11th-seeded Virginia Upset by Fordham in Second Round
Nov. 19, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Fordham (13-4-5) broke a scoreless tie in the 83rd minute to advance to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Virginia concluded its 2017 campaign with a 12-4-5 overall record.
The Rams began the game-winning sequence with a shot on target by Jannik Loebe that was denied by Jeff Caldwell (Todd, N.C.). Loebe corralled the rebound and crossed it to the head of Eric Ohlendorf who was able to deflect it past Caldwell for the game-winner. The goal for Ohlendorf was his first of the season.
“It’s disappointing, they (Fordham) were able to get a goal late in the game where the ball was kind of knocked around there in the box,” said head coach George Gelnovatch. “I just told the guys, that’s sports, that’s soccer. It’s sad for some of our fourth-year guys who were unable to get a chance to play for a national championship in their final year.”
The Cavaliers were unable to generate a quality chance in the final seven minutes, attempting just one shot that was blocked out in front of the 18-yard box. For the game, Virginia out-shot the Fordham, 9-7, with five of its shots going on net.
Ram goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu made a game-high, five saves on the night including a point-blank save on an Edward Opoku header in the in the 77th minute. Caldwell faced six, second-half shots and made both of his saves in the second half of play.
Caldwell, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in UVA history, finished his career with 190 saves and a .85 goals against average. He ranks in the top five every career goalkeeping category and earned All-ACC honors in three of his four seasons on grounds.
The Rams will advance to play Duke in Durham, N.C. next weekend. A date and time are to be determined.
Additional Notes
-Virginia made its 37th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I soccer.
-Sunday’s match marked the first ever meeting between Fordham and Virginia.
-In the NCAA Tournament, Virginia moves to 62-32-5 and suffers only its 12th loss in 49 NCAA Tournament games at Klöckner Stadium.
-The Cavaliers drop to 21-11-1 all-time in the second round and fail to make it into the third round for the third time in the last six seasons.
-With 90 minutes played, Caldwell became only the fifth goalkeeper in UVA history to log 2,000 minutes in a season (2,022).