Men's Soccer Blanks Virginia Tech
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Sept. 16, 1998
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Sophomore forward Chris Albright provided all the scoring as fourth-ranked Virginia shutout in-state rival Virginia Tech 3-0 this afternoon at the Virginia Tech Soccer Complex in Blacksburg, Va.
The win was the Cavaliers’ 26th in a row over the Hokies and raised their record to 4-0-1 this season. Virginia Tech falls to 1-4 overall.
Today’s win enabled head coach George Gelnovatch tie Gene Corrigan, former commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, for second in school history with 39 wins. Bruce Arena holds the school record with 295 victories.
The Cavaliers controlled play and maintained possession throughout most of the first half, but had difficulty solving the Tech defense. Albright’s first goal, with just over two minutes to play in the first half, was a product of strong play in the defensive midfield. Sweeper Matt Chulis gained possession in his own end and served a ball over the top of the Tech defense to Albright, who had gotten behind the Hokie defenders. Albright chipped the ball just past goalie Alexey Salmin, who came well off his line to intercept the pass.
The Hokies picked up their offensive attack early in the second half and had several excellent opportunities to score. Tech forward Stanislav Licul and midfielder Ryan Cummins each had two shots apiece within 12 yards of the goal in a frantic 10-minute span shortly after halftime. But each time Cavalier goalkeeper Mike Forensich and the Virginia defense snuffed out the scoring chance.
At one point in the second half, Tech out-shot the Cavaliers 7-0, but could not find the back of the net. Forensich recorded four saves in the second half and wasn’t tested the last 20 minutes of the game.
Albright tallied his second goal in the 65th minute to give Virginia some breathing room. Jason Moore sent a free kick deep into the box from 40 yards out, where Albright deftly headed the ball past a stunned Salmin.
Albright completed his first career hat trick in the 81st minute. Drew O’Donnell beat his defender to the touch line deep in the right corner and sent a crossing pass to Albright at the far post. Albright trapped the ball and knocked in a right-footed half volley into the net. Albright screened Salmin from the pass and easily beat the Tech goalie for his sixth goal of the year.
Forensich recorded a season-high six saves in posting his first shutout as a Cavalier. Albright’s hat trick is the first by a Cavalier since Matt Leonard’s vs. Liberty on October 1, 1997. He has scored five goals in the last two games and leads the team with six this season.
The Cavaliers return to action on Saturday (Sept. 19) when they travel to Wake Forest to take on the Demon Deacons in a match scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
Score by PeriodVirginia 1 2 -3Virginia Tech 0 0 -0
Scoring SummaryUVa-Albright (Chulis) 42:35UVa-Albright (Moore) 64:10UVa-Albright (O’Donnell) 80:03
StatisticsShotsVirginia 11Virginia Tech 11
Corner KicksVirginia 3Virginia Tech 4
SavesVirginia (Forensich 6) 6Virginia Tech (Salmin 2) 2
FoulsVirginia 14Virginia Tech 20