No. 25 Virginia Falls 1-0 At No. 18 West Virginia In NCAA Second Round

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MORGANTOWN, W. Va. Mountaineer midfielder Dan Stratford scored on a perfectly placed free kick in the 50th minute and No. 18 West Virginia defeated No. 25 Virginia, 1-0, Wednesday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia (12-8-2) concludes its season after playing in its 27th-consecutive NCAA Tournament, which is the longest active streak in the nation. West Virginia (14-5-2) advances to the third round and will face either Wake Forest or Furman.

“This senior class should be remembered for winning an ACC Championship, advancing to a College Cup and setting new attendance records in college soccer,” head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We will miss them and I was proud of our effort tonight.”

The goal, Stratford’s sixth of the year, was the result of a free kick awarded to West Virginia just outside the penalty box and in front of the goal. Stratford stepped up and struck the ball with his right foot, sending it to the upper left-hand corner of the net.

In goal for Virginia, Dan Louisignau finished with two saves, while Mountaineer goalkeeper Zach Johnson had three in the shutout.

Jeremy Barlow had the Cavaliers’ best scoring chance of the second half, firing a close-range shot in the 60th minute that required an acrobatic diving save from Johnson.

Both teams had legitimate scoring chances in the first half, but neither could capitalize. UVa midfielders Chris Tierney and Jonathan Villanueva were active on offense, as Tierney had a shot and Villanueva recorded three in the first stanza.

West Virginia held a 7-5 advantage in shots in the first period, and Andy Wright hit the post on a close-range shot with less than 12 minutes before halftime.

For the game, Virginia out-shot West Virginia, 14-13.