiese tallied his second
  • Virginia is 7-0 in games where Afonso registers a point
  • Virginia is now 3-2-1 against teams ranked in the top-25 this season
  • The Cavaliers move back within one point of Duke atop the ACC coastal division
  • Virginia has now held four of the ACC’s premier goal scorers, Nathan Opoku (Syracuse), Bertin Jacquesson (Pitt), Mohammed Shakur (Duke) and Ousmane Sylla (Clemson) without a single point in matches against their respective teams
  • The Cavaliers achieved double-digit shot totals for the 12th time in their 13 games this season
  • Virginia was outshot by a margin of 22-10
  • The Cavaliers improve to 30-25-6 all-time against Clemson
  • Virginia is 3-0 on the road this season with each victory coming against ranked opposition

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers return home on Tuesday to take on Hofstra at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

UVA Women finish first, Men runners-up at XC23 Invitational

Photo: UVA Athletics

Both Virginia’s men’s and women’s cross country squads turned in impressive performances, as the Cavalier women took home a commanding victory in the 5k while the men finished second in the 8k race Saturday morning at the XC 23 Invitational at Panorama Farms.

The day began with the men’s 8k race as the Cavaliers put forth a strong display of pack running. Two kilometers into the race, Virginia positioned itself well in the front of the pack as Yasin Sado, and Justin Wachtel sat in seventh and eighth place while Wes Porter and Will Anthony followed closely behind at the 11 and 13 positions.

As the race developed, gaps began to form and Virginia battled seventh-ranked Wake Forest for the team title. At the finish line, Justin Wachtel led Virginia in sixth place with a time of 23:20.9, his fastest time on an 8k cross country course. Wachtel was followed by a Virginia pack of Rohann Asfaw, Gary Martin, Will Anthony, Wes Porter and Yasin Sado who went 14-15-16-17-18 to push Virginia to a runner-up finish.

The Cavalier women put forward another dominating performance in their 5k race. The Hoos jumped out to an early lead as they commanded the head of the pack. With two kilometers run, the Cavaliers made up five of the top-10 runners with Mia Barnett and Margot Appleton in the lead while Camryn Menninger, Esther Seeland and Sophie Atkinson all asserted themselves among the leaders.

As things wore on, Virginia kept its stranglehold on the team title. At the finish line, it was once again Margot Appleton leading the way for the Cavaliers as Appleton, Barnett and Menninger went 3-4-5 for Virginia. Appleton crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 16:31.7, her fastest 5k time on a cross country course, and the third-fastest time ever run at Panorama Farms.

Rounding out the scoring positions for Virginia was Sophie Atkinson and Anna Workman in the ninth and 11th positions to give Virginia a total of just 32 points as the Cavaliers remained undefeated on the season.

From Director of Track and Cross Country Vin Lananna

“Both teams did a great job today. The women were dominant, and the men did an excellent job of pack running. We will continue to progress as a team, and we are looking forward what we can do as a group in a couple of weeks here at Panorama Farms for the ACC Championships.”

Panorama Farms & XC23

In addition to serving as the home course for the Virginia men’s and women’s cross country programs, Panorama Farms will serve as the location for both the 2022 ACC Championships on Friday, Oct. 28, as well as the 2023 NCAA Championships.

Panorama Farms XC23 Invitational
Panorama Farms
Charlottesville, Va.
(Parentheses indicate national ranking)

Women’s Team Results (5k)
1. Virginia – 32
2. Ole Miss – 110
3. (27) Kentucky – 116
4. Virginia Tech – 146
5. Wake Forest – 155
6. Connecticut – 175
7. Dartmouth – 189
8. Penn – 217
9. Texas – 235
10. Boston University – 286
11. Boston College – 298
12. William & Mary – 300
13. Eastern Kentucky – 303
14. Charlotte – 350
15. Johns Hopkins – 363
16. Norfolk State – 529
17. Liberty – 534
18. VCU – 568

Men’s Team Results (8k)
1. (7) Wake Forest – 47
2. (19) Virginia – 68
3. (18) Texas – 102
4. (30) Charlotte – 116
5. Eastern Kentucky – 136
6. Cal Poly – 152
7. Ole Miss – 175
8. Virginia Tech – 194
9. Dartmouth – 225
10. Kentucky – 283
11. Penn – 330
12. Boston University – 348
13. William & Mary – 401
14. Johns Hopkins – 402
15. Norfolk State – 465
16. Boston College – 468
17. VCU – 532

Hoos get first ACC victory of 2022 against Seminoles, fall in four sets to Hurricanes

The Cavaliers celebrate their first ACC win of the season against FSU Friday. (Photo: UVA Athletics)

For the first time since 2010, the Virginia volleyball team earned its first victory over Florida State after defeating the Seminoles in five sets (21-25, 30-28, 11-25, 25-22, 15-12) at Memorial Gymnasium Friday night. The win snapped a UVA 13-match losing skid in the series and marked the program’s first conference victory in over a year. Abby Tadder (career-best 18 kills, .517 hitting percentage) and Grace Turner (15 kills, 3 aces) led the Cavaliers’ effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Virginia led by as many as nine, including 17-8, to open the first. After two called FSU timeouts, the Seminoles quickly chipped away at the UVA lead and closed out the set on 17-4 run to win the opening frame, 25-21. Tadder tallied five kills in set No. 1 and hit .444. Despite out-hitting FSU .231 to .154 and posting 4.0 total team blocks, the Cavaliers could not sustain their lead the rest of the way.
  • Both teams were close through set No. 2, which featured 17 tied scores and seven lead changes. The Seminoles were the first reach set point, 24-23, but Turner evened the score on her sixth kill of the game. Turner went on to score three more times before the Hoos went on to claim the set, 30-28, and even the match, 1-1. Turner had eight kills on 16 swings in set No. 2, while Tadder put down all six balls set her direction. UVA posted 23 kills on 44 swings with just four attack errors to hit .432 in the second. Setter Gabby Easton posted a dozen of her team-leading 35 total assists in set No. 2.
  • After grinding out a win in the second, the Cavaliers could not find their rhythm in the third. Virginia registered just three kills and hit -.208 in set No. 3. The Cavaliers trailed for the entirety of the third after FSU jumped out to a 4-0 run and compounded two more runs of at least four unanswered points later in the set. FSU closed out the third with ease, 25-11, and took a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth.
  • Virginia led for the majority of set No. 4, but a 3-1 Seminoles’ run shrank the UVA lead to 20-18 after the Hoos had led by as many as eight (18-10). Then, the Cavaliers scored four unanswered to gain set point, 24-18, but FSU responded with a 4-0 run of its own to cut the UVA lead to 24-22. Turner’s 14th kill of the match would seal the set win for the Cavaliers, 25-22, and tie the match, 2-2. Tadder tallied five kills on 10 swings and had two aces in the fourth.
  • The Cavaliers secured their first lead (5-4) to open the fifth, which proved to be the only lead change of the decisive frame. Despite a five-point UVA advantage (13-8) the Seminoles made another late-set run to shrink the Cavaliers’ lead to just two points twice. Virginia had match point, 14-12, when the Seminoles’ outside hitter attacked a set that sailed long and landed out of bounds, solidifying the fifth-set victory for the Cavaliers, 15-12.

WITH THE WIN…

  • The Cavaliers snapped a 13-match skid against Florida State and improved to 15-42 in the all-time series, which began in 1987. Virginia’s last win over the Seminoles was on Oct. 31, 2010 – also in five sets at Mem Gym.
  • Virginia snapped a 22-match skid among ACC regular-season contests, which dated back to Sept. 29, 2021.
  • Shannon Wells collected her first ACC win as UVA head coach inside Mem Gym. 

NOTES

  • Abby Tadder posted a match-high 18 kills, also her career best.
  • With her eighth kill of the match, Grace Turner reached 800 career kills. Turner finished Friday’s match with 15 total kills.
  • Defensive specialist Kate Johnson notched a season-high eight digs.

Miami 3, Virginia 1

Virginia (9-10, 1-7 ACC) came up short Sunday afternoon, however, falling 25-22, 29-31, 12-25, 7-25 to Miami (11-8, 4-4) at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia was led by Turner, who finished Sunday’s contest with 16 kills on 38 swings. Easton dished out a season-high 36 assists. Miami was led by Angela Grieve (20 kills) and Nyah Anderson (14 kills).

HOW IT HAPPENED 

  • Miami led 8-7 to open the first before the Cavaliers embarked on a 7-1 run to gain a 14-9 advantage and shift momentum in their favor. Miami chipped away at the UVA lead – with the help of a 4-0 Hurricanes’ run – and eventually tied the set, 22-22. Turner’s seventh kill of the frame followed by her 15th career block solo gave the Hoos set point, 24-22. The following play, Miami registered its eighth attack error of the set, which solidified game No. 1 in UVA’s favor, 25-22. Virginia hit .333 in the first, while Turner led the Cavaliers with seven kills and hit .417.  
  • The second set, which featured 19 tied scores and five lead changes, was close throughout as neither team ever led by more than three points. Despite hitting .348 with 19 kills, six UVA service errors proved to be the difference in the second. Miami had set point, 24-21, before the Cavaliers scored three straight to tie the game, 24-24. Virginia had set point, 26-25, after Turner and Veresia Yon posted back-to-back kills. Once again, Turner finished the set with seven kills, including UVA’s final point of the game to tie things up, 29-29. However, back-to-back Hurricane kills sealed the set win for Miami, 31-29, and tied the match, 1-1, heading into the break. Yon was sensational late in set No. 2, posting three of her four total kills after Miami had the initial set point.  
  • Coming out of the break, the Hurricanes leaped out to a 7-0 lead and did not look back. Miami went on to manufacture five and four-point unanswered scoring runs during the third, which the Hurricanes won handily, 25-12. Virginia had just eight kills in game No. 3, while Miami tallied 15.
  • The Cavaliers grasped a 2-1 lead early in the fourth before Miami scored 11 straight points. The Hurricanes went on to score eight of the last nine points to claim the fourth, 25-7, and match, 3-1.

NOTES 

  • Turner has now led the Cavaliers in kills in 13 of UVA’s 19 matches so far this season.
  • In her second career start at libero, Velasquez tallied a career-high 15 digs.
  • The second set featured a combined 60 points by both teams, the most points in a single set in a Virginia match this season.
  • With the win, Miami improved to 10-20 in the all-time series with Virginia and has won the last 11 matchups against the Cavaliers.

UP NEXT
Virginia continues its four-match homestand in Mem Gym next weekend when it hosts No. 2 Louisville (17-2, 8-0 ACC) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Notre Dame (9-9, 4-4 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches are set to stream on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) through the ESPN app, which is available through participating TV providers that carry ACC Network.