No. 11 Virginia Ties Liberty, 1-1, After Two Overtimes

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The 11th-ranked Virginia men’s soccer team played Liberty to a 1-1 double-overtime tie Tuesday night at Klöckner Stadium. With the result, Virginia’s record went to 7-3-1 on the year.

“It’s disappointing to tie, but I thought we played very well, especially in the first half,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We created a lot of opportunities to score. We needed to be better on one play, but we played hard.”

The Cavaliers broke a scoreless game in the 78th minute when freshman Will Bates (Chester, Va.) tallied his second goal of the season. Bates gathered a shot by Brian Ownby (Glen Allen, Va.) that ricocheted off the left post and finished it into the back of the net to put Virginia up, 1-0. Ownby was credited with the assist, his first of the year.

Liberty (5-2-3) responded less than two minutes later in the 80th minute when its leading scorer, Darren Amoo, headed in a corner kick for his eighth goal of the season. Liberty midfielder Juan Guzman lofted the corner kick from the left side of the field for the assist.

In the final 10 minutes of regulation, neither team recorded a shot and the match headed to overtime.

The Cavaliers’ best scoring chance came in the second overtime period, when Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) had a shot on goal. Liberty goalkeeper Andrew Madero made the diving save to his right, however, to preserve the tie.

Madero finished with eight saves for Liberty, who was out-shot by the Cavaliers, 29-6. UVa held a 13-6 advantage in corner kicks.

In goal for Virginia, Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished with two saves.

Up next, Virginia travels to ACC and in-state rival, Virginia Tech for a Saturday (Oct. 17) match. Kick-off from Thompson Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.