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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 19 Virginia men’s soccer team was defeated by No. 22 Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 2-0, Tuesday night at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers, making their 29th-straight appearance in the tournament, finish the season with an overall record of 11-9-1.
“We came out and did everything that I asked,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We played well, but UConn is an experienced team and when they did seize the lead, it made it difficult for us. We are just not experienced enough to be down to a team that is not easy to score on.”
Connecticut (11-4-6) managed just two shots in the first half, but capitalized on one of them to take a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute. After the Cavaliers were whistled for a foul just outside the penalty box, Mike Pezza served the restart toward goal and connected with Dori Arad. Arad headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net to give the Huskies the lead. For Arad, it was his fourth goal of the season.
Virginia midfielder Jonathan Villanueva had a chance to tie the game in the 39th minute, when teammate Jimmy Simpson passed him the ball and he fired a close-range shot from the left side of the field. The shot missed high, however, and Connecticut held its 1-0 lead at halftime.
The Cavaliers had several chances in the second half to even the game, but shots by Brian Ownby in the 52nd minute and Matt Mitchell in the 67th minute missed wide and was saved, respectively.
Connecticut added an insurance goal in the 76th minute. Tony Cascio was the scorer and was assisted by Pezza and Oscar Castillo.
UConn goalkeeper Josh Ford finished with three saves for the shutout. UVa goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo had two saves.
Virginia out-shot UConn, 11-6, and held a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks.
Virginia made its 29th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest active streak in the nation.